The Cemetery Keeper of Kabul

Kabul At Work is a remarkable video project and soon to be a book. Follow this LINK through to the website for more about the cemetery keeper and the project itself.

The forgotten souls of Taylor Cemetery

Gone but not forgotten

The forgotten souls of Taylor Cemetery

Executed by the Germans

Many years ago, I bought two mounted photographs of the repatriation of Captain Charles Fryatt who was executed by the Germans during the First World War. I recently rediscovered them

Wikipedia tells me that Charles Algernon Fryatt (2 December 1872 – 27 July 1916) was a British mariner who attempted to ram a German U-boat in 1915. His ship, the SS Brussels was captured by the Germans in 1916. When it became clear who he was, Fryatt was court-martialled and executed, although he was a civilian. There was international outrage following his execution. In 1919, his body was exhumed and given a funeral with full honours in England.

In 1919, Fryatt's body was exhumed and returned to the United Kingdom for burial. His coffin was landed at Dover, and transported  to London. On 8 July, his funeral was held at St Paul's Cathedral. Hundreds of merchant seamen and widows of merchant seamen and fishermen attended. Representing the Government were many members of the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, the Cabinet and the War Office.

The band of the Great Eastern Railway, augmented by drummers from the Royal Marines played the Dead March, Eternal Father, Strong to Save and Abide with Me were sung and a blessing given by the Bishop of London. The route of the coffin to Liverpool Street Station was lined with people. Fryatt was buried at All Saint's Church, Upper Dovercourt. His coffin was carried from the station to the church on a gun carriage. His widow was presented with the insignia of the Belgian Order of Leopold which had been posthumously awarded to Fryatt. He was also awarded the Belgian Maritime WarCross. Click on the two photographs for a closer view.

The coffin containing the body of captain Fryatt on the quarterdeck of the
Destroyer HMS Orpheus during the crossing from Antwerp to Dover

Merchant Marine Captains who acted as pall-bearers at the Memorial Service to Captain Fryatt at St Paul's Cathedral

And thanks to Wikimedia and Creative Commons, here are three connected images:

A studio portrait of Capt Fryatt

The SS Brussels sank off the Zeebrugge Mole

The Fryatt Memorial at Liverpool Street Station in London
Photo: Stzhang

Marble Quarry's link to Memorials

Veteran Headstones: From Mining To Engraving To The Cemetery

Passed Close Together

This memorial marks the grave of an elderly couple who died within a few days of each other.

In Loving Memory of Henry Walker Wilson who died Nov 4, 1913 aged 69 and Jane, his beloved wife who died Nov 10, 1913 aged 72. Lovely and Pleasant in their Lives - In Death, Not Divided

Ornate Memorial

Henry Carey Houston - Woolen Cloth Manufacturer. Buried in Frome Dissenters Cemetery, Somerset

Hurricane Victim

Today, visiting Belize City cemetery is a dangerous pursuit - you might end up staying there. A look at the city's online news website contains report after report of almost daily killings and woundings. It was a lot quieter in the 1990s when I visited, although my hosts were shocked to hear I had been there alone!


I was very taken with this memorial to Police Superintendent J H Sempill who was killed in the 1931 Belize hurricane. The category 3 hurricane killed an estimated 2,500 people. It was the worst natural disaster in Belize's history. The city was left devastated by the 125 mile per hour winds.

This photograph of a ruined convent in Belize City shows the severity of the damage
(published under Wiki Commons)