Government has provided £50,000 funding to Woking Borough Council to help create Woking Peace Garden, commemorating the centenary of the First World War
The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) writes:
Communities Minister Stephen Williams has launched the second stage of the transformation of a former First World War Muslim cemetery into a peace garden.
The former cemetery at Horsell Common near Woking was originally built in 1917 as a final resting place for Muslim soldiers of the pre-partition Indian Army who had died at the temporary Indian Army Hospital in Brighton Pavilion. But the site fell into disrepair and the graves were later transferred to Brookwood Cemetery. There were 19 burials during the First World War and each was marked with a round arched headstone facing west, in accordance with Islamic tradition. A further 8 burials were interned following the Second World War.
The peace garden will contain 27 Himalayan birch trees planted to symbolise the men who were once buried there. Pink and white heather will also be planted in strips, pointing towards Mecca.
The new peace garden has been conceived to mark the centenary of the First World War and will provide a lasting tribute to those that gave their life for Britain 100 years ago. Around 1.3 million pre-partition Indians – people from modern day Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – fought for Britain during the First World War. Approximately 400,000 were Muslims.
The Woking Peace Garden project has been funded by grants from the Department for Communities and Local Government, English Heritage and the volunteer group Horsell Common Preservation Society and Surrey County Council.
Speaking at a prayer ceremony led by Dr Syed Abbas Naqui from the Shah Jahan Mosque, Stephen Williams said: Peace gardens bring communities together to plan, work and care for a common space which can be enjoyed by all. The Woking Peace Garden will allow this community to reflect on the sacrifice of so many during the First World War and to remember the brave men who came from across the world to fight for our freedom. Over the next 4 years we will continue to mark the contribution of all those that fought for Britain 100 years ago and I hope this garden will allow everyone in the local community to come together and learn about our shared history together.
After launching the restoration programme at the Woking Peace Garden, Stephen Williams visited the nearby Shah Jahan Mosque, the oldest mosque in the UK. Later the minister also paid his respects at the graves of the Muslim soldiers which had been moved to the military section at Brookwood Cemetery.
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