The history of Poznan (Old Garrison) Cemetery
Poznan (Old Garrison) Cemetery was begun after the First World War when more than 170 POWs were laid to rest and expanded after the Second World War when graves from nearby Prisoner of War camps and other temporary burial grounds in the region were brought for burial. Today, this is the final resting place of almost 450 First and Second World War service personnel, including forty-eight of the fifty executed servicemen of the Great Escape.
After the First World War, this land was acquired as a burial ground for Commonwealth service personnel who had died in Poland and were not already buried in a formal cemetery. In 1925, the bodies of 126 servicemen were removed from former POW camp cemeteries and reburied here. At some locations records showed that POWs had been laid to rest, but upon inspection, no remains could be found. These men are commemorated here by special memorial stones. Finally, five servicemen who have no know grave are commemorated here on the Poznan Memorial. They fought on the Eastern Front alongside Russian forces in a special detachment of Armoured Cars and died in 1917.
Poznan during World War Two
During the Second World War, there was very heavy fighting in this area between German and Soviet forces. The Cross of Sacrifice and many of the original First World War headstones were badly damaged or destroyed. After the War, the cemetery was repaired and used again for the burial of those who had died in Poland, the majority of whom were POWs or aircrew.
This cemetery is the final resting place of 48 servicemen who were executed following the mass breakout from the German POW camp, Stalag Luft III. On the night of 24 March 1944, 76 servicemen escaped the camp via a tunnel they had dug over several months. All but three were recaptured over the following weeks and 50 were later executed. Their bodies were cremated, and after the war their ashes were interred here.
Today, there are 478 servicemen of the two World Wars buried or commemorated here, 25 remain unknown, and 16 served with other nations forces, including Poland.
Help us keep alive the stories of those who died in the World Wars
A gift in your will can help us continue telling those stories for generations to come, so their sacrifice is not forgotten.
SHARE THE STORIES OF THE GREAT ESCAPE
To find out more about some of the people involved in the Great Escape, you can read and share the fascinating stories of the Great Escapers on For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen, our online commemorative resource.
All images © IWM unless otherwise indicated.