Search Germany, Commonwealth War Graves and Monumental Inscriptions

Each record includes a transcript and the option to view the original image. Some of the monumental inscriptions also have an image of the individual included on the headstone. While details can vary for each record, you can expect to find a combination of the following facts:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Military rank
• Military regiment
• Service number
• Cemetery

These records are brought to you thanks to the brilliant work of Louise Cocker, who has documented burials and memorial inscriptions in cemeteries and burial grounds across many countries including England, Germany, Cyprus, Italy, and Greece.

This record set contains three cemeteries from Hamburg – Post War Ohlsdorf Cemetery, Ohlsdorf Cemtery (WW1), and Ohlsdorf Cemtery (WW2). These graves commemorate servicemen and women from the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations who died during the First and Second World Wars. Most of the graves belong to airmen who were shot down over northern Germany, prisoners of war who died in captivity, and naval personnel lost at sea whose remains were later recovered.

First World War burials: A smaller number, often prisoners of war who died in German camps.

Second World War burials: The majority of graves, including those of Royal Air Force crew members and other Allied forces.

Post-war reburials: Many were relocated from scattered burial sites across northern Germany to ensure proper maintenance and commemoration.

The cemeteries commemorate over 2,473 identified Commonwealth servicemen and women. While exact numbers per nationality are not specified, the majority are from the United Kingdom, with significant numbers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries.

Captain Neville Bowes Elliott-Cooper VC, DSO, MC (1889–1918) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy. Born in London on 22 January 1889, he was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Middlesex Regiment in 1909 and later served with the Royal Fusiliers during the First World War.

On 30 November 1917, during the Battle of Cambrai, Elliott-Cooper led a courageous defence against a major German counter-attack, continuing to command even after being seriously wounded. His actions earned him the Victoria Cross. He was captured and later died of his wounds in a German field hospital on 11 February 1918. He is buried at Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, Germany.