Madras War Cemetery is about 5 kilometres from the airport and 14 kilometres from the central railway station. The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL is situated at the rear of the cemetery. The GST Road (Great Southern Trunk Road) leads from the airport past Trident Hotel to Kathipara roundabout. The way is via Mount Poonamall Road, passing at the foot of St. Thomas Mount. The cemetery can easily be located on the right hand side of the road 1 kilometre from St. Thomas Mount. From Madras Central Railway Station the route is up Mount Road (Anna Salai) and over the bridge which crosses the River Cooun. The route passes St. Mary's Cemetery on Pallawan Road and is via LIC building (Life Insurance Corporation Building) situated on Mount Road, which leads to Anna Flyover and to Kathipara Junction.



The MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL was built to commemorate more than 1000 servicemen and women who died in India during the First World War, who were buried in numerous civil and cantonment cemeteries in India whose graves were considered to be unmaintainable after India gained its independence in 1947. For several years now, the Commission has been working to reinstate the original graves of a large number of these individuals and to date, the official commemoration of over 900 individuals have been reverted back to their original burial location. However, their names will remain on the MADRAS 1914-1918 MEMORIAL for the foreseeable future.



The memorial stands in MADRAS WAR CEMETERY which was created to receive Second World War graves from many civil and cantonment cemeteries in the south and east of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured.



The cemetery contains 856 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.



The original civil and cantonment cemeteries are as follows:



Agra Cantonment;

Aligarh Civil;

Allahabad New Cantonment;

Arogyavaram Pothapole Union Mission Sanitorium;

Bangalore Cantoment (Kulpully);

Bangalore (Hosur Road);

Bantra, Howrah;

Bareilly;

Barkacha Military Grave;

Barrackpore New;

Bellary Military;

Benares Cantonment;

Bettiah;

Bezwada Eurpean;

Bolarum Cavalry Barracks, Secunderbad;

Calcutta (Entally);

Calcutta (Lower Circular Road);

Calicut New Beach;

Cannanore General;

Cawnpore Cantonment New;

Chakrata;

Chaubattia;

Chikmagalur;

Cuddapah European;

Dehra Dun;

Dinapore No 3;

Dum Dum New;

Fatehgarh Cantonment Open;

Fyzabad Cantonment;

Gaya New;

Jamalpur Railway;

Jhajha;

Jhansi Cantonment;

Kailana, Chakrata;

Kala Khan, Naini Tal;

Kataphar New, Jalapahar;

Kharagpur;

Kohima;

Kotwa Military Grave;

Kydganj New, Allahabad;

Landour General;

Lebong Cantonment;

Lucknow Cantonment Military;

Madras (Kilpauk);

Madras (St Andrew's);

Madras (St George's) Cathedral;

Madras (St Patrick's);

Madras Wesleyan;

Madura R.C.;

Malappuram (Christ Church);

Mussoorie General;

Muttra;

Narayan Guda Hyderbad Government;

Ootacamund (St Thomas);

Poonamallee;

Port Blair;

Puri;

Purna R.C.;

Raichur Railway;

Ramandrug;

Rangamati;

Rhanikhet New;

Roorkee;

Sadiya;

Saharanpur;

St Thomas's Mount Church;

Secunderbad;

Secunderbad European R.C.;

Shahjahanpur Cantontoment;

Sillong;

Tirurangadi;

Trimulgherry Cantonment;

Wellington Garrison.