Also known as “The Glade”, the Royal Naval Cemetery on Ireland Island, Bermuda, was purchased by the Royal Navy in 1809 and consecrated in 1812. It was established to receive the many sailors who died while serving in the area, particularly those who succumbed to tropical diseases.
The cemetery, on Malabar Road, Ireland Island, Sandys, covers about 2.73 acres and contains around 866 graves. Those buried here held a range of ranks within the British forces. Ireland Island itself was bought by the Admiralty in 1809, and as the dockyard and associated community developed, The Glade became the principal burial ground.
Originally the cemetery was open to all. As the number of burials increased, the criteria for interment were tightened. By 1853, only residents of Ireland Island and Royal Naval personnel could be buried in the Royal Naval Cemetery.
Within the cemetery is the “Oration Stand”, used as the place from which funeral addresses were delivered. Among the graves, one of the oldest legible stones is that of Sergeant John Kitchener, late Royal Marines, who died in 1816.
The cemetery lies between Malabar Road and Craddock Road, by Parson’s Bay, across the widest point of Ireland Island. Malabar Road, the main road to Dockyard, passes the north‑west end of the site, from where the cemetery is visible.
