We'll keep their names and memories alive.
Welcome to the website of the CWGC Adoption Graves Foundation Venray War Cemetery
On the outskirts of Venray, in beautiful green surroundings, is the Commonwealth Military Cemetery of Honour, officially named; "CWGC Venray War Cemetery", managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. A total of 692 servicemen and 1 civilian rest in this Military Cemetery of Honour. They perished in the period from January 1944 to June 1945.
Most of the soldiers buried here died during the liberation of central and northern Limburg. A number of Allied aircraft that crashed in the region are also buried here. The cemetery is also home to soldiers who fell in Germany.
Died during the liberation of Limburg
The 693 men were from the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. One soldier has Polish nationality. The civilian is a British war correspondent. Of the 693 graves, 30 belong to unidentified servicemen.
At the time, it was customary to (temporarily) bury fallen soldiers in a field grave in the immediate vicinity of where they were killed. This could, for example, be in an orchard, near a house, along the road or in the yard. Sometimes a separate (temporary) burial field was created where several soldiers were buried. This was the case, among others, in Kronenberg, Maasbree, Helden and also in Venray. There, not far from the present cemetery, a temporary burial field was located.
From temporary cemeteries to Venray War Cemetery
After the war, the remains were transferred from the (temporary) cemeteries and field graves in the region (and sometimes beyond) to the "CWGC Venray War Cemetery".
In addition, the remains of more than 150 soldiers were transferred from the American Cemetery in Margraten to the CWGC Venray War Cemetery. Most of them were killed in Germany. Their remains were recovered there by the US troops who initially brought them to Margraten. The crew of two British bombers were transferred directly from the crash site in Germany to the CWGC to Venray.
We'll keep their names and memories alive.
Tribute to the Fallen
The aim of our foundation is to ensure that the soldiers buried in Venray continue to be remembered and that their graves continue to be visited, even now, so many years after the end of the Second World War.
We'll keep their names and memories alive.