“The Group consists of Members from both Houses and exists to promote and support the protection, conservation and interpretation of war graves, war memorials and battlefield sites.”

Record to date

Representations and presentations on a wide variety of issues, including the protection of the Gallipoli battlefields; the protection and interpretation of key English Civil War and Wars of the Roses battlesites; the work of the War Memorials Trust and the War Graves Photographic Project, and a number of other aspects.

Lines of Torres Vedras: recognition of the importance of the Lines at their 200th anniversary, leading to a visit from the Group (2009).

Fromelles: involvement of the Group helped ensure that the highest standards were applied in the recovery of the lost soldiers, leading to the construction of the first CWGC cemetery for 50 years (2007–2010).

The Group held a joint meeting with the Battlefields Trust at the Royal Armouries in Leeds (2006) to examine and discuss the issue of metal detecting on British battlesites.

A19 motorway: led to detailed survey, cutting-edge archaeology and, eventually, the line of the motorway shifting. Represented the first professional archaeological excavation of a major Great War site in Flanders (2005).

Pilckem Ridge

“ Concerns have been raised that proposals to extend the A19 Motorway near Ieper in Belgium will disturb burials on the First World War "Ypres" battlefield. ”

On 21 January 2002 Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government: What representations they have made to the Flemish regional government to prevent the destruction of the Pilckem Ridge Commonwealth war graves site by the construction of a new section of the A19 road between Ypres and Furnes.
Read the exchanges here

Who are we?

The All-Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group, chaired by Lord Faulkner of Worcester, has over 90 members.
Co-secretaries are Peter Barton, historian & author of several books on WW1 in association with the Imperial War Museum & Professor Peter Doyle, a military terrain specialist.

Some useful links