Ypres and the Menin Gate

[BeppoSapone]

This article is taken from "The Cadet Journal" for July 1945.

[Tom Morgan]

Excellent article which answers questions I've been wondering about for the last couple of weeks. You must be psychic. Thanks for posting it!

Tom

[Paul Reed]

Yes, very interesting Tony - many thanks for posting that.

[AOK4]

I must say I disagree with the fact that Belgian civilians would have risked their lives if they cared for the Allied war cemeteries... Who do you think placed crosses on the British graves in occupied Europe in WW2 and made sure everything was more or less in order? Yes, the Germans! They checked all the graves (also allied) during WW2, checking for means of identification and allowing Belgian families to bury their family member in the home cemetery and took care for the others placing standard crosses with cockades on top of the graves.

They also showed great respect for WW1 cemeteries. I remember a friend of mine telling about how he played on Tyne Cot Cemetery in WW2 and two German soldiers came there, coming from the German cemetery next to it. They told him - then still a child - not to run and play on the cemetery because it was a cemetery...

Jan

[BeppoSapone]

I must say I disagree with the fact that Belgian civilians would have risked their lives if they cared for the Allied war cemeteries... Who do you think placed crosses on the British graves in occupied Europe in WW2 and made sure everything was more or less in order? Yes, the Germans! They checked all the graves (also allied) during WW2, checking for means of identification and allowing Belgian families to bury their family member in the home cemetery and took care for the others placing standard crosses with cockades on top of the graves.

They also showed great respect for WW1 cemeteries. I remember a friend of mine telling about how he played on Tyne Cot Cemetery in WW2 and two German soldiers came there, coming from the German cemetery next to it. They told him - then still a child - not to run and play on the cemetery because it was a cemetery...

Jan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Suum cuique!

[Bert Heyvaert]

As far as i know, British war cemeteries were left in the care of the the city council on which territory they were situated. They did their best to maintain them. I posted a picture here a while ago of a cemetery in 1945 just after liberation, with broken tombstones as result of a bombardment. The gars is perfectly cut, but the bushes and plants seem to be in need of cutting.

Jan is right about the Germans, they did threat the cemeteries with lots of respect.

The article is written by col Poole, wo worked for the Vritish Legion after the War and designed the plan for the maintenace of the British Settlement to be taken over by the Br. Legion after its maintenace trust didn't survive WW2. It is mostly thanks to him that the school building is still in the hands of the church council today.

A name that went unnoticed, but a man that did a great deal for St. George's after WW2!

I heard from former pupils of the school that the bible given by King George was hidden by Belgians in a bank safe on the Great market in Ypres during the war though, and didn't stay untouched on the altar. They also hid the standard that now stands in the church and used to stand in the church hall (now sold, although the church council is eager to get it back). The wartime uniforms of Haig and French were also in the church hall, and disappeared during the war.

regards,

Bert

[healdav]

What happened to war cemeteries in WW2 seems to have depended on the local commander.

I have heard of one where the local commune was lent grass cutting equipment to maintain the local British cemetery.

On the other hand, there were many German cemeteries where the SS or GESTAPO went around ripping out Jewish headstones from WW1. Tghis doesn't seem to have happened everywher, but it certainly did in many places.