Trincomalee War Cemetery

Trincomalee War Cemetery

Trincomalee War Cemetery is a British military cemetery. It is situated in Trincomalee in Sri Lanka. This place is dedicated to the soldiers of the British Empire who were killed or died during World war II. It is one of Commonwealth war cemeteries in Sri Lanka.

About the destination

Trincomalee War Cemetery was established in 1948 and owned by the Commonwealth War graves commission. It has 303 graves in total and is maintained by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense. It is located in the Trincomalee-Nilvali road.

The story behind the Trincomalee War Cemetery

This place is situated in the north end of the city. It is a well maintained up to date. In the past Trincomalee was the Naval and airforce base of the British and allied powers during World War II. In 1942 on April 9^th the Trinco port was under the attack of Japanese. There was a British warship anchored in the port that was destroyed, thus their bodies were buried and kept in memory in this small cemetery. It is recorded that the attack killed 368 soldiers and injured many more.

The place contains 364 casualties of services from Britain, India, France, Canada, Sri Lanka, Italy, Pakistan, and many more. The cemetery covers an area of about one hectare of land. All the tombs are marked with the name of the soldier and the division he was serving in.

Reaching the destination

From Colombo

Go on McCallum Road and T. B. Jayah Mawatha to Maradana Road. Take Colombo – Katunayake Expressway. Take Veyangoda Road, Ekala – Kotadeniyawa road to Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Trincomalee Highway.

Then follow Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Trincomalee Highway. Take Nilaveli Road and take the 1st exit onto Uppuveli Road. At 3rd Mile Post Junction, continue onto Nilaveli Road to reach your destination.

From Trincomalee

Head south toward Uppuveli Road and exit the roundabout onto Uppuveli Road. At 3rd Mile Post Junction, continue onto Nilaveli Road and the destination will be on the right.