They had been buried and forgotten for almost seven decades. But now the lost graves of 11 Muslim merchant seamen who died serving the Allies during the second world war have been uncovered and given new headstones during a poignant ceremony.

The graves of the Indonesian Muslims who were part of the Dutch navy had remained hidden since the 1940s, obscured by a large hedge and covered in grass.

The men, who were on convoy ships bringing food and material supplies to the UK, were from the island of Java, between Sumatra and Bali. They were tasked with maintenance in the ship’s engine rooms, and travelled to the US and Russia to collect and distribute food.

But when they arrived on British shores they were overcome by a variety of ailments common in seafarers of the age including tuberculosis and emphysema. One of the men was suffering from beriberi, a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin B-1.

All the men died from their illnesses after being brought ashore, with many taken to Walton hospital in Liverpool.



They were buried nearby and forgotten until 2012 when a local historian researching his family tree found records relating to the graves buried deep in the archives at Walton Park cemetery in the city.

In March, the Dutch army remains team examined the graves and confirmed that 11 were those of their former merchant seamen.

On Thursday, the forgotten graves were rededicated in a special service conducted by the rector of Liverpool, the Rev Dr Crispin Pailing, with Islamic prayers said by Imam Waddah Saleh of the Abdullah Quilliam Society.

Historian Vic Raffells said: “It began in 2012, when I discovered my grandmother, Martha Riley, who died of Spanish flu in 1917, was buried in the cemetery. I was able to locate her grave, and then carried out more research on the cemetery which led me to locate these lost graves in 2014. By then they were hidden under grass and a large hedge.”

Raffells had unearthed a document by chance that revealed the graves belonged to the merchant seamen. He took the document to Capt Peter Woods, building manager at Liverpool parish church, who was able to dig out records identifying the men.

Raffells, from Runcorn in Cheshire, said: “All the men were Muslims and Indonesian. All 11 served in the Netherlands merchant navy while there was one more, Ali Mohamed, a fireman and trimmer who served aboard the SS Empire Howard, was with the British merchant navy.”

Representatives from the Dutch embassy, the Mersey Mission to Seafarers charity, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Dutch War Graves Commission, as well as the lord mayor of Liverpool, Roz Gladden, also attended the ceremony.

Roel Broer, deputy director general of the Dutch War Graves Commission, laid a wreath by the graves. He praised Raffells for his research, and said: “I brought the Dutch army in – not to invade England, but to find out if these men were really here, and they were. But it was a very different scene than today – they were covered in hedges then and it was chaos. But they had been found.”

Gladden said: “I am really glad they have been found and acknowledged – in a way, they are home now.”

Saleh said: “It’s amazing to see everyone coming together to honour these people. They deserve our respect because they died for their country, so we can live in peace and harmony. It’s an honour to be here.”