Cannock Chase German War Cemetery opens first History Centre in England

The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge has opened its first “History Centre” in England at the Cannock Chase German war cemetery near Birmingham. Developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the center is designed as an educational and meeting space for school groups and international visitors.

Princess Anne, acting as President of the CWGC, inaugurated the memorial. The center utilizes a renovated heritage building to host bilingual exhibitions that focus on individual human stories rather than just statistics. The documentation includes biographies of both victims and perpetrators, such as SS General Maximilian von Herff, to provide a comprehensive historical perspective.

The Cannock Chase cemetery serves as the resting place for nearly 5,000 German war dead from both World Wars, including over 2,100 from the First World War and approximately 2,800 from the Second World War. The facility also includes workshop spaces dedicated to exploring German-British history and post-1945 reconciliation.