Leutnant zur See Werner Kraft

[michaeldr]

Yesterday I came across an old photograph of the German military cemetery at Tarabia, Istanbul.

That photograph was found in the Bavarian Archives; see  https://www.gda.bayern.de/show/085c1ebe-ab45-4450-8c09-0ea576e04687

It has been shared with friends T P Iredale and Col K Wolf, who have kindly contributed the following details and pictures

 

Leutnant zur See Werner Kraft died of typhus on 6th November 1915 and was buried in the German cemetery at Tarabia, on the European shore of the Bosphorus.

Lt. Kraft had served on the SMS Goeben, and on land on the Gallipoli peninsula with one of the Goeben's machine-gun detachments.

His father was Konteradmiral Hugo Kraft (1866–1925), who was no doubt known to Souchon, and the admiral took immediate steps to try and have the body of his son repatriated to Germany, even offering to pay for the transfer himself. This was not to be however.

Even after the war, when Konteradmiral Kraft visited Istanbul hoping to bring home the body of his son, his efforts were in vain. He was taken to the cemetery at Tarabia by Ambassador Nadolny, and there he saw for himself the place where his son was buried and he then exclaimed

“No, I will leave him. At home he could not have as beautiful a place as he has here, together with his commrades.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Micheal,

 

Mate I have the same details on him

 

Kraft Werner    LtzS Marine    SMS Goeben Naval MG Sects Marine-Landungsabteilung at Gallipoli    1915-    (no details DoD 6-11-15 of typhus) in Istanbul grave at Tarabya Istanbul 
 

The other men shown;

 

Kramath Paul     Vermessungs Matrosen Marine     Surveying Maat    1917-18     (born at Cranz Fischhausen DoD 8-10-18 of Typhus in the Red Cross hospital Constantinople) grave at Tarabya Istanbul 
 

The other man I can't see and he maybe

 

König Friedrich Karl    Flieger / Flugzeugf Lt    Airforce Feldflieger Abt. Dardanellen (unit unknown possibly 1st Sqn Tayyare Boluk )    1915-    (1883 at Berlin DoD 11-11-15 in the German hospital) of illness at Konstantinopel grave at Tarabya Istanbul Todesart nicht lesbar
 

It would be nice to see the whole wall and names?

 

I did notice this man also lost to Typhus

 

Rathert Christian    ObMatrose Marine    Naval MG Sects Marine-Landungsabteilung at Gallipoli     1915-    (born at Leteln Minden DoD 17-10-15) from typhus buried on Kilia Tepe
 

Cheers

 

S.B

[michaeldr]

Steve,

 

There are more details and pictures of this cemetery to be seen on Col. Wolf's website here https://www.gallipoli1915.de/tarabya-home

This page includes two videos; one a film of the Kaiser's visit and the second shot recently by Col Wolf using a drone

Alas the English translation is not yet complete

 

regards

Michael