| Maidenhead Rotary Club happily welcomed guest speaker Chris Leach from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the third time when he visited us at the Odney Club in Cookham on Monday evening April 27th. This time Chris mesmerised us with an inspirational presentation on Global Gardening – 23,000 war cemeteries in 150 countries across the world, all impeccably tended by 850 gardeners! Major-General Sir Fabian Ware was the founder of the organisation while paleographer Sir Frederic Kenyon at the British Museum, botanist and director of Kew Gardens Sir Arthur Hill, and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll were the trio behind the start-up of the beautifully created war cemeteries. Although red roses are an expected sign at the cemeteries they have had to be exchanged for other flowers in some countries due to the differences in climate. | In Florence there is an abundance of salvia instead, while colourful bougainvillea had to be planted in Egypt, in South Africa ornamental grasses surround the war graves and in Singapore decorative Travellers Palms have had to be used. Climate change, sustainable gardening and water conservation have to be considered, as well as animals eating the flowers, rabbits digging holes and birds nesting in the greenery. While many cemeteries show impressive headstones some countries have had to honour the fallen heroes with very low name plaques as they will withstand potential earthquakes or flooding. The six Commonwealth countries – UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa – jointly pay £75 million a year for the running costs and the upkeep of these important historical war memorials. |