1939-1945 Commonwealth Cemetery, Berlin, Germany

The 1939-1945 Commonwealth Cemetery is one of two Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites in Berlin. Established in 1945, it became a central burial ground for fallen aircrew and prisoners of war.

Of the men buried in this cemetery, over 80% are aircrew killed in action on raids over Germany. Most of the others were prisoners of war in Berlin or across east Germany.

The original cemetery stood at Trakehner Allee. Authorities demolished this site in 1959 and reinterred all bodies in the new Heerstrasse cemetery.

The Berlin 1939-1945 Cemetery in Charlottenburg, Berlin is run by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Nineteen Ulster men killed during World War Two are buried in this cemetery. Photo taken on 24th October 2017.

The new Heerstrasse Cemetery

Philip Dalton Hepworth designed the new cemetery at Heerstrasse. Construction of the 3.8 hectare site completed between 1957-1959. It contains many features familiar to other British Commonwealth cemeteries; Portland stone headstones, Cross of Sacrifice, and Remembrance Stone. Three limestone arches with wrought iron gates lead into the well-kept, short lawns of the cemetery.

3,576 people lie in rest in the 1939-1945 Commonwealth Cemetery including twenty with connections to Northern Ireland.

Visit in October 2017

Photos from the 1939-1945 Commonwealth Cemetery taken on a visit in October 2017.

The Northern Irishmen in Berlin

This Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery is the final resting place of twenty men with connections to Northern Ireland.

Rank	First Name	Last Name	Unit
Sergeant	John James	Caves	1st Glider Pilot Regiment
Private	Percy James	Edwards	1st Battalion Welch Regiment
Private	John	Gilmore	18th Battalion New Zealand Infantry
Corporal	Desmond Mary	Grant	Royal Air Force
Private	Thomas	Hancock	1st Battalion Welch Regiment
Private	John	Johnston	Royal Army Service Corps
Pilot Officer	John Graham	McComb	Royal Air Force
Pilot Officer	David Whiteside	McConnell	Royal Air Force
Sergeant	Andrew Leslie	McConnell	Royal Air Force
Bombardier	Thomas	McCutcheon	Royal Artillery
Sergeant	John Ritchie	McDowell	Royal Air Force
Sergeant	Robert	McKeag	Royal Air Force
Sergeant	Robert Charles	McLaren	Royal Air Force
Pilot Officer	James Stirling	Moore	Royal Air Force
Sergeant	Walter Leonard	Sargent	Royal Air Force
Flight Sergeant	Gerald Eagleson	Scott	Royal Air Force
Sergeant	Peter Tristan	Smith	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Lance Corporal	George	Sterritt	Pionner Corps
Sergeant	Edward John	Wright	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Sergeant	Henry James	McAdam	Royal Air Force

Graves of the Northern Irishmen

Remembering the Fallen

John James Caves

Sergeant | 7020145

Sergeant John James Caves served in 1st Glider Pilot Regiment during World War Two. He saw action at Normandy and became a POW at Arnhem in September 1944.

Percy James Edwards

Private | 3960432

Private Percy James Edwards of Belfast died on 4th June 1943 while a prisoner of war in Germany. He served in 1st Battalion Welch Regiment in North Africa.

John Gilmore

Private | 29318

Private John Gilmore served in 18th Battalion New Zealand Infantry although he was born in Belfast. He died in Germany on 16th August 1944.

Desmond Mary Grant

Corporal | 539570

Corporal Desmond Mary Grant from Toomebridge, Co. Antrim served in the Royal Air Force during World War Two. He was taken prisoner of war in Crete in 1941.

Thomas Hancock

Private | 3957970

Private Thomas Hancock of 1st Battalion Welch Regiment died on 4th July 1942 while a prisoner of war in Germany leaving a widowed wife back in Belfast.

John Johnston

Private | S/93146

Private John Johnston of Belfast, Co. Antrim left behind a wife named Mary and a young daughter Sadie when he was killed on service in Berlin, Germany.

John Graham McComb

Pilot Officer | 161589

Pilot Officer John Graham McComb from Belfast, Co. Antrim served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. His Lancaster bomber was shot down over Berlin.

Andrew Leslie McConnell

Sergeant | 1137800

Sergeant Andrew Leslie McConnell from Ballymoney, Co. Antrim served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was killed during a Berlin raid in 1944.

David Whiteside McConnell DFC

Pilot Officer | 158915

Pilot Officer David Whiteside McConnell was born in 1920 in Newry, Co. Down. He joined RAF 101 Squadron in 1943 and was awarded the DFC the following year.

Thomas McCutcheon

Bombardier | 1467311

Thomas McCutcheon from Bangor, Co. Down served in the Royal Artillery during World War Two. He died on 9th January 1944 and is buried in Berlin, Germany.

John Ritchie McDowell

Sergeant | 1798275

Sergeant John Ritchie McDowell served in Royal Air Force 101 Squadron during World War Two. His Lancaster bomber was shot down near the Czechoslovakia border in January 1945.

Robert McKeag

Sergeant | 1522883

Sergeant Robert McKeag of Belfast flew with R.A.F. 50 Squadron. He died on 4th September 1943 while on a bombing raid over the German capital.

Robert Charles McLaren

Sergeant | 1515312

Robert Charles McLaren from Sixmilecross in Co. Tyrone was known to family and friends as Charlie. He was killed on a raid with RAF 626 Squadron to Brunswick in January 1944.

James Stirling Moore

Pilot Officer | 156433

Pilot Officer James Stirling Moore was born in Belfast and served with R.A.F. 78 Squadron when shot down over Berlin on 24th August 1943.

Gerald Eagleson Scott

Flight Sergeant | 1023462

Flight Sergeant Gerald Eagleson Scott of Belfast, Co. Antrim died on 24th March 1944 on one of the later bombing raids to Berlin with RAF 514 Squadron.

Peter Tristan Smith

Sergeant | 1290933

Sergeant Peter Tristan Smith of Bangor, Co. Down died on 21st April 1943 while on a night time Bomber Command operation over Europe with RAF 61 Squadron.

George Sterritt

Lance Corporal | 13009152

Lance Corporal George Sterritt of Cookstown, Co. Tyrone died on 13th June 1943 aged 50 years old while serving overseas in Germany. His grave is in Berlin.

References

Berlin 2017