CWGC Cemeteries in Iraq, WW1 Aviation
& 6 Squadron RAF
CWGC Cemeteries in Iraq, WW1 Aviation & 6 Sqn RAF
The original purpose of my website was to document the early years of 6 Squadron. This evolved from my first book, For God, England & Ethel, the story of my grandfather who served with 6 Squadron on the Western Front during WW1. I also wanted to display some of the research material that didn't end up in the book. The website has expanded a lot over the past twenty years but 6 Squadron still plays a major part, with sections on the 6 Squadron journal, the Tin-opener, the squadron's move to Mesopotamia after WW1, the role it played in Italy during WW2 in 1944, Facts & Figures on the squadron's early operations, the types of aircraft on charge during that time, numerous WW1 photos, the 6 Squadron Roll of Honour as well as profiles of several 6 Squadron pioneers.
The Royal Air Force took over control of all British Forces in Iraq in October 1922, requiring a bigger RAF station than its old HQ in Baghdad West. The new site, named RAF Hinaidi, was established in the south of the city, eight miles south-east of Baghdad West, on the eastern bank of the River Tigris. To protect the low-lying land from flooding, a bund was constructed around the perimeter of the cantonment, eight and a quarter miles in length and surrounding an area of 2,500 acres. RAF Hinaidi was operational from 1921 until January 1938, by which time all British operations had been moved to RAF Dhibban, later renamed RAF Habbaniya.
Throughout the operational life of RAF Hinaidi, most British servicemen and women who died in Iraq were buried at the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery, located at the south-western corner of the cantonment. The land upon which RAF Hinaidi stood was handed over to the Iraqi government in January 1938 with the exception of the cemetery grounds which remained the property of the British Ministry of Defence. It was agreed that the cemetery would be maintained in perpetuity by the Imperial War Graves Commission, name later changed to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Sadly, over the next eighty years, the cemetery (since renamed the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery or more simply the Rasheed Cemetery) containing 300 graves gradually fell into disrepair and by 1975 was abandoned altogether by the CWGC (click HERE for a timeline of the cemetery).
I first became aware of the appalling condition of the Ma'Asker RAF Cemetery in 2018 whilst researching the death of a WW1 'ace' pilot who was killed in 1922 taking off on a mission from RAF Hinaidi. He was buried in the cemetery, half a mile from where his Bristol FB2 Fighter crashed. At the end of 2021, thanks in the main to the support and perseverance of the British Embassy staff in Baghdad, particularly Defence Attaché Brigadier Adam McRae, a new wall was constructed around the cemetery, with a contract put in place to pay for a caretaker. Sadly, though approval was given in December 2022 for the local contractors who built the new cemetery wall to commence Stage 2 of the restoration (moving the remaining headstones to one side, tidying up the site and repositioning the 71 surviving headstones), this work was suspended by the JCCC (Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre) until such time the CWGC/MoD/JCCC could come to a decision as to what restoration works should be carried out at Ma'Asker and the appropriate timeframe, especially given the delicate political situation in Iraq. Click HERE for the full story.
On the 26th July 2025 I was informed by the Area Director Africa & Asia at the CWGC that a local Iraqi contractor had won the contract for the first phase of restoration would commence in the near future. Sadly there has been a hiccup in the process and alternative arrangments are being discussed. However it is still anticipated that work will commence before too long . . . . .
I expanded my website in January 2024 to include a section devoted to the men and women who are buried at the Habbaniya War Cemetery, 55 miles west of Baghdad. The cemetery was originally part of RAF Dhibban, later known as RAF Habbaniya. I have added details of each of the 290 people buried there, including the location and a photograph of every individual grave.
These photographs are not on any other website nor can they be obtained from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
If you want more information on the history of RAF Habbaniya that isn't covered on the pages of my website, take a look at the RAF Habbaniya Association website or send me a message via the CONTACT tab at the top of this page as I have access to some of the now disbanded RAF Habbaniya Association's archives.
These two sections of my website are recent additions and are being expanded on a weekly basis.
My website also contains photographs covering WW1 and the inter-War years, with an emphasis on 6 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force). There is also a section with 43 pages of high definition aerial photographs (two to a page) taken by 6 Squadron aircraft in May and June 1917, before and after the Battle of Messines. Recently added are images of WW1 maps and photographs as well as copies of every page of my grandfather's WW1 wireless training document.
Updated 18th September 2025
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Visitors to my website have often likened to "Going down a rabbit hole" and have asked why there so many sections and sub menu options?I started my website 20 years ago when I was researching for my first book, 'For God, England & Ethel', an account of my grandfather's service life with 6 Squadron Royal Flying Corps during WW1. Many of my findings were interesting but never made it into the book, so I thought I would create a website and add them as a permanent record for anyone to access. As my knowledge of early military aviation and 6 Squadron expanded, especially after I became involved with the 6 Squadron RAF Association, so did my website - and so did the requests for help from the general public all across the world. Time passed and I published more books, some of them non-fiction on WW1 aviation, others that were historical but factual novels and even a self-help guide on ADHD /OCD. As a consequence my website continued to grow in its range of subjects as well as complexity. However, the biggest change happened in 2018 after I accidentally became aware of an abandoned RAF Cemetery in Baghdad during what I thought was a routine enquiry. With the British Authorities proving reluctant to honour its agreement to maintain that cemetery in perpetuity, what started out as a small project turned into an obsession which is still ongoing after more than seven years. So the website grew . . . . . . and grew . . . . . . and grew . . . . . as I became involved in the operations of other British military cemeteries in Iraq. Queries via my Contact page also grew, requiring more and more research on my part and as a consequence more and more information and images to put on my website. Much of the information (e.g. photographs of every headstone at the Habbaniya RAF War Cemetery in Iraq) will not be found anywhere else, so I do not want to reduce the scope of my website. I could break it into two separate websites but that would take time and money. As I do not charge for any of the research that I do for other people and organisations, I simply cannot afford to do this. I have already exceeded the official limit of pages for a Wix website so may eventually be forced to combine pages, but I will not remove any details. This may not make navigating my website any more easier, but I hope visitors to it will understand.
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From the skills I have developed in researching service records and manner/place of death of RAF personnel during WW1 and 'between the wars', will I offer this service to members of the public and if so, will there be a charge for this service?In the twenty years since I retired I have helped hundreds of people and organisations in researching the military history of a member of the British Forces (mostly the Royal Air Force but sometimes the British Army) who died service. In many cases I have been able to determine the cause of death and the final resting place of the body where these details have been lost over time. Many times I have been told that I've solved a mystery in a matter of days that had taken family members decades of frustration in not being able to find the answer. I have never and will never charge for this service as the satisfaction in helping to solve mysteries is reward enough. Over the years I have been presented with a number of difficult challenges, some of which have led to unexpected results. Here are a few of the more unusual examples: I discovered three WW1 heroes who kept their bravery from the families and unintentionally debunked five self-proclaimed WW1 RAF heroes who used their 'fame' in order to advance their careers or family respect (I left it up to the families concerned as to what if anything they would do with my findings). I identified the hitherto unknown final resting place for five RAF servicemen, in Iraq, France and England as well as identifying a missing headstone for a Norwegian sailor in a CWGC War Cemetery in Iraq. However, two of the most gratifying projects resulted in the surprise reunification of extended family members. If you feel I could help you with your research into finding out what happened to a close or distant family member who lost their life while in the service of the British Armed Forces, all it takes is to send me a message via the Contact page on my website