The Immaculate Rangoon War Cemetery

July 20, 2016

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No Comment Asia, Myanmar/Burma, Travel Blog, Yangon

Amidst the crowded streets and loud ruckus of day-to-day Yangon, the Rangoon War Cemetery is a welcome reprieve

The Rangoon War Cemetery is a perfectly-kept grass rectangle hidden down a dark alley from small street food shops and local car repair joints.

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From time to time I peruse sites looking for new programming on Myanmar as I’m always curious to see what the world is showing about this ‘little’ corner of the world. Recently I came across a BBC program entitled “Burma’s Secret Jungle War” and my first thought was “Oh great, a program demonizing this country during a time of transition from brutal military junta rule towards a liberal democracy… c’mon fellas, leave it.” You see, I presumed that this new program, a two-part series, was based around Myanmar’s (or Burma’s, if you will) decades-long struggle with rebel groups in Kachin State, Karen State, Shan State, etc. Planning to watch it anyways, I quickly realized that it was about the incredibly-brave British fighting force, the Chindits, taking on the Japanese army behind enemy lines in Burma back in World War II. Fears resigned and curiosity piqued, I settle in to watch both hours-long episodes with my Mrs. Of course, fate would have its say the next day as I somehow happened to find myself next to the small cemetery which pays homage to these fallen warriors in the heart of Yangon. More on my part of the story later.

Rangoon War Cemetery

The Chindits fighting force was a mix of British and Indian fighters who were deposited behind enemy Japanese lines in the far north of Myanmar in the Shan and then Kachin States during World War II. Fighting a guerrilla war of sabotage against he Japanese, the force encountered not only the harsh resistance of the army but also the powerful monsoon rains, thick bugs and mosquitoes, viral and other sicknesses along with food shortages all piled on top of long treks through thick Southeast Asian jungle. The host of the aforementioned television program Burma’s Secret Jungle War, Joe Simpson, is a renowned mountaineer and author of Touching the Void, and his father actually served in the Chindits as the coordinator of airdrops and as their navigator. Armed with his father’s old maps, diary, and a special permission to enter parts of the country normally closed to tourists, Simpson and guest host/fellow adventurer Ed Stafford attempted to retrace the group’s steps but fail to follow completely as fighting in the area between the Myanmar army and aforementioned rebel groups hit a crescendo during the events of the filming of the show – Myanmar’s first free elections in decades.

I won’t give anything further away from the show (you can watch both episodes free on YouTube (Part 1; Part 2) however the last bit shows Simpson touring the Yangon War Memorial Cemetery. Having traveled all around Yangon it was one of the few places I’ve yet to go and the next day while randomly getting my car fixed down a dirty and dark alley (busted motor starters hey?) off the main drag a bit south on Pyay Road, I noticed a sign for the Rangoon War Memorial. Now it wasn’t the Taukkyan War Cemetery featured in the show, however it seemed that fate meant for me to check it out. What are the odds the local car repair joint sits next to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission site?

Rangoon War Cemetery

The immaculate grounds are in part thanks to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the good work of the British Embassy and a caretaker who resides on site. The Rangoon War Cemetery is open daily from 7:00 – 17:00. The CWGC site is wheelchair accessible and easy to access and meander about. The Rangoon War Cemetery was first used as a burial ground immediately following the recapture of Rangoon in May 1945. Later, the Army Graves Service moved in graves from several burial sites from in and around Yangon, including those of the men who died in the infamous Rangoon Jail as prisoners of war.

The cemetery is a lot to take in, however its location off the back road and insulation from the main drags by residential buildings make the cemetery a quiet ground to pay your respects. As a final resting place in Yangon, it really doesn’t get as serene or green as the Rangoon War Cemetery.