ARCHANGEL ALLIED CEMETERY (CWGC)

Updated April 15, 2024

## Archangel Allied Cemetery (CWGC), Arkhangelsk — What to Know Before You Go

The Archangel Allied Cemetery in Arkhangelsk, northwest Russia, is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) site honoring soldiers and support personnel who died in North Russia during and just after the First World War, with a smaller number from the Second World War. It also contains the Archangel Memorial, commemorating those with no known grave. If you’re traveling to Arkhangelsk and care about accurate history on the ground, this is one of the most significant stops you can make.

Location & basics.
– Place name: Archangel Allied Cemetery (CWGC)
– Coordinates: 64.5530244, 40.5429566
– City/region: Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia
– Type: Military cemetery & memorial park
CWGC confirms the site’s identity and commemorative purpose; the Archangel Memorial is integral to the cemetery.

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### Why this cemetery matters

North Russia Campaign context (1918–1919).
Allied forces, including British, Canadian, Australian and other Commonwealth contingents, supported anti-Bolshevik forces in the region after the Armistice, operating around Arkhangelsk and along key rivers and rail lines. Many of the dead came from disease, exposure, and combat in a harsh Arctic environment. The cemetery preserves that lesser-known chapter and its casualties, with the Archangel Memorial listing those with no known grave.

Numbers that anchor the story.
Authoritative summaries indicate the cemetery contains 224 First World War burials/commemorations (including 140 special memorials to personnel known to be buried elsewhere in northern Russia) and 7 Second World War burials. The Archangel Memorial (panels set into the east wall) commemorates 219 officers and men whose graves are unknown. These figures are widely cited by CWGC-derived references and specialist regimental sources.

> Quick read: “Panels fixed into the east wall…commemorate 219…whose graves are not known.” — CWGC page for the Archangel Memorial.

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### Who is buried or commemorated here?

Several notable individuals connected to the campaign are buried or commemorated at Archangel:

– Lieutenant Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Lord Settrington (Irish Guards, attached to 45th Bn Royal Fusiliers) — died of wounds 24 August 1919; CWGC records list him at Archangel Allied Cemetery (Special Memorial A3).

– Captain Royce Coleman Dyer (Canadian; Slavo-British Legion) — died 30 December 1918 of broncho-pneumonia and is buried at Archangel Allied Cemetery (grave ref. E.6 per Veterans Affairs Canada, citing CWGC). Affairs Canada

– Sergeant Samuel George Pearse VC, MM (Australian serving with 45th Bn Royal Fusiliers during the North Russia Relief Force) — long associated with Archangel through CWGC commemoration. The Australian War Memorial has an archival photo captioned “The grave of Samuel George Pearse VC MM…killed in action on 29 August 1919,” and UK government material has stated he was buried at Archangel Allied Cemetery. (Note: more recent research indicates complex burial history around Obozerskaya; see “Data caveats” below.)

These names aren’t incidental; they illuminate how the campaign drew in Canadians, Australians, and British units under extreme conditions. Affairs Canada

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### What you’ll see on site

Cemetery layout & memorial panels.
Expect a compact CWGC layout with uniform headstones and memorial panels set in the east wall. The panels list 219 personnel with no known grave. The headstones on site cover WWI burials/commemorations (224), including special memorials for those buried elsewhere in North Russia, and a handful (7) from WWII.

Second World War trace at an Arctic port.
After June 1941, Archangel (Arkhangelsk) became an Allied base for the Arctic convoys; the cemetery’s seven WWII burials reflect that later phase of wartime activity.

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### Planning your visit (evidence-based, with caveats)

– General siting. Veterans Affairs Canada (citing CWGC) notes the cemetery is on the north-west outskirts of Arkhangelsk, adjoining Lutheran and Russian cemeteries. This is useful for ground navigation and taxi directions. Affairs Canada

– Condition/maintenance. Despite strained UK–Russia relations since 2022, reporting in March 2025 indicated a pragmatic understanding remains in place for war-grave upkeep: Russian authorities and contractors have continued tending British graves in Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, and Vladivostok, while CWGC maintains Soviet graves in the UK. This is one of the few cooperative channels still functioning. (As with all news-driven details, verify close to your travel date.) Guardian

– Access hours & facilities. Crowd-sourced mapping shows “24 hours” but does not constitute an official CWGC access policy. Treat such details as provisional; rely instead on on-the-ground confirmation via local contacts or municipal channels. (We avoid asserting hours here because they aren’t stated on CWGC’s public page.)

