Neuville-sous-Montreuil Indian Cemetery
The Indian cemetery created by the Lahore Indian General Hospital (1914–16) contains twenty‑five graves and a cremation panel, set on a steep, hedged slope and entered by an undulating‑walled stair to a seated memorial wall and toolhouse, with Indian character evoked through Cowlishaw’s detailing and flowering shrubs instead of a Cross of Sacrifice.
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Description
The Indian cemetery was constructed between December 1914 and March 1916 by the Lahore Indian General Hospital. The cemetery contains only twenty-five graves and a memorial panel for three soldiers whose bodies were cremated according to their belief. Just as the Chinese cemetery in Noyelles-sur-Mer, this Indian cemetery has no Cross of Sacrifice.
The cemetery lies on a country road on a steeply sloping piece of ground. The entrance consists of a stairway between two walls with an undulating top and large flowering shrubs to accentuate the Indian character of the cemetery. A seat has been incorporated in a wall with the land tablets and the memorial panel opposite the entrance. A toolhouse is situated behind the wall.
The graves lie in two directions on the slope that is sur- rounded by a hedge. The materialization and detailing are characteristic of the work of assistant architect Cowlishaw. Although the cemetery does not occur on the IWGC’s list of Lutyens’ cemeteries, the approval form does mention him as the principal architect. (Geurst, 2010, p.371)
Bibliography
Geurst, J. (2010) Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
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