CANNOCK CHASE

CANNOCK CHASE - Final resting place for nearly 5000 German dead
	of both world wars. On the edge of a National Park of heather-covered moorland, to the north of the industrial town of Wolverhampton, on the main Stafford-Hednesford road, is a War Cemetery containing the graves of 24 British and 73 New Zealand dead of World War I and three British dead of World
War II, together with 256 German dead of World War I and 29 of World War II. About 400 metres away, Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery lies in a low valley bordered, to the south, by a pine forest. This cemetery was established under the terms of an agreement of 16th October 1959 concluded between the governments of the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany.
On behalf of the latter government, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) undertook the task for designing and construction of this cemetery, to which the bodies of most of the German war dead buried in Great Britain and Northern Ireland were subsequently transferred. Most of those who lie in peace died in
prisoner-of-war internment camps. Here also lie the bodies of members of airship crews from World War I, of air crews from World War II and of some who died at sea and whose bodies were washed ashore. Of the total of 4939 war dead, 2143 died during World War I and 2796 during
World War II. Although most of the German war dead in Britain were transferred here, a few still remain buried in cemeteries elsewhere in Britain. There are altogether 147 graves containing 263 German dead of World War I and 1044 of World War II in these sites, which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission continues to maintain. In addition, the cemetery at Fort George in St. Peter Port, on the Channel Island of Guernsey, contains 111 German burials from World War II and Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey contains eight of World War I and 46 of World War II.

Before reaching the main entrance from the access road, the visitor crosses a stone-paved forecourt. Apart from the living quarters of the resident caretaker, the entrance building contains a visitors, room in which the register of names of those dead who are buried here and a plan of the cemetery, etched on glass, are kept. A small interior courtyard with a covered way links this room to the Hall of Honour. A recumbent bronze sculpture on a plinth in the centre of the courtyard represents "The Fallen Warrior".

Two open gateways reveal a view of two terraces. A granite memorial on the east terrace bears this inscription :
"Side by side with their comrades, the crews of four zeppelins shot down over England during the First World War found their eternal resting place. The fallen were brought here from their original burial places at Potters Bar, Great Burstead and Therberton. The members of each crew are buried in caskets in one grave".

The other terrace connects the Hall of Honour to the cemetery. Wide steps lead down to the main walkway paved with stones. The burials of World War I and those of World War II are separated by a valley. The graves are marked by headstones of Belgian granite upon most of which are engraved the dates of birth and death of those buried on both sides. The character of the cemetery is determined as much by its birch and pine trees as by the heather planted along the rows of graves. Daffodils bloom in spring while in summer the purple of the heather is predominant. The German Military Cemetery at Cannock Chase was first opened to the public on 10th June 1967. The visitor should never leave this place without being aware of its message: War graves remind and warn us - never let war happen again.