This week is War Graves Week across these Isles. Take this opportunity to do something, learn a little more, and honour the service of those men and women who were killed during the world wars. Each of these five options are available to you in the Isle of Man.

1. Download the official app

The CWGC War Graves App provides information on the 363 service men and women commemorated in cemeteries across the Isle of Man. If you are just curious to find local war graves on the Isle of Man, or want to remember someone specific who died in the two world wars, the app is a great way to learn more about our local heritage.

Simple to use, the CWGC War Graves App allows you to search for war graves at twenty locations across the Isle of Man. You can use your phone’s location to find sites nearby, or search for specific sites.

Download it here:

iOS 

Android

2. Visit a local cemetery

There are twenty sites across the Isle of Man which are home to Commonwealth War Graves. Some of the biggest include Douglas Borough Cemetery, located opposite the TT Grand Stand, and the picturesque sites at Jurby, Andreas and Patrick.

Visit a local site, and think about how the graves represent people – imagine their stories and what life might have been like for those people.

3. Browse the online listing of 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth who died during the two world wars

The CWGC maintains an online database of the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth who died during the two world wars.
Use the CWGC search tools to explore historical records and find out about those who are commemorated.

4. Book a talk for your community group, school or business

The CWGC operates a busy and engaging speakers program, which will arrange for a local speaker to come to your school, community group or business. With experience speaking to groups such as Rotary, the Women’s Institute, Scouts, and the Manx Stroke Foundation, a speaker on the Isle of Man is often available during the day and on evenings, seven days a week.

Following a presentation from a CWGC-appointed volunteer speaker, many members of community groups take the opportunity to share and honour the heritage of stories of their own family & community history.

5. Join the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

Aligned to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation is a charity which supports the on-going mission to honour the memory of service men and women who died in the two world wars. You can join the Foundation online here.

Michael Josem is a long-term consumer advocate, most prominently as a global leader in combating fraud in the online gambling industry. He was in part the inspiration for the 20th Century Fox Movie, Runner Runner, starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Josem has over a decade of experience as a senior business leader working across various high-tech and online industries, and takes action to build a better community. His primary volunteer roles include service for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Graih, the homelessness charity.