Appendix II
‘The soldiers’ graves are the greatest preachers of peace.’
(Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate)
German Cemetery, Hill 107
In 1961, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgaberfursorge (VBK)) succeeded in obtaining permission from the Greek government for the recovery of German dead. Pending the ratification of the formal war graves treaty, bodies were collected and moved to the Monastery of Gonia. In the early seventies, the VBK were commissioned by the German Government to create a single cemetery at Maleme, on a site on Hill 107, overlooking the airfield where so many German’s had died. They had to principally rely on donations, with volunteers, former comrades from the Fallschirmjäger and Gerbirgjäger Division helping with the construction.
More than 4,466 bodies, from both the invasion and occupation periods, collected from across Crete, were eventually buried in the cemetery, which was consecrated on 6 October 1974. Since then, international youth camps and small parties from the Bundeswehr, regularly help the Volksbund gardeners to maintain the cemetery.
The information area at the entrance is amongst the best to be found anywhere. The information on the cemetery, the effect of the communist East on the families’ knowledge of their next of kins’ fate and the extent of the current work of the Volksbund is outstanding. The personal stories are in many cases harrowing.
The Volksbund decided not to have a single architectural scheme like the British, American or the French. The style of uniform gravestone, cross of sacrifice or national flag were rejected, instead, they elected to design the gardens and memorials that blend with the natural features of the local area. The Maleme Cemetery is divided into four plots, representing the principal battle areas during the invasion; Maleme, Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio. Each grave marker bears the names of two of the German dead. In the centre of the cemetery, mounted on the walls of the terrace, are metal plaques, memorials to the missing, listing the 360 German soldiers who lost their lives on Crete and have no known grave.
Convicted as a war criminal and executed, former Military govenor of Crete Brauer was, in a magnanimous gesture by the Greek Government, allowed to be buried amongst his Fallschirmjäger comrades. He was held responsible for the deaths of some 3,000 persons in Crete during the German occupation, also for murders and massacres; systematic terrorism, deportations, pillage, wanton destruction and torture and ill-treatment of civilians. He was shot 20 May 1947.
CWGC Cemetery Souda Bay
The site of Souda Bay CWGC Cemetery at the end of the bay overlooking the blue water of the natural harbour was selected at the end of the war by the returning Commonwealth military. Graves were moved there from the four burial grounds that had been established by the German occupying forces at Hania, Iraklio, Rethymno and Galatas, as well as from isolated battlefield and civilian cemeteries. However, it became apparent to 21st and 22nd Australian War Graves Units who undertook the work, that the German victors took few steps to adequately record the identities of bodies or to mark the resulting graves properly. This accounts for the high proportion of unidentified graves in Souda Bay Cemetery; 778 graves out of 1,502. The special memorials commemorate men known to have been buried with other men but whose actual graves cannot be identified.
The cemetery was designed by Louis de Soissons (1890-1962), a Canadian by birth, who designed Welwyn Garden City before the war and was the Commission’s architect for all Second World War cemeteries and memorials in Italy, Greece and Australia. The forecourt is paved with rosso di Verona marble and travertine limestone. Around and between the stone, pebbles are set in decorative patterns. Inside the cemetery, on the left, is a shelter with walls of the same travertine stone, in alternate dark and light bands, and with a roof of red Roman tiles. The register, visitors’ book and the historical notice are located in the shelter. The planting around the cemetery includes shrubs from New Zealand and Australia, reflecting their leading contribution to the island’s defence.
Those Commonwealth servicemen who died ashore on Crete and who have no known grave are commemorated by name on the Athens Memorial, which is in Phaleron cemetery, at Athens. There are also 19 First World War graves and 37 other graves that were moved from Souda Bay Consular cemetery in 1963. These include graves of civilians, seamen and the military particularly the Seaforth Highlanders.
The CWGC Cemetery at the eastern end of Souda Bay.
There are three Special Boat Service/1st Special Air Service Regiment graves dating from late 1944 and 1945, prior to the liberation of the island. They are Captain Charles Maurice CLYNES MC attached from the Royal Irish Fusiliers (16.A.20), Craftsman Leslie CORNTHWAITE attached from the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (16.B.1), Lieutenant Kenneth Butler LAMONBY, Suffolk Regiment (13.E.12) and Private Thomas MORRIS Royal Army Service Corps (16.B.2).
Amongst those buried in the British cemeteries at Souda Bay, there are three Germans. The Volksbund explained that buried in Souda bay are:
…two civilians as well as Alfred Hamann, whose rank was that of a corporal. The fact that he is buried in Souda Bay is the result of a mistake. His mortal remains were discovered near Maleme in 1956 while building work was being carried out. At the request of the local police chief, his identity tag was removed from the body, and his remains were again buried provisionally in a garden in Maleme.
In 1960 his remains were recovered by the re-burial service of the Volksbund. The only thing that was found on him was a watch which had been made in England. For this reason, the body was held to be that of a fallen British soldier and was handed over to the British War Graves Commission, which had the remains buried in Souda Bay.
Only later was it discovered from his ID disks that it was in fact Oberjager Alfred Hamann, of 10 Kompanie Luftlande Sturm Regiment who was killed in action on 20 May 1941. The Volksbund continue:
Following an agreement reached between the Commonwealth War Grave Commission and the Volksbund, a decision was taken not to transfer the remains again from Souda Bay to the Maleme cemetery. The two German civilians - Carl Wagner and Johann Troyer - were buried in Souda Bay as a result of a mistake made by CWGC staff. After details of their nationality were clarified, their mortal remains were left in the British cemetery.