The neglect of the British Cemetery - Not even an Easter candle?
CORFU. The British Cemetery on Kolokotronis street (near the old Psychiatric Hospital and prison) is a lesser known part of Corfu - for Greek locals - but of huge significance for the British community.
It hosts numerous war graves from World War 2, and until 2023 it was also the main cemetery used by British residents of Corfu.
Until the autumn of 2023, there was a caretaker employed by the British War Commission, who took care of the maintenance and upkeep of the space, to such a degree that it had become an unusual pilgrimage site of interest to tourists in view of the historical graves, the lush gardens with rare plants, and the many tortoises that found safe haven there.
The cemetery in October 2024
The cemetery on 7 April, 2025
Photo: Sasha Chaitow
In the autumn of 2023, the British Ambassador to Greece announced to the British community of Corfu that the final and complete jurisdiction of the British Cemetery had passed to Corfu Municipality.
The reasons were many, among them certain legal irregularities regarding ownership of the land. During the formal handover of jurisdiction, the current mayor, Mr. S. Poulimenos, committed to the upkeep and maintenance of the site, and continued access for all who have relatives buried there. Although the handover led to a ban on new burials, an exception was made for those with family plots already in the cemetery.
Photo: Steve Devereaux
A picture of neglect and narrow visiting hours
Since the cemetery came under the administration of the Municipality, a council employee was assigned to the space as a guard, and the visiting hours of the cemetery were limited to 8am-1pm, Monday-Friday, except for holidays. In practice this means that those unable to visit during these hours or with partly Greek culture - such as the undersigned - who wish to keep certain Greek traditions for the dead (such as Psychosavvato), cannot go on a weekend to tend the graves of their loved ones.
Photo: Steve Devereaux
Even if this were acceptable, within the space of just one year, the cemetery is a sorry sight. The weeds are waist-high, and it is impossible to even reach some of the graves.
There are no words for the degree of disrespect for the dead this entails. Since council tax was recently tripled to astronomical levels, the least that all residents of this town should be able to expect is that the local council honour its commitments. The island has much more serious issues, but this is one day’s work for the council’s garden service, needed perhaps 4-5 times annually. This much, they can manage.
Not just a “British” matter
Many of the recently deceased in the British cemetery were Greek citizens, ex-pats who returned late in life, or who married overseas. And the British who lie there are people who called Corfu home, loved it, raised their children here, and in any case deserve at least a modicum of respect for their final resting place.
One of the most important Greek characteristics is respect for the dead. This picture puts us all to shame.
Not a tourist site
In the last couple of days much interest has developed in this matter on social media among the British and British-Greek residents of the island. Some among them emphasise the tourist-historic interest of the cemetery and the poor impression it gives to visitors.
Others still, the undersigned among them, feel that the cemetery should be a cemetery: there are many living relatives of those who lie there, and sadly there are a number of testimonials regarding the disrespectful behaviour of tourists who treat the space as a park and mourners as a side-show.
I call upon the Mayor and the town council to immediately honour the bare minimum of their commitment and clean up the cemetery, especially in view of Easter. Due caution must be applied towards the protection of endangered wildlife and plant-life in the cemetery.
This demand is not made on behalf of tourists, but on behalf of local residents who want to be able to light a candle on their family’s grave and are being prevented from doing so.
In addition, there are strong requests for the visiting hours to be extended so that reasonable access is possible for keeping the traditional days of prayer and memorials for the dead, which cannot be limited to the council’s working hours!
By Sasha Metallinou-Chaitow
