This article is part of a series on veterans’ graves.
Every year on ANZAC and Remembrance Days, we stand in silence to contemplate the selfless and courageous actions of our war heroes — both those who died in battle, and those who returned home to a life forever changed.
In their honour, we chant “lest we forget”. But, sadly, the Western Australian government has clearly forgotten.
Karrakatta Cemetery redevelopment
A redevelopment program — also known as “Cemetery Renewal” — is ongoing at Karrakatta Cemetery. This process, which is conducted by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB), has seen the removal of tens of thousands of headstones, making way for new burials in between historic graves. No markers are left behind.
Over the last 50 years, countless veterans’ graves have been cleared as part of the redevelopment. In a large amount of cases, the MCB has removed these headstones despite knowing the deceased’s service history.
Why aren’t veterans protected?
We all agree that veterans’ graves are sacred and historically significant. You might then assume they are all safe from processes like redevelopment. Sadly, this is not the case in WA.
All graves are subject to a 25-year lease known as a “grant of right of burial”. When this lease expires, full control of the grave reverts to the MCB, which gives them the power to remove headstones.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
An MOU is currently in place between the MCB and the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG). Both agencies claim that this agreement sufficiently protects veterans’ graves, but this is hardly true. To download a copy of the MOU, click here.
The agreement is fundamentally flawed in that:
- It is not legally binding;
- The MCB has the ultimate say in all matters; and
- It only applies to a small number of graves.
The MOU is applicable only to Commonwealth war dead, as well as Victoria Cross, George Cross and Cross of Valour recipients. A veteran may only be considered Commonwealth war dead if he or she:
- Died from war-related causes; and
- Died during the specified WWI and WWII timeframes.1
The vast majority of veterans buried at Karrakatta are not considered Commonwealth war dead. As a result, most either have a private memorial or an “official post-war commemoration” (neither protected under the MOU).
The subject of official commemoration is complex. We have dedicated a separate article to the topic titled “What is a War Grave?”.
Which graves have been impacted?
It is virtually impossible to list all veterans’ graves impacted by redevelopment, primarily due to years’ worth of poor record-keeping by government.
According to documentation provided by the OAWG, at least 75 official commemorations have been removed2 (although more clarification on this is needed). However, the total number of private family memorials could be well into the thousands.
Sadly, thanks to the MCB’s repeated failure to conduct proper research on graves, we will probably never realise the true extent of the destruction.
Case studies
There are far too many cases to list in a single article. For now, we will show you some prominent examples.
William Dunne, Thomas Brady and Rupert Mason
These three soldiers served in WWI and were buried in the Anglican MA section at Karrakatta.
Because they all died after the war ended, none were eligible for a Commonwealth war grave. Instead, they each had official post-war commemorations, in the form of granite headstones.
When this section was redeveloped in 2001, their headstones were all smashed (and likely crushed for road base).
All three now lay completely unmarked, in between new graves — reduced to footpaths.
Private James Hill Stobo
Private Stobo died in 1934 and was buried in the Congregational EA section at Karrakatta. He was memorialised with a family headstone, but did not have any official war service recognition.
The MCB were, however, well aware of his service. Despite this, in August 2020, they decided to remove his headstone and grave surrounds as part of the redevelopment.
Private James Hill Stobo’s grave was farewelled at a group service in 2020.
Much like the soldiers mentioned earlier, Private Stobo now lies completely unmarked. A concrete beam and scant “garden” now cover his gravesite, and his headstone has been shifted to a wall some 30 metres away (itself built atop historic graves).
Many describe the MCB’s actions as bureaucratic vandalism, and for good reason. Our war heroes deserve far better than what the MCB has to offer.
We will bring you more information on this topic as we continue our research and finalise discussions with the OAWG.
We will not stop fighting until this disgraceful process is brought to an end.
A redeveloped veteran’s grave in between two new plots in Anglican MA, marked with crosses by Freshwater Bay Primary School students.
Well said …
LEST WE FORGET indeed!