To the Honoured Memory

The kitchen was a state after delivery of new appliances (and now needs decorating .. boo), but I had a bit of a headache and the sun was shining so after washing down some of the walls ready for repainting I took myself off to the Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, near Southampton.

The park is what remains of a large military hospital built in the 1860's and in use up until 1950 and finally demolished in 1966 following a fire. The hospital chapel was saved forming a distinctive feature visible from the adjacent Southampton Water, which flows into The Solent.

The eastern corner of the site, down a leafy raised path, is home to the hospital's cemetery which has recorded over 3600 burials of sailors and soldiers who died while being treated at the hospital, staff and families.  It also holds over 700 WW1 and 35 WW2 graves, now maintaintained by the Commonwealth War Commissioners.  So it seems fitting that in the week following Armistice Day that BobsBlips' Wide Wednesday Challenge of "Numerous" allows me to post an image of the memorial and the many gravestones representing those who lost their lives defending their country.