Kohima War Cemetery marks the site of one of the most significant battles fought by Commonwealth forces in the Far East during the Second World War. The Battle of Kohima, fought between April and June 1944, halted the Japanese advance into India and became a turning point in the Burma campaign. The cemetery occupies the very ground over which the fighting took place, including the former Deputy Commissioner’s tennis court, which formed the centre of the defensive perimeter.
The cemetery contains the graves of more than 1,400 Commonwealth soldiers who died during the battle or later from their wounds. As with other Imperial War Graves Commission sites, the layout follows the principles of uniform headstones, formal planting and a carefully ordered plan. The setting, terraced into the hillside, reflects the steep terrain that shaped the battle itself. The Cross of Sacrifice stands at the upper level, overlooking the rows of graves and the surrounding landscape.
Many of those buried at Kohima came from units drawn from across the Commonwealth, including British, Indian and African regiments. Their graves reflect the diversity of the forces engaged in the fighting, and the cemetery serves as a reminder of the multinational character of the Fourteenth Army. The names of a further 900 men with no known grave are recorded on the Kohima Cremation Memorial, which stands within the site.
The cemetery is also known for the inscription placed at the entrance to the upper terrace: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.” Although not an official IWGC motto, it has become closely associated with the battle and with the sacrifices made in the Burma campaign. The phrase, taken from the epitaph of the Spartans at Thermopylae, was chosen by the 2nd Division and later adopted more widely.
Today Kohima War Cemetery remains one of the most evocative Commonwealth sites in Asia. Its location on the battlefield, its terraced design and its careful maintenance all reflect the Commission’s commitment to permanent commemoration, even in remote and difficult terrain. It stands as a lasting record of a hard‑fought and strategically decisive engagement.
