At a glance

Type

Commonwealth War Graves Commission military cemetery

Period

Established during and after the First World War (1917–1919)

Style

CWGC standard design: uniform Portland stone headstones, Cross of Sacrifice, Stone of Remembrance

Location

Boscon locality, Asiago Plateau, Province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy

Coordinates

45.8372° N, 11.4817° E

Overview

Boscon British Cemetery is one of several CWGC sites dispersed across the Asiago Plateau, a highland area where the Italian Front reached its highest and most rugged terrain. Administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission since the early 1920s, the cemetery upholds the CWGC’s founding principle — established under royal charter in 1917 — that every service member who died for the Commonwealth is commemorated by name with an equal, uniform headstone. The site’s remote forested setting gives it a particularly meditative atmosphere.

History

British forces arrived on the Asiago Plateau in force following the Italian collapse at Caporetto in late 1917, taking over sections of the defensive line from Italian units. They participated in the Battle of Asiago (June 1918) and the final Vittorio Veneto offensive (October 1918) that ended the war on the Italian Front. Temporary field graves were scattered across the battlefield; after the Armistice, the Imperial War Graves Commission undertook a systematic programme of concentration and registration, establishing Boscon as a permanent cemetery in the early 1920s.

What you see

The cemetery presents the standard CWGC layout: orderly rows of white Portland stone headstones, each individually engraved with the deceased’s regimental emblem, name, rank, date of death, and often a personal inscription chosen by the family. A Cross of Sacrifice and a flat Stone of Remembrance — inscribed with “Their Name Liveth For Evermore” — anchor the space. The surrounding Boscon forest, typical of the Asiago uplands, forms a natural boundary that preserves the cemetery’s sense of enclosure and quiet.

Cultural significance

Together with Granezza, Cavalletto and Barenthal, Boscon forms part of the chain of British military cemeteries that commemorates the under-documented British effort on the Italian Front. These sites are increasingly visited as part of Great War heritage trails and are integral to the Asiago Plateau’s identity as a landscape of memory, shared between Italian, British and Austro-Hungarian commemorative traditions. The CWGC’s stewardship ensures each site remains a living place of remembrance.

Practical information

Open at all times; free admission. Casualty records, cemetery registers and location maps are available on the CWGC website at cwgc.org. Asiago town (approx. 10 km to the south-east) provides the nearest full range of visitor services including accommodation and restaurants.

Getting there

From Asiago take the SP349 north-west and follow CWGC signs towards Boscon. By public transport, travel to Asiago by regional bus from Bassano del Grappa, then continue by taxi or local hire car. The nearest rail station is Bassano del Grappa, connected by regional trains from Vicenza (approx. 35 km south).

Sources & resources

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission — cwgc.org
• Asiago — Wikipedia
• Cultural Heritage Online — culturalheritageonline.com