The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Vevey, Switzerland
The Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery is found in the town of Vevey on the shores of
Lac Leman known to the British as Lake Geneva.
The cemetery, administered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, has existed by kind courtesy of the Municipality of Vevey since the First World War. It is situated in the municipal cemetery of St. Martin's Church with a fine view overlooking Lake Geneva and the French Alps. From the church head north up the hill for about 200m until the path flattens out.
The cemetery came into being as a result of British and Commonwealth soldiers, sailors and airmen who had been taken prisoner by the Germans and had either escaped or, if badly wounded, were sent by the Germans to be cared for by the Swiss Red Cross, but subsequently died.
Eighty-eight men lie buried here from that war.
The cemetery was extended during the Second World War to make room mainly for crews of Royal Air Force bombers that crashed in Switzerland after escaping from German fighter attacks, although there is strong evidence that at least one Lancaster was hit by Swiss Ack-Ack whilst taking a short cut across Switzerland en route to bomb Turin.
Forty-eight men from the Second World War are buried in the extension.
There are 12 soldiers, 1 sailor and the remaining 35 were airmen!
- WWI graves by name
- WWI graves by date
- WWII graves by name
- WWII graves by date
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