On a tour of the Commonwealth Wargraves, Brigadier Adam Mcrae MBE (SH, 1984-1988), Defence Attaché to Iraq, was given permission to lay a wreath for the first time on the graves of two Durham School ODs who were killed in action in Iraq and buried in the Amara War Cemetery.

Joseph William Smith Hird (SH, 1899-1901) was a Second Lieutenant with the 7th Service Battalion of the Prince of Wales's North Staffordshire Regiment in Mesopotamia. He was serving in operations against the Ottoman Empire after it had allied with Germany. The Hird family memorial in Redcar records that he "died of wounds received in action at Kut-El-Amara Mesopotamia". He died on January 26th 1917, aged 32 years.

Herbert Edward Hosking (C, 1900-1904) was a Captain in the Indian Army. He joined the fight in Mesopotamia and was put in command of a company of the 62nd Punjabis. During a mission to capture a Turkish trench on the Hai River, he was killed by a bullet wound to the head. He died on February 3rd 1917, aged 30 years.