Cross of Sacrifice Monument

Website: https://www.cwgc.org

The Cross of Sacrifice is a standardized war memorial monument commonly placed within Commonwealth war cemeteries to commemorate military dead. It is characterized by a stone Latin cross with an inset bronze sword and was designed as a cemetery feature rather than a single isolated monument.

The design was produced after the First World War to appear in cemeteries that contained a threshold number of Commonwealth war graves; the Cross of Sacrifice has been used across many countries and cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It functions as a focal point for memorial services and cemetery layout.

The Cross of Sacrifice is a type of monument rather than a unique site and is installed in Commonwealth war cemeteries worldwide where specified by the Commission’s design rules. Its placement is typically within the formal plan of a military cemetery.

• Design and use: Designed by British architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, the Cross of Sacrifice typically combines a stone Latin cross with a bronze downward-pointing sword and appears in Commonwealth war cemeteries worldwide.

The Cross of Sacrifice is installed in many Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries. To reach a specific Cross of Sacrifice, consult the CWGC website to identify the cemetery at the given coordinates and follow local directions to that cemetery.

• Look for the sword on the face of the cross - Blomfield's design always features a bronze or stone sword aligned with the shaft.
• If visiting a Commonwealth cemetery, treat the site with quiet respect; the Cross of Sacrifice often occupies the cemetery's highest or most central point.
• Seek out any small plaque that records the designer and erection date - many CWGC crosses include that brief attribution.