Baldock Cemetery Explained

Baldock Cemetery is the burial ground for the market town of Baldock in North Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. It is maintained by North Hertfordshire District Council.[1]

Baldock Cemetery opened in the early twentieth century when the churchyard of the nearby Church of St Mary the Virgin was closed for burials. Access to the cemetery is via a drive from The Sycamores, which is off Norton Road in Baldock. The cemetery is open for the burial of people of all faiths.[2]

Seven casualties from both World Wars are buried here, two from World War I and five from World War II including Flight Sergeant Cyril Ivan Walker of 49 Squadron, who was killed when the Lancaster bomber he was in crashed on take-off in April 1945;[3] these graves are distinguished by Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones.[4]

It has been stated that the cemetery will be full by about 2020.[5] An attempt by The Baldock Society in 2012 to gauge whether there was local support for a new cemetery in Baldock was met with little interest.[6]

External links

51.9901°N -0.1961°W

Notes and References

  1. http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/community/births-deaths-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/burials-and-cemeteries Burials and Cemeteries in North Herts
  2. http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/baldock-cemetery Baldock Cemetery
  3. http://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Walker_CI Cyril Ivan Walker – 49 Squadron Association website
  4. http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/39607/Baldock%20Cemetery Baldock Cemetery
  5. http://www.thecomet.net/news/body_burials_may_stop_as_north_herts_cemeteries_fill_up_1_724481 "Body burials may stop as North Herts cemeteries fill up", The Comet, 11 November 2010
  6. http://www.thecomet.net/news/poor_response_by_town_over_future_of_baldock_cemetery_1_1706596 "Poor response by town over future of Baldock cemetery", The Comet, 24 November 2012