British Cemetery Ceremony

2024 marks the 82nd anniversary of the sinking of H.M.T. Bedfordshire off the North Carolina coast

on May 11, 1942. All are welcome to attend the graveside memorial ceremony and reception that follows

at the Ocracoke Community Center. Representatives from the British Royal Navy and Royal Canadian

Navy will be in attendance, as well as members of the United States Coast Guard, the Commonwealth

War Graves Commission, and students from Ocracoke School.

The annual graveside ceremony traces its ties to the Ocracoke community back to May 1942, when an

island family donated the land for the cemetery and honored the men with a burial service. The British

Cemetery site continues to resonate with island residents for its historical significance, and it has also

become an important stop for visitors to pay their respects. The Ocracoke community, the U.S. Coast

Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum have worked

together to care for the gravesites and honor these British sailors each year since 1942.

Donations from the public contribute to landscaping the garden area and hosting the luncheon. The U.S.

Coast Guard, aided by local and visiting volunteers, provides the physical labor at the site, overseen by a

local representative of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. An Ocracoke restaurant caters the

luncheon, which is served by community volunteers. 

Learn more about the Ocracoke British Cemetery on our website: www.ocracokepreservationsociety.org/britishcemetery