Cornelian Bay Cemetery is a cemetery in Cornelian Bay,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is the oldest cemetery in Tasmania that remains in use.

History

The cemetery location, a section of the former Government Farm site, was selected in the late 1860s, amidst concern about risks to health posed by several cemeteries close to the centre of the city of

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. These issues led to legislation in 1870 to close those cemeteries three months after a new cemetery could be opened, and funding for the cemetery's establishment was allocated the same year. The cemetery layout was designed by surveyor E. J. Burgess, who won a design competition for the task. It was formally opened by Governor

Charles Du Cane Sir Charles Du Cane (5 December 1825 – 25 February 1889) was a British Conservative Party politician and colonial administrator who was a Member of Parliament between 1852 and 1854 and Governor of Tasmania from 1868 to 1874. Du Cane was born ...

on 22 July 1872. As some of the older cemeteries were cleared, the remains of those interred there were reburied at Cornelian Bay. A crematorium (the Derwent Chapel) opened in 1935. It was replaced with a new facility (the Wellington Chapel) in 1993. The cemetery was closed for new burials in 1983 when the Kingston Cemetery opened, but was reopened in 1996, with re-surveying in the 1990s identifying more potential burial plots.

Layout and buildings

The cemetery features sections for various Christian denominations, a Jewish section, as well as sections for war graves, a veterans' garden of remembrance, crematorium gardens, and a garden crypts section. The ceremony had a paupers' section with unmarked graves until its closure in 1935; a memorial plaque for those buried there was placed in 1998. The cemetery features a number of historic buildings, including the former Jewish Receiving House, cemetery superintendent's house, a shelter dating from 1873 and a blacksmith's shop dating from the former Government Farm.

Management

It was variously managed by the Hobart Cemetery Trust (until 1961), Hobart City Council (1961–1982) and the Southern Regional Cemetery Trust (1982–2008). The cemetery was privatised by the

Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Labor government in 2008, which leased it to funeral company Millingtons for fifty years. This reportedly followed the former trust running at a deficit in 2006-07. In March 2021, ''

The Mercury Mercury most commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * M ...

'' reported concerns regarding poor maintenance of graves at the cemetery.

Notable interments

* Sir

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sch ...

, 15th Governor of Tasmania * Sir

Robert Cosgrove Sir Robert Cosgrove (28 December 1884 – 25 August 1969) was an Australian politician who was the 30th and longest-serving Premier of Tasmania. He held office for over 18 years, serving from 1939 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1958. His involve ...

, Premier of Tasmania *

John James Dwyer John James Dwyer, VC (9 March 1890 – 17 January 1962) Commonly known as Jack or JJ, he was a politician and an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Briti ...

VC * Sir John William Evans, Premier of Tasmania * John Vincent Holland VC * William Nevin Tatlow Hurst, Secretary for Lands (1925–1938) * Sir John Cameron McPhee, 27th Premier of Tasmania * Percy Clyde Statton VC

War graves

The cemetery contains 124

Commonwealth war graves 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 mi ...

of service personnel, 49 from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and 75 from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

; 42 of the graves are in a plot known as the Hobart War Cemetery, the remainder scattered throughout the cemetery.Hobart (Cornelian Bay) Cemetery
CWGC Cemetery record. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission also erected a memorial to 18 Australian service personnel – 16 soldiers, one

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and one

airman An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions. In civilian aviation usage, t ...

– who were cremated at the Crematorium in the latter war,Hobart (Cornelian Bay) Crematorium
CWGC Cemetery report. as well as the Tasmania Cremation Memorial, to four service personnel whose ashes were scattered elsewhere in Tasmania.

References

External links

* * {{Find a Grave cemetery, 2591020, Hobart War Cemetery 1872 establishments in Australia Cemeteries in Tasmania Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Australia