The South Stoneham municipal cemetery, situated off

Mansbridge Mansbridge is a suburb on the northern perimeter of Southampton, England. The area is named after the Mans Bridge which spans the River Itchen. For a considerable time, this was the southernmost crossing point of the river, before the constru ...

Road,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

(at ), was opened in early 1905, with the first burial taking place on 4 February, and was extended in 1927. The South Stoneham Crematorium was located north of the cemetery but demolished during 1973 to make way for the construction of the

M27 motorway The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in Hampshire (Southampton and Portsmouth) with a direct moto ...

. The South Stoneham garden of remembrance is now located at the north end of the cemetery. The cemetery includes the graves of 66 military casualties which are maintained by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

, comprising 3 Commonwealth and 2 Belgian war graves of

World War I 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 ...

and 61 Commonwealth graves of

World War II 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 ...

. The

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

was opened in 1932 but by the 1960s was becoming inadequate for the growing number of cremations, and its equipment was approaching obsolescence. As a result, the council built a new crematorium in Bassett Green Road, which was opened in October 1973, with the South Stoneham Crematorium closing at the same time. The buildings were demolished during the construction of the new motorway with the garden of rest being re-located on an adjacent strip of allotment land. The complete layer of topsoil containing the cremated remains in the old garden of rest was removed and transferred to the new site by hand with the topsoil being placed in the new garden in the same relative position. Despite the move of the crematorium and its grounds to Bassett Green Road, 78 Commonwealth service personnel who were cremated here during

are still commemorated in the grounds in South Stoneham by a

memorial standing amid flower beds near a lily pool. Among them is Alastair (Alec) Campbell, former cricketer and professional footballer for

, who died serving in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1943. Amongst others buried or remembered at South Stoneham Cemetery are R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

, whose ashes were interred at South Stoneham in June 1937.

George Kemp George Kemp may refer to: * George Kemp (baseball), American baseball player * George Stephen Kemp, electrical engineer and assistant to Guglielmo Marconi * George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), Scottish carpenter/joiner, draughtsman, and self-taught ...

, who assisted

Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. This ...

in his early radio telegraph experiments, is buried in the cemetery.

References

External links

* {{Buildings in Southampton Cemeteries in Hampshire Geography of Southampton Tourist attractions in Southampton