German War Cemetery, Cannock Chase

We have family staying with us this weekend, and today went for a delightful circular walk on Cannock Chase on what turned out to be a lovely sunny day.

I had hoped to get a good shot of the heather on the Chase which can look very striking at this time of the year, but it was clearly past its best this time.

In the middle of the walk we visited the German War Cemetery. I find it a very beautiful and peaceful place. In 1959 the UK and German governments agreed to transfer the remains of all German dead from both World Wars interred in Britain to a single central cemetery on Cannock Chase. The German War Graves Commission undertook the project and the cemetery was inaugurated in 1967.

While all the graves tell a sad story, I find the one in the foreground of this photo all the more poignant because the date of death was Christmas Day and it was after the war had ended.