A slightly different podcast this week

to tie in with the very first War Graves Week.

This is a new initiative by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

and this year it's to draw some attention to the graves and the

places where across the UK thousands and thousands of servicemen from both World Wars are

buried this is the two World Wars effectively on our doorstep and for this special episode we'll

be joined not by one but three podcast guests

Megan Maltby and James King from the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission and Barnsley

born and bred Martin Garnett who works as a battlefield guide he'll come with me round one of

the cemeteries here in Barnsley. So let's begin with Megan Maltby,

who worked as a Commonwealth Wargaves Commission intern, is a military historian and now

works as a public engagement officer for the commission.

Okay, well thanks for joining us, Megan. Tell us a little bit about what Wargraves Week is to start off with.

Yeah, of course. So Wargraves Week is our first National Awareness Week, so it's launching for the first time this year, starting on the 21st of May, so the anniversary of the creation of the Commission. So from the 21st of May until the 28th of May, we've got events taking

place across England, Scotland and Wales. And what you'll be able to find out at these events

is a bit more about our work in the work that we do here in the UK.

And really to just raise awareness of what the commission does and how our work, you know, does look quite different.

And really to engage those local communities with those sites that are often so nearby,

but people potentially, you know, this past year have done their daily walk through one of these

sites, but really know very little about the casualties that are commemorated there or, you know,

why these sites are here and why these people are here in the UK. And so that's really what we're

trying to achieve through War Graves Week, through these physical events. We've also got tours

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