4 replies to this topic

[archangel9]

Is it safe to assume that any British Soldier buried in NIEDERZWEHREN was a PoW?

NIEDERZWEHREN CEMETERY
Historical Information
The cemetery was begun by the Germans in 1915 for the burial of prisoners of war who died at the local camp. During the war almost 3,000 Allied soldiers and civilians, including French, Russian and Commonwealth, were buried there.
http://www.cwgc.org/...WEHREN CEMETERY

John

[Sandie]

On a hill near to the village is the cemetery made by the Germans for the burial of Prisoners of War who died at the local camp, called Niederzwehren
The cemetery was in use from March, 1915, onwards, and during the War almost 3,000 Allied soldiers or civilians (including 1,280 French, 1068 Russian, and 272 British) were buried in it. In 1922 the cemetery was chosen as one of the four permanent cemeteries to which the British dead in Germany should be gathered, and in the following four years 1,535 graves were brought in from 190 cemeteries in Baden, Bavaria, Hanover, Hesse, Saxony, and Westphalia.

This, from an earlier post, suggests that the original cemetery was for POWs but after 1922 British dead from the areas mentioned were moved there. I assume only those from the original burials (pre 1922) were all POWs.

[AOK4]

Indeed, all people buried there were POWs. I visited the emetery last month, it is really in the middle of nowhere.

[nils d]

AOK4, on 15 April 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

Indeed, all people buried there were POWs. I visited the emetery last month, it is really in the middle of nowhere.

Not all were POWs , there were some RAF fatalities from raids on German towns.
is it visited that often if its as isolated as you say  AOK4?

AOK4, on 15 April 2012 - 06:21 PM, said:

Indeed, all people buried there were POWs. I visited the emetery last month, it is really in the middle of nowhere.

Not all were POWs , there were some RAF fatalities from raids on German towns.
is it visited that often if its as isolated as you say  AOK4?

[archangel9]

Thanks for the replies.

John