WW2 Cemeteries Website

Hi guys - I am just about to launch a new website dedicated to British and Commonwealth war cemeteries from WW2. It will eventually cover every cemetery and memorial with a photo and details, plus other information (am aiming to put in Google Earth links, eg and possibly GPS). It will be a WW2 version of the sadly departed 'Silent Cities' WW1 site which I know some of you know of.

I will also be adding photos of men buried or commemorated at these sites.

So if you can help with any photos of cemeteies or the men/women commemorated you can email me at:

webmaster@ww2battlefields.info

This is especially true for overseas members who know a cemetery close by and can take a digital image, esocially in hard to reach or rarely visited areas!

Image size not a problem; best resolution possible: I have broadband, so will cope with whatever you send me.

All contributions will be credited on the site, of course.

I will post some links once the site goes live.

 

Thanks Owen - much appreciated.

 

Paul, Just in case it is not on the CWGC lists. There exists The "Friedhof Ohlsdorf" cemetery, located just outside Hamburg, Germany There is a special section devoted to British military interments. I have an uncle buried in there.This cemetary is claimed to be the world's largest cemetary, though I'm not sure if that is something to boast about.. It has its own bus service circulating within it. And issues a visitor's guide and map. The british section is well cared for and it has the standard CWGC headstones. I hope you won't my giving this a mention. S. Geordie.

 

Paul, Just in case it is not on the CWGC lists. There exists The "Friedhof Ohlsdorf" cemetery, located just outside Hamburg, Germany There is a special section devoted to British military interments. I have an uncle buried in there.This cemetary is claimed to be the world's largest cemetary, though I'm not sure if that is something to boast about.. It has its own bus service circulating within it. And issues a visitor's guide and map. The british section is well cared for and it has the standard CWGC headstones. I hope you won't my giving this a mention. S. Geordie.

Thanks for that. It appears to be this one?

<TABLE class=datatable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Cemetery:</TH><TD id=td_cemetery>HAMBURG CEMETERY</TD></TR><TR><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Country:</TH><TD id=td_country>Germany</TD></TR><TR><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Locality:</TH><TD id=td_locality>Hamburg, Hamburg</TD></TR><TR id=tr_visiting><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Visiting Information:</TH><TD id=td_visiting>Cemetery Opening Hours: Summer (April to Oct): 09.00 to 21.00 (7 days a week) Winter (November to March): 09.00 to 18.00 (7 days a week) The Commission plot is signposted in the Cemetery and is located 300 metres from the Chapel. Wheelchair access possible via main entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.</TD></TR><TR id=tr_location><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Location Information:</TH><TD id=td_location>The War Cemetery in Hamburg is situated within a large civil cemetery known locally as 'Ohlsdorf Cemetery'. Approaching from Hannover or Kiel, leave the Autoroute A7 at the junction with the 432 following signposts for the Airport (Flughafen). After 2 kilometres turn right onto Swebenweg which later merges with Krohnstieg and passes under the airport runway. After 4 kilometres turn right onto 433 Chaussee. After 2 kilometres turn left onto Erdkampsweg following signs for Barmbek. Continue along this road for 1.7 kilometres then turn right, immediately before a prominent railway bridge, onto a road called Im Grunen Grund. After a further 600 metres turn left into Alsterdorfer. The Cemetery is located in this street at the junction with Fuhlsbuttlerstrasse. The 3 CWGC plots are located 300m to the right of Chapel 12 and are clearly signposted from the main entrance of Ohlsdorf cemetery.</TD></TR><TR id=tr_historical><TH style="HEIGHT: 18px" vAlign=top align=left width="30%">Historical Information:</TH><TD id=td_historical style="HEIGHT: 18px">During the First World War, Hamburg Cemetery was used for the burial of over 300 Allied servicemen who died as prisoners of war. In 1923, it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died all over Germany should be brought together into four permanent cemeteries. Hamburg was one of those chosen, and burials were brought into the cemetery from 120 burial grounds* in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, Hanover, Saxony, Brunswick and Westphalia. The majority died as prisoners, but a few were sailors whose bodies were washed ashore on the Frisian Islands. There are now 708 First World War servicemen buried or commemorated in the Commonwealth plot at Hamburg. This total includes special memorials to three casualties buried in Parchim Prisoners of War Cemetery whose graves could not be found, and 25 unidentified sailors whose remains were recovered from HM Submarine E24, which was sunk by a mine off Heligoland in March 1916, when the vessel was raised in July 1974. The Commonwealth section of the cemetery also contains 1,466 Second World War burials, mostly of servicemen who died with the occupying forces, or airmen lost in bombing raids over Germany. There are also 378 post Second World War graves and 14 war graves of other nationalities. * The following cemeteries are among those from which graves were brought to Hamburg: GUSTROW PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 59 burials of 1914-1918. Gustrow was one of the main camps in which prisoners in Germany were registered. HANNOVER (LIMMER) MILITARY CEMETERY, Hannover. 31 burials of 1914-1918. HELIGOLAND CHURCHYARD, Helgoland. one burial of 1916. MINDERHEIDE PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Westphalia. 55 burials of 1916-1918. MUNSTER CAMP PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Hannover. 130 burials of 1917-1919. PARCHIM PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Mecklenburg Schwerin. 83 burials of 1917-1919. SOLTAU PRISONERS OF WAR CEMETERY, Hannover. 25 burials of 1916-1918. VERDEN GARRISON CEMETERY, Hannover. 29 burials of 1916-1918. </TD></TR><TR><TH vAlign=top align=left width="30%">No. of Identified Casualties:</TH><TD id=td_casualties>2473</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Do you have any digital images of the cemetery?

