There are two Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries in Berlin, one focusing on British and Commonwealth casualties from the First World War, and this one, at Heerstrasse in West Berlin, which focuses on the Second World War.
The site at Heerstrasse was chosen by the British occupation authorities shortly after the war’s end in 1945, and approximately 80% of the graves found here belong to British & Commonwealth airmen who either died in air raids over Berlin itself, or in raids conducted over other cities in East Germany such as Dresden or Potsdam.
The remainder of the war dead buried here consist of servicemen who died as prisoners of war, including those who perished in forced death marches from POW camps evacuated by the Germans in the face of the Soviet advance in the East.
Despite being called the “Berlin 1939 – 1945 War Cemetery”, I was surprised to see that there are also 265 post-war graves belonging to men of the British Occupation Forces who served in Germany after the war, along with family dependants who lived here with them.
I’ve seen plenty of war cemeteries in my time, but the post-war section at this site on Heerstrasse was a real eye-opener to me, especially considering the fact that it contains graves from the early 90’s. – This just rams home the fact that the “tentacles of the Second World War” reached deep into the 20th century, long after 1945. The British occupation forces from the “Berlin Infantry Brigade” didn’t leave Berlin until 1994, which was only 30 years ago…we’re not talking about the distant past here.
The cemetery at Heerstrasse is a moving place to visit, as all Commonwealth War Graves are. That said, the cemetery is located far from the popular tourist traps of Berlin, so it’s not on the itineraries of most visitors. However, the cemetery is right next to one of Berlin’s busiest roads leading into the city, close to the famous Olympiastadion, so it’s easy to reach.
As you can see from the photos above, the place takes on a stunning look in Autumn, which I like to think is nature’s way of giving everyone buried here a final salute in the run-up to the commemorations which take place here each Remembrance Sunday.
The roll-call is as follows:
3595 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 397 are unidentified graves.
6 Non Commonwealth Foreign National burials.
265 post-war graves of men of the British Occupation Forces and their dependants, including members of the Control Commission.
Lest we forget.
(This is a repost from Instagram from October 12th, 2024)