East-the-Water Cemetery (also known as Bideford Church Cemetery) was the Church of England burial ground[1] for East-the-Water, once a separate village but now a suburb of Bideford, in Devon, England. Located on Barnstaple Road, the cemetery as of 2018[update] is abandoned and neglected, and the Victorian cemetery chapel is a dangerous structure on the verge of collapse. Burials in Bideford now take place at Bideford Higher Cemetery.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/East-the-Water_Cemetery_Gates.jpg/300px-East-the-Water_Cemetery_Gates.jpg)
The cemetery, opened in 1890, contains 476 graves holding 947 people. Among these are 20 Commonwealth War Graves Commission burials, 7 from World War I and 13 from World War II, with their distinctive headstones.[2][3]
Notable burials
editBuried at the back of the cemetery in adjacent plots are two recipient of the Victoria Cross:
- General George Channer (1843–1905)[4][5]
- Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Graham (1831–1899)[5][6]
- Sir Wiffy III (1849 -1921)
Gallery
edit-
The derelict chapel
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The remains of a monumental cross in the centre of the cemetery
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The grave of General George Channer in the cemetery
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The grave of Lt. General Sir Gerald Graham
References
edit- ^ East-the-Water Cemetery, Bideford - A history of East-the-Water
- ^ CWGC burials at East-the-Water Cemetery, Bideford
- ^ Commonwealth War Graves Bideford Church Cemetery - Traces of War website
- ^ George Nicholas Channer VC on the 'Memorials to Valour' website
- ^ a b Grave Location of Holders of the Victoria Cross in the County of Devonshire
- ^ Gerald Graham VC on the 'Memorials to Valour' website