The Cemetery is situated south of Kuala Lumpur, to the left of Cheras Highway toll gates. It can be reached by turning left into Jalan Kuari immediately after the toll gates, approximately 4 miles from central Kuala Lumpur. Crossing the car park, follow the top left hand lane to the end, thus reaching the Commonwealth Cemetery gate. The Commonwealth Cemetery is enclosed by a fence planted with climbers and hedges and backs onto the new highway. The graves in the Roman Catholic Plot of the cemetery can be found on high ground to the right of the Commonwealth cemetery, on the left of the narrow tarmac road, just before the small chapel.
At the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur was the headquarters of the 3rd Indian Corps. Early in 1941 part of the recently raised 8th Division of the Australian Infantry Force was assigned to Malaya, a territory of strategic importance to Australia. The headquarters divisional staff arrived on February 18th in advance of the main force, which numbered some 6,000 men, and the divisional headquarters and attached units were posted at Kuala Lumpur. As the Japanese moved successfully down the peninsula a temporary prisoner-of-war camp was established at Pudu jail, to which United Kingdom and Commonwealth serviceman were taken before being sent to Changi Camp on Singapore island. Some of them died, of wounds or sickness, while in this camp and were buried in the Cheras Road Cemetery. There are 148 Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 war here. In addition, there are over 600 non world war burials of servicemen and dependants here, 5 being unidentified children of Gurkha soldiers.
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