The war cemetery at Farrington Road.
AN international organisation has reached out to the Bahamas government in hopes of having the 72-year-old Nassau War Cemetery officially preserved as a heritage site, officials said yesterday.
Honorary Supervisor for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and former British High Commissioner to The Bahamas Peter Young said he, along with CWGC representative Captain Joe Sipos, met with Works Minister Philip “Brave” Davis on Monday to determine whether the government has plans to turn the Farrington Road cemetery into a heritage site.
They also met to discuss if the government would be interested in “partnering” with the CWGC for its upkeep and maintenance.
As it stands, the cemetery, previously known as the Royal Air Force Cemetery, has been under the care and maintenance of the CWGC since 1973 following a post-independence agreement between the Bahamian and British governments.
As such, Mr. Young said any move by the government to declare the cemetery a heritage site would likely have “implications” on the financing for the site’s maintenance, as well as obligatory implications on the CWGC.
However, Mr. Young said he and the CWGC are “very happy” with the “positive reception” Mr. Davis gave them on Monday, claiming that the Deputy Prime Minister said the government is prepared to work with the CGCW and make a “contribution” to the endeavour.
Mr. Young also said the group plans to meet with the chairman of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation today on the matter. “So we just want to be sure while Captain Sipos is here on his visit, we want to be sure that we understand how a site qualifies to become a heritage site, and if the Bahamas government has any plans to make this a heritage site,” Mr. Young told The Tribune. “Because it’s good for The Bahamas, this sort of site being kept well, and it’s good publicity for everybody that although the CWGC itself is doing the work, we are, after all on Bahamian territory. So we want to work together with people and we’re very happy that the Deputy Prime Minister responded so positively.”
From left, former British High Commissioner Peter Young, Captain Joe Sipos, Peter Bates of the Sun Flower Organisation and President of Installers Company Greg Curtis.
The Nassau War Cemetery was built in 1944 and opened by the Duke of Windsor as Governor of The Bahamas. It contains the graves of 46 British and five Canadian casualties and the Nassau Memorial, which commemorates seven British and two Canadian servicemen.
Responsibility for the Nassau War Cemetery was transferred from the CWGC Head Office in Maidenhead near London to its Canadian agency in Ottawa five years ago.
Despite the agreement between the Bahamian and British governments however, Mr. Young told The Tribune that the cemetery had been neglected in recent years and had fallen into disrepair. However, with new funding from the CWGC, a major renovation project was completed in 2014.
A local firm, the Installers Company, co-owned by Peter Bates and Greg Curtis, has the maintenance contract.
After an initial survey of the cemetery yesterday, Capt Sipos, an inspections officer for CWGC’s Canadian agency, praised Mr. Young, Mr. Bates and Mr. Curtis for doing a “great job” in maintaining the Farrington Road site.
“We’re very, very proud of this cemetery and the way it looks, and I believe firmly that, not in the future, but right now, this is a historic property,” he said. “It plays a huge part in the history of The Bahamas, and I think it’s extremely significant.”
Established by Royal Charter in 1917, the CWGC is responsible for the commemoration in perpetuity of the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars. It is responsible for war cemeteries and other burial grounds in 150 countries.
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