Roman Catholic Cemetery Maasbree
The Roman Catholic cemetery in Maasbree contains the graves of six British soldiers.
| Rank | Name | Age | Eenheid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trooper | Cecil Ernst Kirby | 24 years | Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 49th (West Riding) Regt. |
| Serjeant | Frank Gatenby | 36 years | Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 49th (West Riding) Regt. |
| Trooper | John James Gore | 22 years | Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 49th (West Riding) Regt. |
| Lieutenant | Brian Hatherley Pear | 25 years | Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. “C” Sqn. 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons) |
| Lieutenant | John Basil Tallack | 20 years | Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 49th (West Riding) Regt. |
| Serjeant | Thomas Watson | 40 years | Reconnaissance Corps, R.A.C. 49th (West Riding) Regt. |
These six graves are included in the adoption programme of the Adoptiegraven CWGC Venray War Cemetery Foundation, due to this cemetery’s connection with Maasbree. Of the men buried at Venray War Cemetery, seventy originally had a field grave in and around Maasbree.
This raises the question as to why these six men were not reburied in Venray. Did 55 Grave Concentration Unit forget to transfer these six men to Venray? The answer is no. Out of respect for the deceased, the British authorities wanted to leave the graves undisturbed as much as possible. Only if the graves were located in a place where their care and maintenance could not be guaranteed were they transferred.
Field graves in existing cemeteries, such as the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Maasbree, therefore did not have to be moved unless the local authority requested it. In Maasbree, this was not the case.