Commonwealth War Graves General Cemetery Bergen

Bergen General Cemetery contains a War Graves plot of 252 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. The largest part are airmen.
- Army: 5 soldiers.
- Airforce: 242 soldiers.
- Seaforce: 5 soldiers.

- 188 British soldiers.
- 36 Canadian soldiers.
- 1 American soldier (in Canadian service).
- 7 Australian soldiers.
- 7 New Zealand soldiers.
- 13 Polish soldiers.
- 1 Czech soldier.

The Allied soldiers were buried with military honours in the cemetery during the German occupation. The gravestones were replaced after the war in accordance with CWGC standards.

The high number of airmen can be explained by the fact that Bergen was a heavily fortified and protected military hub during the German occupation. Bergen had a German airfield (Fliegerhorst Bergen) and the Atlantic Wall was nearby. A large number of aircraft were shot down in the airspace here between 1940 and 1945.

The cemetery contains a memorial cross (Cross of Sacrifice), designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. The cross is made of natural stone and has a bronze sword on the shaft. The cemetery, known as Bergen General Cemetery, is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The cemetery has an information panel in natural stone that takes the visitor back to June 1944, when the Allies landed in Normandy and gradually liberated Europe.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Jimmy Hilgen (1, 2), Arjan Vrieze (3, 4, 5)