CHENNAI: Graves in Madras War Cemetery in Nandambakkam on Mount-Poonamalee High Road have been marooned as severe cyclonic storm Vardah wrecked havoc.
The cemetery, styled on the lines of a "Lawn Cemetery", remains in knee-deep floods with no proper channel in place to drain the rain water. The aesthetics of the place has been disturbed. Several trees have been uprooted on the rear end of the cemetery. There is no clarity on whether any graves have been damaged since the rain water has filled the entire place.
The cemetery was established in 1952 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. It contains 856 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. It was established by the Imperial War Graves Commission, now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). It is currently maintained by the CWGC in partnership with Government of India.