There is an old adage 'The longest journey begins with one step'. Very true, despite living five minutes walk from a public cemetery with a CWWGC section, till now I've never taken a close look. the cemetery at St Mary Cray Kent, contains Polish graves, and suprisingly perhaps for a UK cemetery two unknown RAF graves, some of these graves were casualties from a raid on Biggin Hill, supposedly the insparationn for the scene from the Battle of Britian were the WACS casualties are laid out after the raid . The othe one near by is at Orpington. Due to the use of Orpington Hospital by the Canadians during the Great War, there are mostly Canadian graves. Though oddly outside the intial area is a line of CWWGC headstones from inter war years, dating from 1919 through to 1931. Also just outside the ara is the head stone of John R Lammas MM Royal Enginners. Th MM being awarded on 8th July 1943, whilst attached to the 54th East African Feild company.
The other local hospital Queen Mary's Sidcup, was a pionner of plastic surgery for Great War victims , as mentioned in the Time Team Special on the Vampire dugout. Never ignore your own doorstep.
Left St Mary Cray Right Orpington