White rows
Identical headstones on the lawns.
Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand — CC BY 2.0 · Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand — CC BY 2.0
A quiet military cemetery cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the slopes above Taiping, where more than 850 Allied servicemen who died in the Second World War lie, over 500 of them unidentified. Taiping lay on the British line of retreat when the Japanese pushed down the peninsula's west coast in late 1941, so soldiers from Britain, Australia, India and elsewhere who fell in the Malayan campaign are buried here, along with men who died during the occupation and some who died in the region after the war. Rows of identical white headstones stand in orderly lines on green lawns shaded by palms, with the Cross of Sacrifice at the centre, and visitors read the unit names and families' moving words on the stones. Entry is free and it is open in the daytime. It lies minutes from the Lake Gardens and the zoo; the visit is short and peaceful, so be respectful and don't walk on the graves.
Identical headstones on the lawns.
Soldiers from many nations.
A place for reflection below the hills.
At the foot of Bukit Larut, near the Taiping Lake Gardens
Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill)Malaysia's oldest hill station, set up by the British in 1884 on the forested he5 minutes walk
Zoo Taiping and Night SafariA long-established zoo that opened in 1961 in the shade of green hills beside th10 minutes walk
Perak MuseumThe oldest museum in Malaysia, founded in 1883 by Sir Hugh Low, the fourth Briti16 minutes walk
Taiping Lake GardensThe first public garden created in Malaya, laid out in 1880 on an abandoned tin 18 minutes walk
All Saints' Church, TaipingA small white timber church in Gothic style, founded in 1886 and consecrated in 18 minutes walkYes: there is a register of names at the entrance, and you can search in advance in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database on its website, which gives the location of each grave.