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Taukkyan War Cemetery
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Taukkyan War Cemetery

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Taukkyan War Cemetery
4.5
About
Taukkyan War Cemetery is in Taukkyan town in the township of Mingaladon, Yangon greater area, on the main highway No 1 Pyay Road. From the centre of the city of Yangon, it is 21 miles north and 11 miles from the international airport, 45 minutes drive from the centre of Rankgoon and 24 minutes from the International airport. Exact location of the cemetery is North (17º02'08.24") and East (96º07'55.28").
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
916 reviews
Excellent
464
Very good
322
Average
115
Poor
11
Terrible
4
Prasanna W
Bangkok, Thailand32 contributions
Undiminished by Time's passing
Sep 2012 • Couples
I have been drawn to the old yarns of WWII from way back, mostly due to my being a kid in Sri Lanka and listening to and reading of the stories of combat and tragedy of the war years, I read of how Squadron Leader Geoff Birchall in his lang range RAF Catalina sea plane out of Ahungalla base in Southern Ceylon, as it was then, spotted he Japanese fleet sailing towards the invasion of the island.Birchall gaethe warning and was shot down, to spend the rest of the war years as a POW. This was the same fleet that attacked Pearl Harbour.Had it been successful, the Japanese would have destroyed the British in Asia, convulsing them into a desperate defence of India, the crown jewel.
One of the unsung songs of WWII is the huge sacrifices made by the African regiments in the Burma campaign, Tauukyan War Cemetery, on the road from Yangon, sparkles green and grey the morning sun, now visited by young Burmese out for a picnic, posing for phone pics among the graves. When I saw the ranks of war graves, small and diminished due to the paucity of remains(I think), I flashed back to all the accounts of the Burma campaign, of the battles on theLedo road, the Chindits, the pilots of the Hump, the Jap grab at Assam, and the battles there like the Seige of Kohima, the battle of the Tennis Court, Imphal, et al.There were so many, now largely forgotten except by the last few remaining veterans, their families, and a few descendants. Life goes on, and the world turns:there is only so much human history we can absorb.
The attraction of WWII cemeteries is that they are so well kept, maintained by the Commonwealth war raves commission, and mostly are small oases of calm and peace in the midst of heat, dust and chaos.
Taukkyan war cemetery is certainly that, an oasis:the rush of traffic and the growl of the buses and transport on the road outside diminish the moment you set foot in here. The serried graves and the honour rolls on grey concrete speak of heroes, who remind us of how WWII was truly global, spanning continents and races.
The Sierra Leone regiment, The Punjab regiment, The Indian Signals Corps, Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, the 7th Rajput regiment, the 10th Baluch Regiment, the Gold Coast regiment, and the Gurkhas:ranks of Bahadurs roll on. Some have instant recognition for me, such as the Assam Civil Porter corps, and the Travancore State civil labour unit.Probably thrown in as the last desperate attack by the Japanese forces at Kohima, when William Slim's strategy to annihilate the Japanese came to fruition.
Taukkyan reminds me what a fragile world this is: how easily it might have all changed for us, the generations for whom WWII is a resource of movies, TV docs and nothing more. Had the Jap fleet taken Ceylon, had the seige of Kohima failed for the Allies, had Vinegar Joe Stillwell not made it out of Burma on foot, who could forecast how different the world would be now.

For all the passing of time, the roll of names in Taukkyan stand tall, proud and undiminished. Untarnished.

"Rise like Lions after slumber
Shake your chains to earth like dew"
Shelley
Written September 27, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John S
Perth, UK2 contributions
This is a very late review of my visit to the military War cemetery on the outskirts of Rangoon.
Nov 2018 • Friends
In 1955,56,57,and 58 when serving in the Royal Lincolnshire Regimental Band in Malaya. The Band and a Company from the Regiment travelled down to Singapore and boarded HMS Newcastle to sail up to Rangoon in late January 1958. We travelled up the Irriwady River and docked in Rangoon. We travelled daily on lorries to the Cemetery to play for the rehearsals of the official opening of this War Cemetery. Each day after playing we had the chance to visit the graves of members of the Regiment who died in The Burma War. I was 19 years and 5 months, a very special place to me.
Written November 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mo M
Nong Prue, Thailand56 contributions
Stand still the front rank
Jun 2013
26,000 buried with respect on this easy to find memorial about 20 miles north of the City Centre. A quiet peaceful place where one can remember the sacrifice made by our forefathers. You will never be forgotten lads. And remember all our commonwealth soldiers from ALL religions.
The work of the CWGC around the world is fantastic.
Written June 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NawtyStupot
Brisbane, Australia576 contributions
Treated as a park by Burmese locals.
Sep 2018 • Couples
Very well maintained war cemetery by the Burmese people tending the complex.

