Somewhere in France, cont....

[ian turner]

And here is one of the mass graves, with a plaque simply stating that ‘German Soldiers rest here’. Behind is a small bucket of flowers placed by a relative, with the faded picture and details of a soldier attached to the container.

[andigger]

You know, it would be just as interesting to learn who these people are that still visit these graves (assuming they are relatives). Its quite commendable to keep the memory alive for soldiers who died so many years ago in a war your nation lost.

Andy

[ian turner]

There were a couple of wreaths on one or two graves. I was both pushed for time and also freezing cold, so I did not spend time investigating further, unfortunately.

Ian

[egbert]

Ian,

The mass grave does not look as if it is well maintainted. But i may be wrong - pictures may convey the wrong impresion. If you think the grave is not in proper shape please email me location etc and i will inquire at VdK

[ian turner]

Egbert,

The cemetery was generally well maintained. The shrubbery/bushes at the mass graves were probably due a winter (or now spring) pruning session. The photo does indeed give the wrong impression. I am sure it looks nicer in summer.

Ian

[healdav]

In my experience, most German mass graves are covered in some sort of fairly low bushes or something like a prickly heather (I'm an expert gardener as you can see).

Many or even most WW2 cemeteries have an ivy ground cover and there are a number of WW1 cemeteries that are much the same although these do tend to have grass between the graves. As many German cemeteries have grave markers that are flat on the gound, they do tend to look rather uncared for.