Fabian Ware

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Fabian Arthur Goulstone Ware KCVO , KBE , CB , CMG (born June 17, 1869 in Clifton , Bristol , † April 29, 1949 in Amberley , Gloucestershire ) was a British major general and founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission (today: Commonwealth War Graves Commission , CWGC).

Life

Until 1894 he studied at the University of London and Paris and graduated with a " Bachelor of Science ". After that he took up a job at school and was also appointed as an examiner for state exams .

From 1899 he wrote articles for the Morning Post . In 1900 the Education Committee appointed him representative for the Paris World Exhibition . He then took on the position of Deputy Director for Education in the Transvaal ( South Africa ) and was promoted to Director here two years later. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Director of Education in the Transvaal Legislative Assembly, of which Viscount Milner was President .

In 1905 Ware returned to London and worked as an editor at the Morning Post until 1911, after which he became a director of the mining company Rio Tinto Group .

First World War

When the First World War broke out in August 1914, Fabian Ware intended to join the British Army as a volunteer , but he was rejected for reasons of age. He traveled to France in September 1914 and, with the help of his patron Viscount Milner, was given command of a “Mobile Hospital Unit” that was deployed in France under the command of the British Red Cross. He realized very quickly that there was an organizational and personnel shortage in the registration of the fallen and the establishment of war cemeteries . Ware began to set up an organization specifically for this.

Foundation of the War Graves Commission

Blue plaque in Marylebone

In 1915 the organization set up and established by Ware was handed over to the British Army by the British Red Cross. By October 1915 the new grave registration commission had registered over 31,000 dead, this number increased to 50,000 by May 1916. At the end of 1915 Fabian Ware was promoted to major general. At the end of the World War Fabian Ware worried about the receipt of the war grave registration and asked the then Prince of Wales for support. With his help, the matter was brought to the British War Cabinet at the end of 1917 . Prince Edward advocated the establishment of an independent organization for the establishment and maintenance of war cemeteries and on May 21, 1917 the "Imperial War Graves Commission" was founded with the granting of the Royal Charter . Prince Edward took over the presidency, Fabian Ware was appointed vice-president and held this position until his retirement in 1948. After the World War, the commission built several war cemeteries in Normandy , Flanders , Ireland and England , Ware was able to attract Edwin Lutyens and Reginald Blomfield as architects and gardeners , while the writer Rudyard Kipling selected the grave and memorial inscriptions.

Publications

In 1937 he published the history of the War Graves Commission from 1917 to 1937 under the title "The Immortal Heritage".

Honor

Plaque in Gloucester Cathedral

Sir Fabian Ware was buried in the local church cemetery of the Trinity Church, his tombstone was erected in the style of the CWGC regulations. Memorial plaques are placed in Westminster Abbey and Gloucester Cathedral .

He was awarded the following awards and medals :

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Goods, Fabian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ware, Sir Fabian Arthur Goulstone (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British major general and founder of the Imperial War Graces Commission
DATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1869
PLACE OF BIRTH Clifton , Bristol
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 1949
Place of death Amberley , Gloucestershire