Many cemeteries desperately need protection

People sometimes think that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for all graves in Britain’s former Empire, but in fact the Commission only deals with the graves of soldiers killed in World War One and World War Two.  The graves of European civilians, and soldiers who died before World War One, and between the two World Wars, generally have no-one to protect them, or to record their inscriptions, which is where BACSA comes in.

Besides our main work of recording, conserving and publishing, described elsewhere on this website. We:

• can help track down graves of relatives and others of interest
• record monumental inscriptions in the British Isles which relate to the British connection with South Asia.
• publish our house journal, Chowkidar, twice a year, containing a wide range of news, queries about ancestors, topics of interest and reviews of books about South Asia.
• hold two meetings a year in London when members hear reports on cemeteries, the progress of restoration work and talks by invited speakers.
• arrange visits to places in Britain with South Asian connections.
• sell, exclusively to members, books on oriental subjects donated to BACSA.

Run by volunteers, BACSA has a membership of over 1,400 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world, drawn from a wide circle of interested groups – those having family ties with South Asia; government; churches; the armed services; business and industry; universities; museums and libraries; and genealogy groups.  

If you have a current or historical link with South Asia or are interested in Europe’s heritage in the East, do join BACSA.   To apply, and for details of membership, please click on the Membership link.

If  you are travelling in South Asia and likely to visit European cemeteries, please download our Travellers & Tourists Form, which will show you what to look for. 

For more information about us, please email the Honorary Secretary Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones at
 rosieljai@clara.co.uk