Cannock Chase German war cemetery
| Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery | |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) |
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| Used for those deceased 1914-18 and 1939-45 | |
| Established | 1956 (consecration cemetery) |
| Location |
Coordinates: 52°44′23″N 2°01′21″W / 52.7398°N 2.0224°W near Cannock, Staffordshire, England |
| Designed by | Diez Brandi, Gottingen, Germany Harold Doffman & Peter Leach, Stafford, England |
| Total burials | 4,929 |
| Unknown burials | 5 (World War I); 90 (World War II) |
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| Burials by war | |
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| Statistics source: See references | |
The Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery (grid reference SJ984157) is on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England.
On 16 October 1959, the governments of the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany made an agreement about the future care of the remains of German military personnel and German civilian internees of both World Wars who at the time were interred in various cemeteries not already maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It was agreed that the remains would be transferred to a single central cemetery established on Cannock Chase for this purpose.
The German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge or "VDK") made the necessary arrangements and the inauguration and dedication of this cemetery - which is maintained under the inter-government agreement by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission - took place in June 1967. It contains nearly 5,000 German and Austrian graves. A number of World War II Ukrainian volunteers captured when in German service are also buried here.
From Cannock the A34 leads to the direction of Stafford. After three miles another road leads to Rugeley. After a short distance on the little street Camp Road first the Commonwealth Cannock Chase War Cemetery appears. After this finally the Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery (Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Cannock Chase) follows.
The entrance building contains toilets for visitors and a visiting room where the Cemetery Register is available on request. A plan of the plots within the cemetery is also on display. From here a small courtyard with a covered passage forms the connection to the Hall of Honour, which has at its centre, resting on a large block of stone, a bronze sculpture of a fallen warrior, by the eminent German sculptor, Professor Hans Wimmer. Open passageways give a clear view of two terraces. On the west-facing terrace there is a granite monument to the crews of the four airships (SL 11, L32, L31, L48) shot down in World War I and who lie buried here in a tomb in separate sarcophagi.
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Wikipedia