| Additional Information: | Son of Alexander and Evelyn Duffus; husband of Grace Daphne Duffus, of Romford, Essex. |
| Cemetery: | KIRKEE WAR CEMETERY, |
| Grave Reference/ Panel Number: |
3. AA. 5. |
| Location: | Kirkee, also known as Khadki, is a Military Cantonment
adjoining the large university town of Poona on the Plateau above Bombay. It can be
reached by train from Bombay to Poona or by long distance taxi service from Dada Taxi
Stand, Bombay. There are direct flights from Bombay, Madras and Delhi but these tend to be
irregular. Taxis and Motor Rickshaws are available from Poona Railway Station. To reach Kirkee War Cemetery, in which the memorial stands, one must ask for Mula Road along which the cemetery is located. One way is to cross the Sangam Bridge and follow the road which has the River Mula on its right. The CWGC road direction board is on a crossroads with the Bombay Poona Road. The cemetery is situated on the right hand side and backs onto the river. From the railway station follow the way via Juna Bazar, Sangam Bridge, past the Engineering college, over Wakdewadi Bridge, past Bajaj Kamal Nayan Udyan and onto Bhayawadi and Mula Roads. From the airport, one reaches Ahmadnagar Road which joins onto Nagar Road followed by Deccan College Road; over the Holkar Bridge and, keeping left at the junction with Elphinson road, one enters Mula Road. The cemetery is a short distance away on the left hand side of the road. The Commonwealth War Graves road direction sign is situated at the junctions of Elphinson Road and Mula Road, but it should be noted that this is often hidden from view by Market Stalls. Situated at the far end of Kirkee War Cemetery, facing the entrance, are the Kirkee 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 Memorials. The 1914-1918 Memorial commemorates nearly two thousand soldiers who served and died in India during the 1914-1918 War, who are buried in many civil and cantonment cemeteries in India and Pakistan where their graves can no longer be properly maintained. The Kirkee 1939-1945 Memorial commemorates 193 East and West African soldiers who died in non-operational zones in India, whose graves either cannot be located or are so situated that maintenance is not possible. |
| Historical Information: | KIRKEE WAR CEMETERY Index No. Ind. 13 KIRKEE, also known as Khadki, is a pleasant military cantonment adjoining the large town of Poona on the plateau above Bombay. It is reached by train from Bombay to Poona, a journey of about four hours, and from Poona station Kirkee is ten minutes by taxi. The war cemetery occupies an attractive site on the banks of the Mula river. From the entrance gates in Mula Road broad, shallow steps lead down into the cemetery, which is some five feet below the road level. The banks on either side of these steps are clothed with ornamental and flowering shrubs, and the avenues leading to the Cross of Sacrifice are formed by Peltophorum trees which twice a year bear beautiful, sweetly scented yellow flowers. Across the site stretch pergolas covered with flowering climbers - bignonia, allamanda and bougainvillea - and the various seats in the cemetery are shaded by flamboyants or gold mohur trees. The headstone borders contain dwarf roses and hybrid tea roses, and the whole area, save for paths, is turfed. At the far end of the cemetery, opposite the entrance, is a large memorial commemorating 193 East and West African soldiers of the 1939-1945 War and 1170 casualties of the 1914-1918 War who are buried in many parts of India and Pakistan where their graves are either unlocated or so situated that maintenance is not possible. This cemetery is purely a concentration cemetery, and here are gathered together war graves from the western and central parts of India where permanent maintenance could not be ensured. The total number of burials is 1,674, classified as shown opposite. In addition, special memorials commemorate two 1939-1945 War casualties of the merchant navy who are buried elsewhere. The register of the 1939-1945 War casualties commemorated on Kirkee Memorial is included in this volume. The names of the 1914-1918 casualties are the subject of a separate register. At the end of each entry in the Register, the first number indicates the Plot; the letter, the Row; the last number, the Grave. Thus 2. B. 23 means Plot 2 Row B Grave 23. The end headstones of each row have carved on their narrow faces the plot number and row letter, thus: 2. |
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