Fallen military service members remembered in England

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Europe

In England, the worldwide Commonwealth Graves Commission tends the graves of nearly 2 million service members who were killed during World War I onwards.

In the English countryside not too far from the UK capital, thousands of the dead from the two world wars are remembered with a deep respect.

It is a scene replicated at 23,000 locations across the globe. From the jungles of Myanmar to the manicured lawns of the English Home Counties, there are places like this in 150 countries worldwide.

Servicemen march through the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions Tyne Cot Cemetery ahead of a ceremony attended by Prince Charles, Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium on July 31, 2017. /AFP Photo

"I think for communities around the world, the war dead have often shaped the way they see themselves," Glyn Prysor, chief historian at Commonwealth Graves Commission said. "They’ve served as not just a lesson, but the legacy has meant that people have reflected on their own lives and their own values and that’s still very powerful today."

The Commonwealth Graves Commission emerged from the carnage of the First World War. Millions around the world lost their lives in what was history’s first industrial war.

From the battle of the Somme, in which half a million were killed, the commission’s cemeteries trace out the battle lines. The men were buried near where they fell.

The War Graves Commission makes it a point of honor that there’s no distinction between rank, religion, or even nationality.

Prince William watched on as his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, knelt to leave a floral tribute by the graves of fallen soldiers on July 31, 2017‍. /AFP Photo

Caring for this vast enterprise requires a staff of 1,800 all around the world, reflecting the diversity of those drawn into conflict.

In Hong Kong, the Chinese Labor Corps is among those remembered and respected.

"Members of the Chinese Labor Corps played an incredibly important role in supporting the military forces," Prysor said. "So because of this diversity, that’s another reason why the war graves commission was so adamant that people should be honored in the same way."

It means a lieutenant colonel lies alongside men of all ranks with the same stone in the same field.