The Cathays Cemetery is one of the main cemeteries of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Wales. It is in the Cathays district of the city, about north of

Cardiff city centre Cardiff city centre () is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations – Cardiff Cen ...

. At 110 acres it is the third largest

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It is listed on the

Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and ...

History

The cemetery was opened in 1859 and originally had two chapels: one

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and the other non-conformist, and each including its own

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...

. The cemetery has a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

section, where a Roman Catholic chapel was built later. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, air raids damaged Cathays Cemetery with a number of bombs and an aerial mine. During the early/mid 1970s the cemetery was split into two sections to allow the building of the A48 Eastern Avenue which was a continuation of the A48(M). In the 20th century all three chapels were neglected and in the 1980s the Roman Catholic one was demolished. Since 2008 the Anglican and non-conformist chapels have been undergoing restoration. One of the most imposing memorials is that of Frank Baselow, thought to be a result of Baselow's

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an heritage (his actual name was Franz) and the taste on the Continent for grand memorials. The two chapels, the cemetery house, and the gateway and forecourt walls, are

Grade II listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The cemetery itself is listed at Grade II on the

War graves

The cemetery has a Commonwealth War Graves (CWGC) section, marked by a

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth War grave ...

made to the standard design devised by

Reginald Blomfield Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period. Early life and career Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...

. The section was established in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, when Cardiff's nearby main hospitals treated numerous servicemen who had been wounded in action, or who contracted

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

in the 1918–19 influenza pandemic. The war graves section includes a number of graves of Australian and Canadian servicemen, one New Zealander who died while serving in the

Royal Defence Corps The Royal Defence Corps was a corps of the British Army formed in 1916 and disbanded in 1936. As part of the reorganisation of home defence forces by Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, the Royal Defence Corps was crea ...

, and one soldier of the

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foo ...

. Also present is the grave of

Jacques Vaillant de Guélis Major Jacques Theodore Paul Marie Vaillant de Guélis (6 April 1907 – 7 August 1945) was a Welsh-born French Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second World War. de Guélis was initially in the British Expeditionary Force in F ...

, a

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

agent. The cemetery includes the graves of 21

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

sailors from the First World War, mostly in the Roman Catholic section, and a similar number of Norwegian sailors from the Second. Elsewhere in the cemetery are numerous Commonwealth War Graves from both the First and Second World Wars. The cemetery contains the graves of 685 service personnel which are registered and maintained by the CWGC. Victims of the

Cardiff Blitz The Cardiff Blitz (); refers to the bombing of Cardiff, Wales during World War II. Between 1940 and the final raid on the city in March 1944 approximately 2,100 bombs fell, killing 355 people. Cardiff Docks became a strategic bombing targe ...

who are buried in the cemetery are commemorated by a memorial erected in 1993.

Notable interments

* Robert Bird,

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician * Sir James Cory, 1st Baronet, shipowner and Conservative Party politician *

Jim Driscoll James Driscoll (15 December 1880 – 30 January 1925), commonly known as Peerless Jim, was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty. Driscoll was British featherweight champion an ...

, boxer *

John Emlyn-Jones John Emlyn Emlyn-Jones (22 January 1889 – 3 March 1952) was a Welsh Liberal Party politician and shipowner. Education and shipping Emlyn-Jones had a private education in Cardiff, France, Spain and Italy''Who was Who'', OUP 2007 before making ...

, shipowner and Liberal politician * John Humphrey England, founder of Edward England Potatoes. * Louisa Maud Evans, a young girl who died in a ballooning accident in 1896. *

John Cuthbert Hedley John Cuthbert Hedley (15 April 1837 – 11 November 1915) was a British Benedictine and writer who held high offices in the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Morpeth, Northumberland, he was the son of Dr. Edward Astley Hedley and Mary Ann ( Daviso ...

, Roman Catholic bishop *

Archibald Hood Archibald Hood (June 1823 – 27 October 1902) was a Scottish engineer and coalowner who became an important figure in the industrial growth of the Rhondda Valley. The son of a colliery official, Hood would make his name as a coalowner of coll ...

, colliery owner *

Thomas Rowland Hughes Thomas Rowland Hughes (often referred to as T. Rowland Hughes) (17 April 1903 – 24 October 1949), was a Welsh novelist, broadcaster, dramatist and poet. He was the son of a quarryman from Llanberis, Caernarfonshire (Gwynedd today), in north ...

, writer *David (Dai) Lewis, professional boxer murdered by Driscoll and Rowlands in 1927 (contested) *

Hilary Marquand Hilary Adair Marquand, (24 December 1901 – 6 November 1972) was a British economist and Labour Party politician. Life and career He was born in Cardiff, the son of Alfred Marquand of Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, a clerk in a coal exporting ...

, Labour Party politician *Sir

William Henry Seager Sir William Henry Seager (1862 – 10 March 1941) was a Welsh shipping magnate and Liberal Party politician who spent four years as a Member of Parliament (MP). Life The Seager family were originally from Ilfracombe, Devon, but moved to Ca ...

, shipowner and Liberal politician * Frances Batty Shand, founder of Cardiff Institute for the Blind *Sir

William Reardon Smith Sir William Reardon Smith, 1st Baronet (7 August 1856 – 23 December 1935) was an English shipowner and philanthropist. Early life Descended from Irish seafaring stock, he was born at Appledore, Devon, the youngest son of Thomas Reardon Smit ...

, 1st Baronet, shipowner *

William Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely William James Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely (6 March 1868 – 28 June 1942), known as Sir William Tatem, Bt, between 1916 and 1918, was a Welsh ship-owner and thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Career Tatem was born in Appledore, North Dev ...

, shipowner *Sir

Tudor Thomas Sir James William Tudor Thomas universally known as Tudor Thomas (23 May 1893 – 23 January 1976) was a Welsh ophthalmic surgeon who came to note in 1934 when pioneering work on corneal grafting restored the sight of a man who had been nearly bl ...

, ophthalmic surgeon *

Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd (16 September 1840 – 14 December 1927), was a Welsh Liberal Party politician, who served as MP for East Glamorganshire from 1885 until 1910, when he was elevated to the peerage as Lord Pontypridd. Ba ...

, Liberal politician * Maurice Turnbull, Glamorgan and England cricketer *

Ernest Willows Ernest Thompson Willows (1886–1926) was a pioneer Wales, Welsh aviator and airship builder. He became the first person in the United Kingdom to hold a pilot's certificate for an airship when the Royal Aero Club awarded him ''Airship Pilots C ...

, aviation pioneer and airship builder *Several

Senghenydd Colliery Disaster The Senghenydd colliery disaster, also known as the Senghenydd explosion (), occurred at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, on 14 October 1913. The explosion, which killed 439 miners and a rescuer, is the ...

victims

Notes

Sources and further reading

* *

External links

The Friends of Cathays Cemetery
* * * – photographs * – photographs * {{coord, 51, 30, 06, N, 3, 10, 51, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1859 establishments in Wales Cathays Cemeteries in Cardiff Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Wales Registered historic parks and gardens in Cardiff Grade II listed buildings in Cardiff