GRAVES IN COLOGNE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 9 April 1945, Page 6

GRAVES IN COLOGNE

BRITISH EMPIRE AIRMEN SPECIAL CARE BY GERMANS Sydney, Mar. 26. Twenty German civilian caretakers have tended throughout the war the graves in a British Empire war cemetery in Cologne. They have given special care to the graves of Empire airmen shot down in the Cologne area, i | ports a “Sydney Morning Herald” war cori'espondent on the Rhine. The spacious lawns have been •kept well trimmed, and graves from the last war are maintained in a neat condition. The graves of 416 airmen shot down in this war ai'e marked with a simple wooden slab. Flowering bulbs have been planted on the mounds. I noticed that the majority of graves of this war were marked “English fiier,” but some wei'e marked “Enemy flier.” I inquired the reason from a caretaker, who replied: “We always objected to that, but in recent months those higher up insisted on the use of the word ‘enemy.’ It was wrong to do that ixi your cemetery.” All the airmen buried in the cemetery were given military funerals. The only damage to the cemetery was caused by Allied bombs.