Paying respects at an "enemy" grave before the end of the war

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

My grandfather was in the trenches near Aveluy in August 1915 when he was involved in a skirmish in No Man’s Land in which a young German soldier was killed. The German soldier was buried in what my grandfather calls the “Aveluy Military Cemetery” (what we now call the Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension), where his grave was marked by a cross made by some German prisoners. My grandfather had opportunity to visit this grave later in the war, in August 1917.

I find the way in which my grandfather describes the later visit fascinating. He says: “I rode down to the Cemetery [at Aveluy] to see one or two graves of fellows I knew”, and then he lists five names. There is an officer of another Battalion in the same Brigade as my grandfather, three privates from his own Battalion, and then the fifth name, the name of the young German soldier whom his party had killed in 1915; in other words, in listing the five men whose graves he visited, he makes no obvious distinction between the four British men and the German, but instead they all seem to be encompassed within the simple description of “fellows I knew”. There is no hint that he was doing anything other than paying his respects at the grave of this young soldier in just the same way as you would at the grave of any deceased person, no hint that in visiting that particular grave he was in some way seeking to salve his conscience, and certainly not that he felt any sense of victory, superiority or hate.

I find the way in which my grandfather’s account is expressed all the more interesting because it was written quite soon after the end of the war, when his actual feelings at the time would have been relatively fresh – certainly elsewhere in his diary you get the impression that when he describes his thoughts and feelings he does so honestly, and also that he was well capable of doing so accurately.

Has anyone else come across any accounts of men of the Allied Forces visiting German graves, or vice versa, actually during the war, and, if so, in what terms is the visit described?

Edited 6 April , 2021 by A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

I see that this OP has had over a hundred views, despite no replies. A quick glance back over other past threads reveals that no replies is not especially unusual, often with many more views than this one (especially in the earlier pages) but I am wondering whether it may be because the topic is more interesting than I thought, in that not one of the hundred or so people who has viewed it has come across any reference to someone paying respects – at least during the war - at a grave belonging to the other side; or whether it is only the title to the topic that appeals, while the actual content is of no interest to anyone but myself? Not to worry if it’s the latter – from a personal point of view I still find my grandad’s visit to the young German soldier’s grave – particularly his way of expressing it – rather heart-warming.

 

[Gunner Bailey]

7 hours ago, A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy said:

 Not to worry if it’s the latter – from a personal point of view I still find my grandad’s visit to the young German soldier’s grave – particularly his way of expressing it – rather heart-warming.

 

 

I suspect that nobody else has a comparable story. Yes, it is heart warming and it shows that your grandfather respected all of the fallen, especially those he knew or had contact with, as in the case of the German soldier. Probably a fine man in the great scheme of things.

[AOK4]

Hello,

I only now discovered this topic, which is very interesting indeed. I haven't read many similar stories, also from the other side.

Would you be able to give us the name of the German soldier, I can't find any German from August 1915 in Aveluy?

Jan

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Yes indeed, an interesting tale.

Thanks for sharing.

[egbert]

What a coincidence - I am reading the personal accounts from an artillerist from 1./FAR 6. He received his baptism of fire as gun crew commander 1st gun in September 1914 in the village triangle Mesnil-sur-Semois-Tintigny-Rossignol at Semois bridge. In the course of the 1st artillery engagement of his Bn, they annihilated a French artillery unit at 2000m distance with most loss of life. 2,1/4 years later in 1916 he was on a special regimental mission and came along the location. He discovered a mass grave with a cross "Hier ruhen 53 Offiziere, Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften einer französischen Batterie" . The other side of the road a signage on an artificial hill with "Hier liegen 62 Pferde einer französischen Batterie".

He said, he moved several times between the horses- and the artillerist graves, removed his cap and paid his respect a long time kneeing and praying for their souls in front of the wooden cross and finished with "Schlaft wohl Ihr Helden. Es ist viel geschehen in den letzten 2 Jahren, und wenn es das Schicksal bestimmt hätte, würde ich vielleicht mit vielen anderen dort auf der Wiese liegen"...........

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

Thank you, all, for your responses.

On 17/06/2021 at 08:34, AOK4 said:

Would you be able to give us the name of the German soldier, I can't find any German from August 1915 in Aveluy?

Jan, the name was Werner Alber, and I believe from an entry on the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge website that he is now buried at the German Military Cemetery at Rancourt.

 

On 18/06/2021 at 08:39, egbert said:

He said, he moved several times between the horses- and the artillerist graves, removed his cap and paid his respect a long time kneeing and praying for their souls in front of the wooden cross and finished with "Schlaft wohl Ihr Helden. Es ist viel geschehen in den letzten 2 Jahren, und wenn es das Schicksal bestimmt hätte, würde ich vielleicht mit vielen anderen dort auf der Wiese liegen"...........

An interesting parallel, Egbert. I do not speak German, but, having translated with the help of google, can see that the above passage fits exactly with the title to this topic.

[AOK4]

Hello,

 

Werner Alber was a Kriegsfreiwilliger (war volunteer), born on 18 July 1898 in Ravensburg (Württemberg) and enlisted on 31 August 1914 (16 years old, this was only allowed early in the war, later examples are unknown to me, most of these youngsters were also withdrawn from the front line in 1915). He served with Reserve Infanterie Regiment 248 in the field from mid October 1914 (First Battle of Ypres) and was lightly wounded on 12 November 1914 near Becelaere/Gheluvelt (Reutelhoek/Polderhoek/Polygon Wood) by a rifle bullet at the head. He was treated in Reserve Feldlazarett 92 in Lendelede first and then transported to Reservelazarett I Frankfurt/Main Abteilung Sandhof.

Since 13 March 1915 he was at the Ersatz Bataillon of Reserve Infanterie Regiment 248. He was promoted Gefreiter on 1 May and sent to the front on 18 May. He arrived at 1 Company Reserve Infanterie Regiment 121 on 20 May 1915. On 22 May he was promoted überzähliger Unteroffizier (holding the rank but without a real position in the unit). On 24 June 1915 he was transferred to 4 Company RIR 121 in Thiepval. He had a fonction as Entfernungsmesser in I. Batallion RIR 121.

He went on patrol on 26 August 1915 at 9pm against the position at Authuille Wood and did not return. On 3 December 1915 the German Red Cross reported that the British official list of 4 September 1915 report his death on 26 August 1915 near Authuille.

His possessions were returned in June 1916 with the remark that he had died east of Authuille during the night of 26/27 August 1915. His identity disc was returned on 15 March 1917.

 

Werner's was Friedrich Alber, a printer in Ravensburg. I would assume he was related to Karl Alber, publisher.

 

Jan

 

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

Thank you so much, Jan, for this additional information. Some of it I knew, but not all of it. I found it particularly poignant to read the detail of the identity disc being returned on 15 March 1917, as it was my grandfather who removed that disc from the body.

My grandfather gives quite a detailed account of the death of this boy. He refers to him as "this boy", and he was only a boy, wasn't he? Actually, my grandfather thought he was 18, not 17, when he died. I assume that my grandfather's information as to his age must have come from a fellow German who was captured at the same tme.

I had noted that the entry on the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge website gives his rank as Private, though my grandfather refers to him as an Unteroffizier, and I had wondered whether this was equivalent to being a Lance Corporal, i.e. whether it was a role rather than a rank. However, reading what you say about this, Jan, it looks as though being an Unteroffizier is not exactly analogous to being a Lance Corporal, as you refer to it as a "rank". Can you explain why Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge refers to him as a Private?

Tricia