World War Two graves of Allied dead restored in Iraq

Before: Workers prepare the ground for nearly 300 new headstones at Habbaniya War Cemetery

Nearly 200 damaged World War Two graves in the Iraqi desert have been restored after decades of conflict prevented their upkeep.

Habbaniya War Cemetery, 60 miles west of Baghdad, is the burial place of 173 WWII Allied casualties.

It is also the final resting place of a further 117 men who died in battles in the late 1940s and 1950s.

The graves gradually deteriorated over time due to the high salt content of the earth in Iraq.

If the stonework is not properly maintained it dries out and crumbles.

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Since 1990 war and political instability in the country meant that it was unsafe for staff at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to manage the site.

Safety concerns led to the CWGC placing its operations in the country on hold for decades, save for brief periods where repairs were possible.

After: The newly restored graves

But following recent improvements in the security situation, stonemasons at the CWGC's operations base in Beaurains, France, made nearly 300 white Portland stone headstones to transport to Iraq.

Local contractors started work on the ground in March and all of the stones have now been installed.

Among the soldiers buried there is Lance Corporal William Kirby, born in Liverpool, who died aged 22.

The son of a general labourer and one of eight children, he joined the army at the outbreak of World War Two and was stationed in India.

He died fighting for Fallujah on 22 May 1941

Lance Corporal William Kirby is buried at the site

He was part of a detachment of 350 men of the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) who were airlifted to Iraq to reinforce the British garrison at RAF Habbaniya.

The garrison was under threat from Iraqi nationalist forces who had been encouraged by the Nazis to destabilise the Allies in the region.

On 19 May 1941 a fierce battle began to secure the town of Fallujah, an important strategic crossing point of the Euphrates River on the road to Baghdad.

British forces, fighting against tanks and mortar fire, were eventually able to drive back the Iraqis.

Lance Corporal Kirby was one of 18 men from his regiment killed on the same day.

The CWGC maintains 23,000 memorial and cemetery sites around the world, helping to commemorate 1.7 million Commonwealth war dead.

Iraq represents its fifth largest commitment, where 51,000 casualties from World War One and 3,000 from World War Two are commemorated.