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The Association of the Friends of the British Cemetery was founded to undertake the maintenance of the neglected British Cemetery in Elvas, Portugal. In 2000 the Portuguese Army, as part of our project to install memorials to all the regiments that fought in the battles of Albuera and Badajoz, funded a major restoration of the Cemetery, which is now an attractive and peaceful place.
The Friends of the British Cemetery provides for a caretaker and the Cemetery is open to the public. Our long-term aim is to produce a fund that will ensure the Cemetery’s maintenance and protection in the future. The Association is a UK registered charity, no.1109395.
The British Cemetery at Elvas is one of the oldest British Military Cemeteries in existence. It holds just five known graves but two of these are the only marked graves of the thousands of British soldiers who fell at the battle of Albuera and another is the sole marked grave of the thousands who fell in the three sieges of Badajoz.
Throughout the history of Portugal, Elvas has been a key to its land defence. In 1811 it was the southern gateway to Spain, faced by Badajoz. In the north, Almeida facing Ciudad Rodrigo, fulfilled the same role. Wellington was anxious to secure them both before advancing into Spain and chose to conduct the operations in the north himself, leaving Marshal Beresford, the Commander in Chief of the Portuguese army, in command of the southern operation The British Cemetery occupies one of the bastions of the fortifications of Elvas and falls under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Army. Until 1997 it was accessible only with difficulty.
The Chapel of S. João da Corujeira, adjoining the British Cemetery, is the oldest chapel in Elvas and now in a state of disrepair. It was built in 1228 by the Knights Hospitallers on the taking of Elvas from the Moors. In 2005, after prolonged negotiations between the Friends of the British Cemetery and the Archdiocese of Évora, the Friends acquired the right of usage and the responsibility for the chapel’s restoration and maintenance. It will provide a place for private prayer and remembrance as well as a small museum for relevant Peninsular War memorabilia. The Christmas Bazaar and other events raise funds for the Chapel restoration
© 2009 Associação dos Amigos do Cemitério dos Ingleses em Elvas
The Friends of the British Cemetery provides for a caretaker and the Cemetery is open to the public. Our long-term aim is to produce a fund that will ensure the Cemetery’s maintenance and protection in the future. The Association is a UK registered charity, no.1109395.
The British Cemetery at Elvas is one of the oldest British Military Cemeteries in existence. It holds just five known graves but two of these are the only marked graves of the thousands of British soldiers who fell at the battle of Albuera and another is the sole marked grave of the thousands who fell in the three sieges of Badajoz.
Throughout the history of Portugal, Elvas has been a key to its land defence. In 1811 it was the southern gateway to Spain, faced by Badajoz. In the north, Almeida facing Ciudad Rodrigo, fulfilled the same role. Wellington was anxious to secure them both before advancing into Spain and chose to conduct the operations in the north himself, leaving Marshal Beresford, the Commander in Chief of the Portuguese army, in command of the southern operation The British Cemetery occupies one of the bastions of the fortifications of Elvas and falls under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Army. Until 1997 it was accessible only with difficulty.
The Chapel of S. João da Corujeira, adjoining the British Cemetery, is the oldest chapel in Elvas and now in a state of disrepair. It was built in 1228 by the Knights Hospitallers on the taking of Elvas from the Moors. In 2005, after prolonged negotiations between the Friends of the British Cemetery and the Archdiocese of Évora, the Friends acquired the right of usage and the responsibility for the chapel’s restoration and maintenance. It will provide a place for private prayer and remembrance as well as a small museum for relevant Peninsular War memorabilia. The Christmas Bazaar and other events raise funds for the Chapel restoration
© 2009 Associação dos Amigos do Cemitério dos Ingleses em Elvas
Friends of the British Cemetery
Associação dos Amigos do Cemitério dos Ingleses em Elvas
Patron: Lady Jane Wellesley
Associação dos Amigos do Cemitério dos Ingleses em Elvas
Patron: Lady Jane Wellesley
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