Dunfermline Cemetery

[Malcolm]

I was doing some photos today for another Pal and found the following graves in the CWGC section. I would assume they were German sailors buried with full honours. Christian Mayer, died 12th March 1919 and R Musseleth died 26th November 1918. Perhaps Egbert or Ralph can give more details

There were also some individual stones among them. (see photo) Why??

Aye

Malcolm

[Terry Denham]

The two German graves are the only foreign WW1 war graves in CWGC's care in Dunfermline Cemetery though there is a WW2 Polish war grave also.

Did you get the names of the private headstones?

They could be casualties whose n-o-k requested that private memorials be erected or more likely where private memorials had been erected before the standard war grave pattern headstone was available and the n-o-k requested that they remain in place. This occurs in other cemeteries also.

It is also possible (without knowing the names) that they are existing graves which predate the formation of the war plot and have been left in place. This also occurs.

[Terry Denham]

I have just checked and my predating suggestion above is not the case in Dunfermline as no such graves appear in CWGC records.

[Malcolm]

Terry,

I found the Polish grave (1942) among the WW1 plot.

The individual graves are to

1 Captain G H Millar RAF 29th Aprl 1918

2 AB William John Halcrow RN 17th November 1918

3 FO George William Redall Pidsley RAF Donibristle 9th April 1922 ( understand this one)

The Polish one is below.

Aye

Malcolm

[Terry Denham]

These two graves almost certainly fall into the category I mentioned above with the n-o-k asking for already existing private headstones to remain. As the graves are in the UK this was permissable although usually avoided if possible in a war plot.

The Polish grave also has a 'private' headstone. The normal official one looks similar to a CWGC stone but has a point on top and bears the Polish eagle as a regimental badge. Often these private foreign war grave headstones were erected by fellow comrades rather than n-o-k who may not even have known about the death at the time.

[Malcolm]

Thanks Terry. All is clear now.

Most of the gardeners are ex-service people so they will no doubt look after them very well.

Aye

Malcolm