– Season & conditions. Arkhangelsk is sub-arctic; surfaces can be icy and snow-covered for long periods. While this is common knowledge for the region, always check local conditions and bring appropriate footwear for cemetery paths (no CWGC-specific winter guidance is published for this site). [General travel prudence; not a CWGC claim.]

– Respectful conduct. Standard CWGC etiquette applies: move carefully among headstones, avoid stepping directly on graves, and keep photography unobtrusive when others are present. If you plan to lay a wreath on Remembrance/Armistice calendar dates, coordinate with the British Embassy or local veterans’ groups (previous official remembrance activity has been documented in Arkhangelsk).

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### Data caveats & what’s changed recently

– Burial/commemoration counts. The figures cited above (224 WWI burials/commemorations, 140 special memorials within that, 7 WWII burials, 219 commemorated on the Archangel Memorial) come from CWGC-derived sources and regimental/war-graves specialists; they align across multiple references. If you need the most current figures, consult CWGC’s cemetery and memorial pages immediately before publication, as CWGC periodically updates records.

– Samuel George Pearse VC — evolving evidence. Earlier official and semi-official sources described Pearse as buried at Archangel Allied Cemetery; however, subsequent research clarifies that he was killed near Obozerskaya and commemorated by CWGC, and in 2018 Russian volunteers reported finding remains believed to be Pearse’s, with unresolved repatriation and re-interment questions still in the news as recently as 2024. Treat any “definitive” burial assertions with caution and rely on CWGC’s current commemoration record for formal status.

– Maintenance under sanctions. Payment channels between CWGC and Russian contractors have been disrupted; nonetheless, 2025 reporting indicated graves in Arkhangelsk appeared well maintained as of late 2024, based on photographs and diplomatic observations. This situation can change; verify closer to your visit. Guardian

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### Practical research leads (official records)

If you’re tracing a family member or building a rigorous travel/history feature, start here:

– CWGC — Cemetery and Memorial pages for Arkhangelsk (primary authority on names, grave references, and commemoration).
– Veterans Affairs Canada — Canadian Virtual War Memorial — detailed pages for Canadians (e.g., Captain Royce C. Dyer, grave reference E.6). Affairs Canada
– CWGC casualty records — individual entries like Lt. Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox (Lord Settrington).

Specialist sites (useful for background and corroboration of counts and campaign context): regiment/war-graves resources summarizing 224 WWI / 7 WWII and 219 on the memorial; Arctic convoy note for Archangel from 1941 onward.

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### Getting the most out of a visit

– Focus your lens. The east wall memorial panels are the interpretive key; photograph panels methodically if you’re documenting names. Cross-check spellings against CWGC on your phone later.
– Look for special memorials. Many headstones are special memorials to personnel buried elsewhere in northern Russia — a nuance most casual visitors miss. It speaks to the logistics and chaos of campaigning across remote lines in 1918–1919.
– Contextualize with the port’s WWII role. Acknowledge the WWII Arctic convoy link when explaining why a WWI-era cemetery includes WWII burials.

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### Summary for travelers and researchers

The Archangel Allied Cemetery is compact but dense with history: 224 WWI burials/commemorations (including 140 special memorials), 7 WWII burials, and the Archangel Memorial naming 219 personnel with no known graves. It sits on Arkhangelsk’s north-west outskirts, adjoining other cemeteries, and remains a focal point for remembrance even amid geopolitical friction. Before publishing or visiting, verify names and counts on CWGC’s pages and be cautious with evolving cases (notably Sgt. Samuel G. Pearse VC), whose commemoration status and possible remains discovery continue to receive attention.

> Accuracy note: This guide relies on primary/official sources wherever possible (CWGC, government veterans’ databases) and flags areas where public reporting has evolved. Use the CWGC pages linked above as your definitive check immediately before travel or publication.

No internal links are included because site context wasn’t provided; add your own destination-relevant internal links (e.g., Arkhangelsk city guide, Arctic convoy history feature) at publishing time.

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