Honouring those who served: NHS Golden Jubilee colleague cares for Commonwealth War Graves

An NHS Golden Jubilee Associate Perioperative Practitioner is helping to preserve the memory of fallen servicemen and women by volunteering his time to care for more than 120 Commonwealth war graves across Glasgow. 

Alan Chalmers has a longstanding connection to the Armed Forces, having served for 28 years with the Infantry Army Reserves, 6 SCOTS, based in Glasgow. 

For Alan, this connection is also deeply personal. His son Ross was serving with The Royal Highland Fusiliers when he lost his life in a motorcycle accident in 2004, aged just 20, while based in Cyprus. 

It means remembrance has a particularly personal significance for Alan and extends far beyond Remembrance Sunday. 

Alan said: “For me, every day is remembrance. There is always something that brings those memories back. 

“Remembrance Sunday gives everyone the opportunity to stop and reflect, but those people and those memories are always there.” 

For around 3 years, Alan has channeled his own connection to the Armed Forces and interest in military history into volunteering with Hands On, Eyes On, an initiative connected to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which helps ensure war graves are regularly checked and cared for. 

Alan, from Drumchapel, currently looks after 123 graves in Lambhill Cemetery. He checks the condition of headstones, clears leaves and vegetation where appropriate, takes photographs and reports back on their condition. 

While volunteers are asked to visit their allocated graves twice a year, Alan often visits much more frequently. 

He said: “It’s about giving something back. It costs nothing other than my time, and I’m quite happy doing it. 

“Every headstone tells a story and, when you start looking into the people behind them, you feel like you get to know a little bit about who they were.” 

Alan’s interest in military history has also taken him and his wife, Cathrine, to battlefields and memorial sites including the Somme, Normandy and Dunkirk. 

Through his volunteering, he has also uncovered an unexpected connection to NHS Golden Jubilee. While caring for one of his allocated graves, Alan discovered that the serviceman was the great-uncle of a fellow member of staff. 

Alan said: “I had already been looking after the grave and taking photographs when I mentioned the surname to a family friend. He told me it was his uncle. 

“I then looked into the history and realised the connection. You never know what story you are going to find.” 

For Alan, the work is not about recognition. It is simply about doing his part to honour those who served and helping to ensure their graves continue to be cared for. 

Sandie Scott, Director of Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Relations and NHS Golden Jubilee Armed Forces Lead said: “NHS Golden Jubilee has a longstanding commitment to supporting and recognising our Armed Forces community, and remembrance is an important part of that commitment. We are proud to support serving personnel, veterans, reservists and military families, and to recognise the contribution they make to our organisation and wider society.  

“For me, that commitment also has a very personal meaning. My own grandfather’s war grave is in Egypt, so I understand how important it is that those who served, wherever they are laid to rest, continue to be remembered and that their stories are passed on to future generations. 

“That is why Alan’s dedication is so meaningful. His own connection to the Armed Forces makes this work particularly personal, and it is wonderful to see the time and care he gives to ensuring those who served, and the stories behind their service, are never forgotten.” 

Alan hopes that by sharing his experience, he will encourage others to learn more about the servicemen and women commemorated in their own communities and perhaps consider getting involved themselves.

More information about Hands On, Eyes On and volunteering opportunities is available through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website at https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/projects/eyes-on-hands-on/ 

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