I was very disappointed to see on the Sunday that we visited that the local Burmese people who had come to the cemetery in their droves have little or no regard for the cemetery as a place of rememberance. They simply treated it as a nice park area to have a picknick or a place to sit, they were trampling all over the marker head stones, sitting around the marker headstones & even resting motorcycle helmets on the marker headstones.

My wife & I were allowed in by the groundsman some time before the crowds of Burmese & Korean tourists who were waiting & thankfully so as later when the gates were opened it was shocking to see how they just ran through the grounds, jumping over marker head stones to ensure they got to a shady spot in the grounds before anyone else.

Whilst there I was overcome & cried with emotion, I sought out the groundsman who had allowed us in early & thanked him dearly for his hard work.

A sombre place but a must visit to pay respect to those who went before us & paid the ultimate price. The groundsmen do a superb job maintaining the complex & clearing up all the rubbish left behind by inconsiderate visitors.
Written September 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike
London, UK863 contributions
Excellently maintained memorial
Feb 2017
The cemetery, run and maintained by the British War Graves Commission is a beautiful and sobering tribute to the brave men and women of so many nations who gave their lives in the 1939-1945 conflict. The rows of immaculately maintained graves, many bearing the simple inscription ‘An unknown soldier of the war’ were contrasted by the hundreds of local young Burmese couples who sat quietly in romantic embrace throughout the cemetery. Whilst at first this seemed odd, maybe even offensive but on reflection it may be the most poignant tributes – that freedom and love can blossom because of the sacrifices of so many brace young people seventy years ago.

https://30somethinggapyear.com/2017/03/12/yangon-revisited/
Written April 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scruts
Noosaville, Australia48 contributions
Moving remembrance
Apr 2017 • Couples
Another memorable and moving reminder of lives lost in past wars. This cemetery beautifully maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission contains over 25000 names and graves of those who lost their lives in the Burma campaign from 1942-45. Not only are there the names and graves of British and Indian Army soldiers but also those units from other members of the British Empire - from Kenya, Nigeria, Gold Coast (Now Ghana}, Nepal and othere. We forget these countries that provided troops to fight in the British Empire. They deserve to be remembered. Christians, Moslems, Hindus Buddhists and other religions all lie together, something we should well remember today.
Written April 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TC Heng
York, United Kingdom60 contributions
Beautifully maintained but perhaps not fully appreciated by locals?
I went there with my parents on a Saturday afternoon. Despite it being monsoon season, it was an un characteristically sunny day, which made the stone monument almost gleam. It was incredibly moving to stand before rows and rows of war dead, some of them even younger than me. The names of soldiers from all over the British empire are engraved on the columns of the central monument. There's a small army of gardeners to maintain the site and unlike most other things in Burma, it's still in pristine condition. I was surprised at the nonchalant attitudes of the locals, who seemed to view it as nothing more than a nice park to spend with their partner or friends. However, the worst thing which made me really kick off was a tourist (my compatriot no less!) who was sitting on top of a memorial sign posing for a photo. I dearly hope I never run into her again, though after my haranguing I think the feeling is mutual.
Written August 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wilburtan
Singapore66 contributions
70 years later my mum meets her dad
Apr 2014 • Friends
My grandfather was killed in Burma in March 1944, three months after my mother was born. He never got to meet my mum. So it was a special experience when my sister and I took Mum to Taukkyan to meet the father she never met. Obviously a very personal experience for us, but I would think still worth a visit for anyone with a sense of history - less than an hour by taxi from Yangon.
Written July 27, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tonjeng
Queensland29 contributions
A Picture perfect Cemetery yet with very sad and mixed emotions attached.
Jan 2011 • Couples
This cemetery is beautifully maintained by the Australian/Burmese goverments and the caretakers are just that, kindly showing me through books and getting info about my grandfather, they were very helpful.
My grandfather is buried in this cemetery, he was 35yrs old when he died and my first visit there was one of mixed emotion and sadness, that I have never had the privlege of meeting such a couragous man, like all other men in this place and many other cemetries in the world.
I am going back to pay respect once again to him next year and cannot wait to go.
Look forward to visiting you again "POP"

I put my hand on my heart to each and everyone of you.
Written December 5, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SLouB44
London, UK92 contributions
Tranquil
Apr 2017 • Solo
My great grandad passed away in the war when my grandmother was young and none of our family have ever been to Burma.

When I decided to go travelling I knew I wanted to visit the county and also this beautiful stop to pay my respects and find my great grandads name on the inscribed pillars.

I'm totally glad I did. It's a very quiet and peaceful place and strangely beautiful.

I spent some time wandering around the different graves and taking it all in.

I don't know if you'd like it as much if you hadn't lost someone as it's far to go out of town, but my personal experience was fab
Written April 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Taukkyan War Cemetery, Yangon (Rangoon)

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