Westpark Cemetery is a large cemetery inJohannesburg,South Africa, and is the resting place of some of the country's well-known citizens. It is a non-denomination designated burial ground, and thus has Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Chinese burial areas. The Jewish section contains a Holocaust Memorial, erected in 1995.[1]
It was opened in 1942, and historically was part of one of Johannesburg's original farms,Farm Waterval, which was purchased in 1887 by two Geldenhuys brothers in the hope of finding gold. While they did not find gold, Louw Geldenhuys employed Boer War veterans to build theEmmarentia Dam, and leased smallholdings with fruit trees.
In 1993, 13 hectares were donated to the city for public recreation and, eventually with the other sections, became the Johannesburg Botanic Gardens, Marks Parks Sports Club and the Westpark Cemetery.[2] Today, the sprawling cemetery is the resting place of thousands of Johannesburg residents, and has separate Chinese, Muslim, Jewish, Christian andSANDF burial areas. Many ornate gravestones andmausoleums can be found throughout the park.
Westpark is an active cemetery, as burials are still allowed and performed.
There are also specific areas for servicemen who have died in the line of duty. This cemetery containswar graves of 617 Commonwealth service personnel ofWorld War II, mostly burials from military hospitals and an airfield, besides 21 non-Commonwealth war graves and seven non-war graves that are in care of theCommonwealth War Graves Commission.[3][4]
The Military Plot contains the Johannesburg Cremation Memorial to 69 Commonwealth service personnel cremated at Johannesburg'sBraamfontein Crematorium during the same war and is found directly behind the Cross of Sacrifice.[5]