 

Paul
Are you after pictures of individual graves then at these cemeteries, I have a few I have taken from a few places!

Let me know and Ill see what I have

Regards

Andy

 

Paul:
I can't help with pictures, but here's a BBC story about British and Commonwealth war cemeteries in Burma.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/family_history/pages/burma_visit.shtml

JT

 

Paul,

I will start trawling through the photos I have and I'll drop you a PM when I have a load.

 

Have some pics of headstones and cemeteries, is your site going to be anything like this one, www.wargraves.org.uk ?

 

Paul
Are you after pictures of individual graves then at these cemeteries, I have a few I have taken from a few places!

Let me know and Ill see what I have

Regards

Andy

Hi Andy - thanks for your offer, but what I am after are photos of the cemeteries and memorials (general views) and photos of men/women buried or commemorated: rather than photos of their graves or names.

 

Paul:
I can't help with pictures, but here's a BBC story about British and Commonwealth war cemeteries in Burma.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/family_history/pages/burma_visit.shtml

JT

Thanks for that - most interesting.

 

Have some pics of headstones and cemeteries, is your site going to be anything like this one, www.wargraves.org.uk ?

Not exactly, no. That seems to have a much broader spectrum and have little information on specific cemeteries - at least, that I can find?

You will have a better idea when I publish the first few pages next week. Just waiting for the domains to register at present.

 

Have general views of Mook, Udem & Reichswald Forest plus some video if thats of use. If you send me postal address I can send all on disc and you can use anything of interest.

 

PM sent - many thanks.

 

Paul,
I live close to the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, in fact I visit there quite often, would you like photos of the Memorial? There is also a free handout which gives its history, can scan and send it on if you wish.

 

Paul
Emailing now.

Thanks Owen - received with many thanks.

 

Paul,
I live close to the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede, in fact I visit there quite often, would you like photos of the Memorial? There is also a free handout which gives its history, can scan and send it on if you wish.

Peter - some photos would be great, thanks. I have the handout on the memorial and some of the registers, but thanks for the offer.

 

Hi Paul

Is this of any interest to you? : BBC - WW2 People's War - Return to Cassino

Regards

Ron

 

Thanks for that Ron - most interesting. I may well include some stories like that further down the line.