On a marble tomb in the Christian Borj El-Amri Cemetery in the northern Manouba governorate lay a red flower bouquet sent from Cecil (a British woman) to her husband Bill.

The war had allowed Cecil a few years of love –Bill fought with the British army in the Second World War against the German forces in Tunisia.

Bill was killed and buried in Tunisia, leaving Cecil a young widow. She remained faithful to his memory and visited his grave every year.

On a marble tomb in the Christian Borj El-Amri Cemetery in the northern Manouba governorate lay a red flower bouquet sent from Cecil (a British woman) to her husband Bill.

The war had allowed Cecil a few years of love –Bill fought with the British army in the Second World War against the German forces in Tunisia.

Bill was killed and buried in Tunisia, leaving Cecil a young widow. She remained faithful to his memory and visited his grave every year.

Now Cecil is 80 years old and no longer able to travel, yet she always sends Bill flowers on his birthday and “will love you forever,” as she wrote on the card.

Bill is among hundreds of soldiers buried in the Commonwealth Cemetery in the Borj El-Amri cemetery, also known as Masicolt.

This cemetery is one of 10 similar cemeteries around the country and is located 30 km west of Tunis and includes 1578 graves of soldiers killed during World War II from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India and South Africa.

Graves are of equal length and width and are aligned parallel, recalling military lines, with no discrimination based on religion, sex or region.

In all the Commonwealth cemeteries throughout Tunisia, Christian, Jewish and Muslim men and women rest in peace, guarded by a three-meter high cross.

Adorned by green plants, bright flowers and olive trees, the cemetery is so beautiful that visitors might forget that they are in a graveyard hosting witnesses to a bloody part of human history. Sami, the cemetery’s gardener says horticulturists take care of the cemetery in a scientific way.

The architecture of these cemeteries is unique. Graves are consistently distributed right and left. The soldier’s name, date of death and name of military unit are carved on the tombstone.

“The amazing design was the result of a desire to honor the memory of soldiers who died away from their homeland, without discrimination based on rank, gender or religion,” says Faisal al-Sharif, a history professor.

Sami confirms that most ordinary visitors come by chance or are driven by curiosity to explore the place, without knowing who lay there. The charming scene often attracts them to take photos without looking too much into the details of the events it witnesses.

Every November, veterans dressed in uniform and victims’ families visit Borj El-Amri and other cemeteries where military music is played in commemoration of the war victims.

However, over the years, the visits of the first and second generations of the soldiers’ families decreased, although flowers are sent just as frequently.

The cemetery guard observed the drop in numbers of visitors since the Tunisian revolution in 2011, and especially after the terrorist attack that targeted a tourist resort in Sousse in 2015.

Sharif claims there is negligence on the part of the supervising authority. They have not benefited from the World War II cemeteries as a cultural aspect that could be used to promote tourism.

In addition to the Commonwealth, Tunisia has other cemeteries with World War II soldiers, including cemeteries for French soldiers, one cemetery for U.S. soldiers in Sidi Bou Said and two cemeteries for German soldiers in Enfidha (south) and Burj Cedria (the capital).

Majaz al-Bab Cemetery in Beja governorate is the largest, with about 3,000 soldiers’ tombs. The Safax and Enfidha cemeteries host the remains of a number of Muslim soldiers from India. They are buried according to their religion and their names are written in Arabic.