French National Cemetery, Verdun, France

 [visited 1 October 2006]

Officially inaugurated in 1932 the Ossuary contains the remains of some 130,000 French and German soldiers who fell at Verdun. At some 46 meters high the tower of the Ossuary is probably the most conspicuous land mark on the battlefield, and is placed in middle of a central gallery which runs for 137 meters, containing 42 alcoves where you can see the sarcophagi arranged according to which part of the battlefield the remains came from. The Ossuary looks quite like the hilt of a sword buried in the ground. You can climb to the top of the tower for a panorama of the battlefield, and there is also a bookshop on the lower level. 

Fopr more information visit the Ossuaire de Douaumont website.

German War Cemetery, La Cambe, Normandy, France

 [visited 23 September 2006]

The entrance to the German cemetery is almost claustrophobic but gives a striking view of the cemetery’s centerpiece, a large 6-meter high tumulus which is the burial ground for more than 200 unknown dead and another 89 of whom are known by name and listed on plaques around the base. 

The tumulus overlooks the graves of more than 21,000 German soldiers buried beneath small flat crosses, which are laid softly in the grass, surrounded by occasional sets of upright crosses scattered throughout the cemetery. Subtle, perhaps, but powerfully poignant.

For more information visit  The German War Graves Commission.

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Normandy, France

 [visited 24 September 2006]

Set in an exceptionally bucolic location just a few miles east of bayeux the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery is set down amidst lush fields and rolling hills. Hard to image that so much horror and suffering once took place near here.

While the American cemeteries are dramatically laid out and generate a feeling of awe in the visitor, the Commonwealth policy was to permit every buried soldier’s family the opportunity to express their final sentiments on the headstone. We felt the policy very civilized and a poignant gesture of respect. 

Maintained by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

British Cemetery, Bayeux, Normandy, France

 [visited 23 September 2006]

Located just across from the Normandy Battle Museum (the large tank out front is a giveaway that a museum is close by) the Bayeux War  Cemetery is a wonderful example of the intimacy of Commonwealth war cemeteries. 

Maintained by The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Somme American National Cemetery, Bony, France

 [visited 21 September 2016]

Set in the bucolic countryside of rural Picardie the Somme American National Cemetery in Bony, France evokes peace and quiet. Strolling this small burial ground with no one else around but our friends Richard and Pauline we could not help but feel that those who had suffered horribly were indeed at rest. 

American National Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

 [visited 23 September 2006]

Located on the bluffs overlooking Omaha beach, the American National Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer is exceptionally dramatic in a strikingly beautiful location. Originally the site of the American Saint-Laurent cemetery opened on 8 June 1844, today it is the final resting place of more than 9,000 American soldiers who died on D-Day and during the ensuing operations.

You'll want to check out the American Battle Monuments Commission website. Oh, and take a look at the Wikipedia page for this particular cemetery where you'll find a list of notable burials, description of the cemetery's layout, history and monuments.

Omaha Beach below the cemetery

part of the Walls of the Missing

 

Cemetery in Oradour-sur-Glane, France

 [visited 15 May 2013]

On the afternoon of 10 June 1944 elements the SS Waffen panzer division Das Reich diviion swept into the town of Oradour-sur-Glane. The unit was racing towards the Normandy beaches to assist in stopping the Allied advance. For reasons that remain unclear  the Germans rounded up all the inhabitants present that day, some 642 men, women and children. 

The men were split up into several groups and herded into nearby barns where they were shot and their  bodies set on fire. 

The women and children were placed in the town church where they were machine-gunned and the bodies set on fire, many while still alive. 

Only a handful managed to escape.

Before leaving the soldiers set the town on fire and destroyed whatever they couldn’t take with them. 

At the end of the war the French government decided to leave the village as a memorial to the horrific atrocity. 

The cemetery next to the ruined village today contains an obelisk dedicated to those killed that day (see photo below). You'll note two coffin-shaped objects at the base, each covered by glass containing the bones of those who could not be identified. The photos that follow contain images of many of those who were subsequently interred or memorialized with their families, a lasting testament to those souls who perished that terrible afternoon. . .

For a remarkably thorough and exhaustive discussion of that day you will want to visit:  https://www.oradour.info/.

entrance

memorial with the back wall containing the names of those who died on 10 June 1944

one of the two ossuaries

Souviens-toi!