Enemy deaths in Britain and Germany (WWI/WWII)
It has been estimated that some 2,700 Germans died in Great Britain during World War I (WWI), and about 4,500 in World War II (WWII). British deaths in Germany were considerably higher at around 6,500 in WWI, and over 25,000 in WWII. The numbers include civilians as well as military personnel.[1]
Enemy deaths created the same problem in both countries—the authorities had to decide how and where to bury the dead. In the main, there were two options. One was to create cemeteries for interment of enemy dead only; the second was to make use of existing cemeteries which normally held the remains of deceased local residents only. Specialist cemeteries like the Berlin 1939–1945 War Cemetery and Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery were essentially post-WWII projects—the creation of reserved sites was difficult while a war was ongoing. As a result, the usual choice for burial was an existing cemetery close to the place of death.[2]
Cannock Chase
[edit]
The British and West German governments agreed, on 16 October 1959, that the remains of German military and civilian personnel, who had died in both world wars, would be exhumed for reburial at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery in Staffordshire. This was because the majority of German graves were scattered across the country in local cemeteries, where they were not maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). There is now a total of 4,787 graves at Cannock Chase.[3]
CWGC cemeteries in Germany
[edit]The CWGC maintain British and Commonwealth war graves at several cemeteries in Germany. The Berlin 1939–1945 War Cemetery, located near Charlottenburg, was constructed in the 1950s, and now has a total of 3,595 graves including 397 unidentified. The majority of servicemen buried here, reckoned to be 80%, were members of RAF Bomber Command whose aircraft were shot down during raids on the Berlin/Brandenburg region.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Grady 2025, p. 48.
- ^ Grady 2025, pp. 48–49.
- ^ "Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ "Berlin 1939–1945 War Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
Sources
[edit]- Grady, Tim (April 2025). Attar, Rob (ed.). "What to do with the Dead?". BBC History. Hammersmith: Immediate Media. pp. 46–51.