Descriptif
The German military cemetery of Wambrechies was established in September 1916 by Bavarian troops and enlarged by French military authorities from surrounding communities after the end of the war. Those resting here with the year of the death in 1917 - almost half of the total occupation - died almost without exception in heavy fighting during the great British attack on Flanders from June to November 1916 in the region hills south of Ypres / Belgium around Wijtschate and Mesen (Messines). Nearly 500 others fell during the great German attack in April 1918 on Armentières and Kemmelberg, as well as during the trench warfare and defensive battles in August 1918. The dead belonged to troops whose national garrisons were in Bavaria ( almost half) and in almost all the Prussian provinces. in Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse and Württemberg.
Repair work between the wars
The first works to improve the condition of the cemetery were carried out by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. from 1929 on the basis of an agreement with the competent French military authorities. The graves were greened, trees and roses were planted, a natural stone monument with the inscription: “German soldiers rest here” was erected and a new entrance gate was created. However, the problem of the permanent marking of the graves due to the lack of currency and the Second World War which broke out in 1939 is not resolved.
Final design
After the conclusion of the Franco-German War Graves Agreement on July 19, 1966, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge eV - financially supported by the federal government - was able to undertake the final design of the German WWI military cemeteries in France . In addition to a fundamental overhaul of landscape gardening, the temporary wooden crosses were traded in for metal crosses with the names and dates embossed of those resting here. The Bundeswehr supported the Volksbund, among other things by transporting the 35 kilogram transverse foundations, which were moved by volunteers to the youth camps in the Volksbund. The 2,348 dead are buried in individual graves; 33 of them remained unnamed.
The 11 graves of the dead
Jewish beliefs were given a grave stele made of natural stone instead of a cross for religious reasons. The Hebrew characters say: 1. (above) 'Here lies buried ...' 2. (below) “May his soul be integrated into the circle of the living”.
Interview:
The cemetery is constantly maintained by the care service of the Volksbund.