Cannock Chase - German Military Cemetery

The German Cemetery on Cannock Chase contains the bodies of all German servicemen who died in the UK during both world wars.

The cemetery contains the graves of 2143 servicemen of the First World War and 2786 of the second, concentrated here from all parts of the UK. 5 of the dead from 1914-1918 and 90 from 1939-1945 are unknown by name.

Cannock Chase cemetery was built in 1964 by the German War Graves Commission, with grant aid provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. Today, the care of the cemetery is in the hands of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The design of the buildings, and the siting of the cemetery in the beautiful valley at Broadhurst Green, was the work of three men: Professor Diez Brandi of Göttingen in Germany, and Harold Doffman and Peter Leach, partners in a Stafford firm of architects.

Each year, thousands of people come to the Cannock Chase Cemetery. Some come to lay flowers on the German graves, some come to walk quietly around the heather-covered grave plots, some regard it as just another stopping place on the tourist's round, but few can fail to leave the cemetery deeply moved by its peace and tranquility.