Guest wrighty Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 I came across a small cemetery in Belgium a couple of years ago. Unfortunately i cant remember the name of the nearby village, but i have an interesting question. the cemetery probably had less than 100 graves, but it contained soldiers from every part of the globe, british, australian, new zealand, french, German even some Jamaican troops but most striking of all 'soviets' buried in 1919. How could soviet troops have been buried there? were they still not in the throws of civil war? and how would they have met there death in 1919? Only thing we could think of was perhaps they were bomb disposal or something, but still strange to see 'soviets' in belgium in 1919, and not on the Eastern front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc glorieux Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 wrighty, before the end of the war, I think as POW, but in 1919 ??? are hou sure that it was not in France ? marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisharley9 Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 With regard to the Soviet star on Russian Great War graves when the CWGC approached the Russian Government post war to ask them what symbol they wanted on the headstones the star is what the Russians wanted - not appropriate I realise. Most of these Russian graves will be POWs used as forced labourers by the Germans on the Western Front. I have seen these graves at Mons Communal Cem & Tournai. All The Best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrighty Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 yes, definately Belgium, stopped at a village chocolate factory on our way back from Brussels. never thought they could have been POWs tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisharley9 Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 The germans captured at least 100,000 Russian troops on the Eastern front All The Best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 Wrighty You will find 'Soviet' graves in Belgrade cemetery, Namur Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 Yes visited it two years ago on way back from Ypres, and also can't remember name. Coach stopped at chocolate shop near the coast just before Franco Belgian border. had seen this cemetary from road before so wandered around back of village and yes also astonished to see several russian graves there. Believe there were also some WW2 graves as there often are around there, victims of the retreat to Dunkirk and aircrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc glorieux Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 i think that in belgium most of the villages has a chocolate factory... It is possible that on the belgian cemetery of Houthulst (near dixmude) is a plot with russians. (Aurel, can you confirm it ?) there is sure a plot of italian pow. marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 Marc, I have been following this thread with some interest indeed, but cannot add any useful information. (Except that Boezinge certainly has and never had a chocolate factory ! ) Houthulst Belgian cemetery then ... True, there are a few dozen Italian graves there (81), but as far as I know no Russians. As it is quite large (over 1,700 Belgian graves) it can't be the one Wrighty is referring to. (Does Houthulst have a chocolate factory ? ). But I haven't the foggiest idea where the cemetery could be. Wrighty, do you remember if it was in the Ypres Salient ? Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 Sorry, Salientguide, I had overlooked your posting. So it was at the coast and near the border. De Panne Communal Cemetery ? Adinkerke Churchyard ? Adinkerke Military Cemetery ? Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 Adinkerke Military Cemetery contains a number of Czech graves. No mention of Russians though. http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/cemetery_...ry=16301&mode=1 Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc glorieux Posted 27 September , 2005 Share Posted 27 September , 2005 aurel, Don't Boezinge has never had a chocolate factory , they has always have a brewery with "sas pils", another belgian speciality. but I prefer hommelbeer marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrighty Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 It could well have been in the ypres salient, on the main route Brussels to the channel tunnel. Just off the motorway, entering the village was a small memorial (with photos) of some men probably excecuted by Nazis. The small chocolate shop and factory was beside a small canal or river. You had to walk/drive round the back of the chocolate factory to the cemetery which could be seen from the motorway. There was a visitors book on the wall. it does sound like salientguide was at the same one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 Hello , I think it was at Adinkerke; Cars stop there to buy chocolate or tobacco. In the Adinkerke Mil Cem, Russians are buried, also an Egyptian, Germans, Canadians, Britsih West Indies. Regards, Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wrighty Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 Thats it exactly, just confirmed by my friend thats just emailed me. quote - Adinkerke.- about 20 miles north of Calais in the direction of Brussels Where the war grave of West Indian Soldier is away from British and German ones probably because he was black!!!! - unquote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 Of course, racial segregation was the norm at the time. Particularly noticeable at Etaples where non-whites are banished to the far edges of the cemetery - very far in the case of Etaples ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 Hi Aurel and all yes having looked at CWGC photo its definately Adinkirke Military cemetary that I was thinking of. next questions for pals what on earth were Russians doing there?? SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 28 September , 2005 Share Posted 28 September , 2005 ps Cnock great picture thanks SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 29 September , 2005 Share Posted 29 September , 2005 You will find Russian graves in many French cemeteries. Although most of the Russians are buried near Rheims where they have their own chapel and memorial, etc. I suppose some must have been killed or died when away from their units. There are also many dating from WW2. As I understand it these are mainly POW who escaped and joined the French army. It is not correct to say that they all have a star on the gravestone, many don't. The WW2 graves have a triangular gravestone (made in the French cement/concreet) with nothing else. Interstingly, some of these have 'Soldat Sovietique' on them and others 'Soldat Russe'. I have been unable to discover why the difference (the two inscriptions can be side by side). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 29 September , 2005 Share Posted 29 September , 2005 Wrighty To answer the question as to what Russian soldiers were doing on the Western Front you need to read the book "With Snow on their Boots". At least I think that is the correct title. The French army needed more men, the Russian army needed more guns, rifles and ammo, so a deal was struck and that meant that Russian soldiers were transferred to the Western Front. But it was not a great success. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 29 September , 2005 Share Posted 29 September , 2005 At the time of the revolution one brigade mutinied in support of the revolution and the other was used to put it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 29 September , 2005 Share Posted 29 September , 2005 With regard to the Soviet star on Russian Great War graves when the CWGC approached the Russian Government post war to ask them what symbol they wanted on the headstones the star is what the Russians wanted - not appropriate I realise. Chris <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's a shame they couldn't be asked again for a new symbol to use, as and when the stones may be replaced, due to wear and tear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Johnson Posted 5 October , 2005 Share Posted 5 October , 2005 The allies had great difficulty in returning Russian PoW's after the war. Many simply did not want to go home to a now communist regime and many had no home or family to go home to. Gustrow PoW camp had some 10 000 Russians in it a year after the war ended. Presumably other camps were also used. Many Russians were in very poor condition at the end of the war and many must have subsequently died as did a number of British and Commonwealth troops who died in the camps after the armistice. Doug Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now