The construction of this cemetery was agreed upon between the British and German governments in 1959. It was designed to re-locate the remains of German service personnel and internees who died in the United Kingdom during World War I and II.
A dedication ceremony took place in 1967. The cemetery contains almost 5,000 German and Austrian graves, and a small number of Ukrainian volunteers who died as prisoners in German service.
Since land-based combat did not take place on the British mainland in either war, the majority of graves are of pilots, sailors, and those who died in captivity. Among the pilot graves is a group of four zeppelin airship crewmen killed during bombing raids in WWI.
In the center of the Hall of Honour is a large, and very striking, bronze statue of a fallen warrior by Hans Wimmer. The setting on the former royal hunting reserve of Cannock Chase is beautiful, and the surrounding countryside makes a very suitable backdrop for this memorial.
