Taukkyan War Cemetery

Taukkyan War Cemetery lies in the village of Taukkyan, about 25 kilometres north of Yangon in Myanmar, and is the largest of the three Commonwealth war cemeteries in the country. Established in 1951 and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, it gathered graves brought from battlefield cemeteries at Akyab, Mandalay, Meiktila and Sahmaw, sites that could not be permanently maintained. It contains more than 6,300 Second World War burials and a number from the First World War, laid out in rows around the Rangoon Memorial, whose columns record almost 27,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died in the Burma Campaign and have no known grave.

Many of those commemorated were young, and a large proportion were soldiers of the Indian Army and African units who fought and died far from home; hundreds of the graves hold unidentified remains. The cemetery is a place of quiet reflection rather than legend, and any sense of solemnity visitors feel arises naturally from the scale of loss recorded here.

Taukkyan holds deep memorial and historical value as the principal Commonwealth resting place from the Burma Campaign, honouring the dead of many nations and faiths. Its cremation memorial also remembers over a thousand casualties cremated according to their beliefs, underscoring the diversity of those who served.

Taukkyan War Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is open to the public daily, generally from around 07:00 to 17:00, with no admission charge. It lies on the main Pyay Road north of Yangon and is easily reached by road, with the Rangoon Memorial and cremation memorial standing among the graves.

As an active place of commemoration and mourning, it calls for quiet, respectful behaviour: visitors should keep to the paths, avoid disturbing headstones or memorials, and dress and act appropriately. Those wishing to trace a particular casualty can use the Commission's records; checking current access and local conditions before visiting is advisable.