Comparing German and British War Cemeteries of the First World War
by
yekaterina (student)
There are some military cemeteries in Ypres Salient battlefields in Belgium. One of them are Langemark and Ypres.
Langemark is one of the only German cemeteries in Belgium , as most of the bodies that could be found would have been moved back to Germany at the end of the war. The Langemarck German cemetery started as a collection of just a few graves in 1915, but as more bodies were located they were sent to Langemarck for burial. There was a huge mass grave, known as the Comrades' Grave (Kameraden Grab), in the middle of the cemetery, where roughly 25,000 men are buried. Two of the men buried in this mass grave were British soldiers whose bodies were found among the Germans. Elements of the cemetery such as ‘Kameraden Grab’, seem to show more equality amongst soldiers. For instance unlike the CWGC headstones, the still uniform grey granite grave markers in Langemark do not refer to regiments; instead there are divisional memorials at the sides of the cemetery surrounding the graves, giving an impression of a united German army, even in death. German cemeteries tend to be very somber and peaceful, with dark-coloured headstones, usually flat on the ground rather than standing up. Tall oak trees (traditionally symbolising strength) block most sunlight and as a result the cemeteries often seem dark. This creates a powerful image, there is inevitably an element of defeatism in the cemetery’s appearance. At the back of the cemetery there is a bronze sculpture of four soldiers, that watch over the cemetery and mourn for the soldiers that were killed. The cemetery also had lots of head stones, but unlike the British cemeteries and memorials, which were made from white stone, the German cemetery and memorial was all made from black stone. I think that the black stone was a nice idea, because it shows the darkness of what happened, but the white stone symbolizes strength and peace.
