Private James Goulter and Private James Standing are both named on the Chertsey Town War Memorial. As part of the project to commemorate the memorial’s centenary, public historian Ian Lacey visited their graves at Brookwood Military Cemetery and shares their stories in this video.
James Goulter and James Standing are two of the 1,601 service personnel from the First World War and 3,476 from the Second World War buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery. Brookwood is the largest military cemetery in Britain. The grounds cover 37 acres and are managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The graves of James Goulter and James Standing are five rows apart in Plot 6. They each have a headstone which abuts that of another soldier. There are several reasons why headstones could be arranged this way, and at Brookwood it was to make best use of the space. Each row was dug as one long continuous trench for burials rather than individual graves for every internment.
Brookwood Military Cemetery is open every day except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and a visit is highly recommended.
Find out more about visiting Brookwood Military Cemetery
A blog featuring James Goulter, James Standing, and other Chertsey soldiers buried close to home will be published in early September.
Video credits
Presented by Ian Lacey. Filmed by Sarah Corrie.
Thank you to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for their assistance with questions and for granting permission to film at Brookwood Military Cemetery.
Commemorating the Chertsey Town War Memorial Centenary 