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{{Short description|Commonwealth war cemetery in Assam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox military memorial
| name = Digboi War Cemetery
| body = [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]]
| image = Digboi War Cemetery.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Panoramic view of Digboi War Cemetery
| commemorates = Commonwealth soldiers of the Second World War
| established = 1940s
| location = [[Digboi]], Assam, India
| coordinates = {{coord|27.40394|95.65767|display=inline,title}}
| designer = Commonwealth War Graves Commission
| total_burials = 200
| unknowns = 6
| by_war = {{ubl
| [[Second World War]]: 200
}}
| source = Commonwealth War Graves Commission
}}

'''Digboi War Cemetery''' is a Commonwealth war cemetery located in [[Digboi]], in the [[Tinsukia district]] of [[Assam]], India. It commemorates soldiers of the [[Second World War]] who died during the [[Burma Campaign]] and related military operations in [[Northeast India]]. The cemetery is maintained by the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] (CWGC).<ref name="cwgc">{{cite web |title=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |url=https://www.cwgc.org |publisher=CWGC |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref>

==Location==
Digboi is situated in the northeastern corner of Assam, near the [[India–Myanmar border]], on the historic road to Ledo. The cemetery lies approximately 1.5 kilometres from the main India Oil (Assam) Works on the road leading to Pengaree Tea Estate.<ref name="cwgc" />

==History==
During the Second World War (1939–1945), Assam served as a crucial operational zone for Allied forces engaged in the Burma Campaign. Due to its proximity to the Indo-[[Burma]] frontier, Digboi became an important logistical and medical centre, where a military hospital was established to treat casualties.<ref name="nativeplanet">{{cite web |title=War Cemetery, Digboi |url=https://www.nativeplanet.com/digboi/attractions/war-cemetery/ |publisher=Native Planet |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref>

The cemetery was initially created to accommodate burials from this military hospital. By the end of the war, approximately 70 burials had been recorded.<ref name="bharat">{{cite web |title=War Cemetery Digboi |url=https://www.bharatonline.com/assam/digboi/war-cemetry.html |publisher=Bharat Online |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref><ref name="cwgc" />

In the post-war period, graves from various temporary burial grounds in the region—including Panitola, [[Jorhat]], [[Ledo, Assam|Ledo]], [[Margherita, Assam|Margherita]], and [[Tinsukia]]—were relocated to Digboi for centralized maintenance by the Army Graves Service.<ref name="nativeplanet" /><ref name="cwgc" />

Additionally, graves were transferred from a former United States military cemetery at [[Shingbwiyang]] in Burma (now Myanmar), reflecting the multinational nature of Allied operations in the region.<ref name="bharat" /><ref name="cwgc" />

==Relocation==
[[File:War cemetery Digboi.jpg|thumb|Digboi War Cemetery]]

The original cemetery site was situated on a spur near the military hospital. However, the [[1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake]] and subsequent landslides rendered the location unstable.<ref name="bharat" />

Subsequent landslides, particularly in 1953 due to heavy rainfall, further endangered the cemetery, making relocation necessary.<ref name="cwgc" />

As a result, the cemetery was relocated in the early 1950s to its present site, approximately 1.5 km from the Indian Oil Centre in Digboi, where it remains safe from erosion and geological disturbances.<ref name="nativeplanet" /><ref name="cwgc" />

==Description==
The Digboi War Cemetery contains 200 burials of the Second World War, comprising 197 Commonwealth and 3 non-Commonwealth graves (including one Italian, one American, and one Belgian serviceman).<ref name="cwgc" />

Most of the graves belong to British and Indian servicemen who died between 1939 and 1945, with a small number of unidentified burials.<ref name="tripadvisor">{{cite web |title=War Cemetery, Digboi |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g858476-d4138976-Reviews-War_Cemetery-Digboi_Tinsukia_District_Assam.html |publisher=Tripadvisor |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref>

Like other CWGC cemeteries worldwide, the site features uniform headstones arranged in orderly rows, reflecting the Commission’s principle of equal commemoration regardless of rank, race, or creed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Digboi War Cemetery |url= https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2020000/digboi-war-cemetery/ |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref>

An annual remembrance ceremony is held, typically on the second Saturday of [[November]], during which prayers from multiple religious traditions—including the [[Bible]], [[Guru Granth Sahib]], [[Bhagavad Gita]], and [[Quran]]—are recited in honour of the fallen soldiers.<ref name="bharat" /><ref name="assamonline">{{cite web |title=Tourism in Digboi |url=https://digboi.assamonline.in/guide/tourism-in-digboi |publisher=Assam Online |access-date=4 April 2026}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Guwahati War Cemetery]]
* [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]]
* [[Burma Campaign]]
* [[1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.cwgc.org/|Commonwealth War Graves Commission}}
{{Cemeteries in India}}

[[Category:World War II memorials]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in India]]
[[Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in India]]
[[Category:Tinsukia district]]

Digboi War Cemetery - Revision history

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