Kingston cemetery, established in 1856, serves as a reminder of the domestic and military cost of war. Along the East and West walls, as you enter from St Mary’s Road, two memorial gardens are located a third of the way down, roughly parallel to one another. 

​The East Side Memorial faces the railway track. It is a simple inscribed limestone block which reads: 

​​‘Erected to the memory of those men, women and children, both known and unknown, who died as a result of enemy bombing on this city and whose last resting place is near this spot. 1939-1945.” 

​“Out of the depth of sorrow and sacrifice will be born again the glory of mankind.’  

​Between the engravings is a singular plaque, marking 30 names including John and Elsie Christie. John Christie was naval personnel therefore he was granted a separate service grave, seen opposite the memorial. Christie is not the only military personnel buried within Kingston’s grounds. 574 First and Second world war service graves are dispersed across the site, maintained and recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commision. A cluster of eighteen Second World War graves can be found 100m from the eastern memorial. The historical significance of the site is marked by its Cross of Sacrifice which, following the Great War, honours all service personnel buried within the grounds, including those who died in the Portsmouth bombings.  

​On 10 January 1941, 171 civilians died during one raid. 36 victim names are recorded on the West Side memorial, alongside casualties from separate attacks. On 17 January 1941, a public funeral took place within Kingston cemetery, giving the city a chance to grieve together. The strip of grass in front of the memorial marks the location of the communal grave.  

​Often family members killed in the same event were buried together, such as the Wiltshires. John Wiltshire - who was serving on HMS Queensworth - was sent home when his father and three sisters were killed in an air raid shelter on Cairo Terrace. All four family members were buried in Kingston.​ 

​Kingston is Portsmouth’s largest cemetery. It is free to access and still in use to this day.​