They shall not grow old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them

Darlington Borough Council, and The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, have both approved for Darlington Branch of The Royal British Legion to publish photos and information of War Graves and Memorials within the Darlington area. 

(Updated 28/05/2025) 

Please Note

• War Graves are shown in Date Of Death Order (From 2000 to Present Day)
• This is an on-going project, where further information and records are still to be found by the RBL Darlington Branch Project Team

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North Cemetery Darlington

542887 Captain Alan "Big Al" Hewett - Green Howards - Died 17/03/2000 Aged 45

Born: 24/07/1954

From: Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England

Unfortunately no further details have been found by Darlington RBL to date

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East Cemetery Darlington

25219081 Rifleman John Dean Myers - 3rd Battalion The Rifles - Died 12/09/2007 Aged 18

Born: 20/09/1988

From: Darlington, County Durham, England

Rifleman John Dean Myers joined the Army during March 2006

Rifleman Myers is believed to have died from natural causes, at Redford Infantry Barracks, Edinburgh, Scotland

Son of Stephen Myers and Janice Dawson, of Darlington, County Durham, England

Between September 2006 and January 2007, he served on Operation Herrick 5 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Northern Echo Newspaper 27th September 2007: By David Roberts 
Mourners pay tribute to soldier who was living his dreams

HUNDREDS of mourners packed into St John's Church, Darlington, which was left with standing room only as nearly 300 mourners gathered for the funeral with full military honours.  His coffin was brought to the church in a horse-drawn hearse, followed by three mourners' cars and a van carrying floral tributes.  His Army cap and a Union Jack flag were carried on top of the coffin

At the beginning and end of the service, Gabrielle's "Dreams Can Come True" and REM's "Everybody Hurts" were played.  The hymns "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "Onward Christian Soldiers" were sung

Reverend Christine Blakesley talked about how the rifleman was devoted to his friends, family and Army life

His commanding officer, Major Ben Lampard, also spoke of Rifleman Myers' bravery while under fire in Afghanistan.  Only two weeks after arriving in the country, Rifleman Myers' platoon became involved in a three-hour fire-fight.  At the end of the battle, Maj Lampard asked Rifleman Myers how he was.  He told me "that he was fine", he was living the dream'," said Major Lampard. "This phrase was something I was to hear from him quite some times. His friends and family should be rightly proud of his achievements."

Tributes were also paid by Rifleman Myers' father, Stephen, who said: "We all have our dreams, and they can come true, if only for a short time as John proved, but they can come true."

An Army bugler played the Last Post and Reveille as the coffin was carried out of the church on the shoulders of six of Rifleman Myers' comrades

The funeral procession then went to East Cemetery, Geneva Road, Darlington, for the interment.  Before the coffin was lowered into the ground, the Union Jack flag was folded and passed to his mother, Janice Dawson

Three volleys of rifle fire were then shot as he was interred

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West Cemetery Darlington

30109064 Private John King - B (FAMARS) Company, 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment - Died 30/12/2011 Aged 19

Born: 27/04/1992

From: Darlington, County Durham, England

John King joined the Army in 2009 and served with B (FAMARS) Company of 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment

John was deployed with the UK contingent of NATO forces servicing on Operation Herrick 15 in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province, Afghanistan

John was killed in action, by a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), during a firefight with insurgents around the village of Llara Kalay, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

John's funeral, with full military honours, was held on 17th January 2012 at St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington followed by private interment

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St Andrews Church Cemetery Darlington

30040363 Marine Owen Wason - Royal Marines (45 Commando Group) - Died 24/10/2016 Aged 26

Born: 27/01/1990

From: Haughton Le Skerne, Darlington, County Durham, England

Served on Operation Herrick 9, (November 2008 to April 2009), and Operation Herrick 14, (May 2011 to October 2011)

Tragically, at the age of 26, Owen took his own life. He was found by his girlfriend hanged in his own home

Owen was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following two tours of Afghanistan between 2008 and 2011 as a serving Royal Marines Commando with 45 Commando Group

His first tour of duty was as part of Operation Herrick 9, a particularly "brutal" operation and he was the youngest Commando at only 18.  He was commended for his commando spirit and described as a "hoofing" soldier

Haunted by his experiences there, particularly seeing eight of his friends killed by the Taliban, Marine Wason developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  He kept his memories and his trauma to himself, and hid his feelings from those who were close to him.

He returned to Afghanistan in 2011, but it was his first tour of duty which was considered the most brutal and had the most damaging effect

The funeral of the former Royal Marine was held on Wednesday 02/11/2016 at St Andrews Church, Haughton-le-Skerne, Darlington, followed by cremation at Darlington Crematorium

Owen is buried in the churchyard at St Andrew's Church, Haughton-le-Skerne

There is an memorial plaque, for Owen, at the nearby school in which he attended - The Education Village, Salters Lane South, Darlington (See "Darlington War Memorials" on this website)

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East Cemetery Darlington

30317662 Private Kieran Steven Heaney - Alma Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Yorkshire Regiment - 04/01/2024 Aged 20

Born: 2003/2024 (Exact date unknown)

From: Darlington, County Durham, England

Son of Patrick and Nisha Heaney, and brother of Jason Heaney

He died at Dale Barracks, Chester.  No further details have been released by the Ministry of Defence at this time.  His funeral was held at St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington, on Tuesday 30th January 2024 at 12.15pm, followed by his burial at East Cemetery 

The Royal Yorkshire Regiment Facebook 8th January 2024:

The Regimental family is sad to announce the passing of Private Kieran Steven Heaney. He joined the British Army during September 2019, serving with Alma Company, Second Battalion in Cyprus providing force protection to the Sovereign Base Area strategic sites

In August 2021 Pte Heaney deployed with Alma Company to Kabul, Afghanistan on Operation PITTING. As an 18-year-old he was one of the youngest soldiers deployed. In adverse, austere, and demanding conditions he assisted thousands of Afghan Nationals in escaping to safe locations. This was testament to his discipline, courage, compassion, and maturity

He was known for his bravery, positivity, and courage in and out of the boxing ring. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues

Commanding Officer Second Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, Lt Col M Wade-Smith on Private Heaney - “Private Heaney was dependable, the one you could trust to get the task done, without fuss or fanfare. Reliable and respected by his peers and seniors alike. Brave, resilient, disciplined, friendly, fun, and courageous. Private Heaney had already demonstrated all these qualities in the operational and sporting arenas. Selfless in his service he will be missed by all members of the Battalion”