German War Cemetery

It is estimated that some 7,200 Germans, both military and civilian, died in Great Britain during the two world wars. 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 which 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 (' or "VDK") made the necessary arrangements and the inauguration and…

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. The other terrace…