Suda Bay War Cemetery

📍 Chania, Σούδα, Grecia

780

Deceased

38.058

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Grecia

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About the cemetery

Suda Bay War Cemetery is located approximately 5 km east from the centre of Chania (Xania). From Chania follow the Suda Boulevard road for approximately 4 km until you arrive at the junction of Ellis and then turn left following the signs for the Airport and Vlite. Proceed for around 200 metres along this road until you arrive at the junction of Mavridaki Street. Turn left onto Mavridaki Street and follow this road for 400 metres until you come to the CWGC sign on the right hand side. Proceed for a further 100 metres and turn right at the next CWGC sign. The cemetery is in an olive grove. In May 1941, the Commonwealth force in Crete was organised in five widely separated defence areas along the north coast - around the three airfields at Iraklion, Rethymnon and Maleme, and at Suda Bay and the port of Chania. The Germans launched their attack on 20 May with airborne troops. The airfield at Maleme was quickly captured and used for landing German reinforcements. On 23 May, the remainder of the Maleme position had to be given up and its defenders fell back to Chania. On 26 May, the Allied line west of Chania was broken. Suda Bay became indefensible and the troops from these two positions, with the remainder of the Maleme garrison, withdrew across the island to Sfakion, where many of them were evacuated by sea on the nights of the 28 - 31 May. The airborne attacks on the Iraklion and Rethymnon positions on 20 May were repulsed. Iraklion was successfully defended until the night of 29/29 May when the garrison was evacuated by sea. Orders for the Rethymnon garrison to fight its way southward for evacuation did not arrive, and it was overwhelmed on 31 May. Of the total Commonwealth land force of 32,000 men, 18,000 were evacuated, 12,000 were taken prisoner and 2,000 were killed. The site of Suda Bay War Cemetery was chosen after the war and graves were moved there by 21st and 22nd Australian War Graves Units from the four burial grounds that had been established by the German occupying forces at Chania, Iraklion, Rethymnon and Galata, and from isolated sites and civilian cemeteries. There are now 1,500 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 776 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate a number of casualties believed to be buried among them. The cemetery also contains 19 First World War burials brought in from Suda Bay Consular Cemetery, 1 being unidentified. There are also 7 burials of other nationalities and 37 non-war burials.

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Deceased (780)

Charles Henry Stott

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

322688 North Somerset Yeomanry

Alfred Girdlestone

1912 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

WX419 PRIVATE Australian Infantry

Hector Smith Lowe

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

11590 New Zealand Infantry

Charles Frederick Williamson

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

COMMISSIONED SCHOOLMASTER C. F. WILLIAMSON, RN. H.M.S. "GLOUCESTER" 22ND MAY 1941 AGE 41 † AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING I WILL REMEMBER HIM LOVING WIFE IVY

William Francis Woodland

1919 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

NX12793 Royal Australian Artillery

William John Charles

1906 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

30269 LANCE CORPORAL W. J. CHARLES N. Z. INFANTRY 20TH MAY 1944 AGE 34 †

George William Edge

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

4191187 Royal Artillery

Thomas Maurice Brown

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

3102 New Zealand Infantry

Neville Headley Thomas

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

566398 FLIGHT SERGEANT N. H. THOMAS PILOT ROYAL AIR FORCE 26TH MAY 1941 †

Thomas Edward Shiner

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

S/196240 Royal Army Service Corps

Johann Trojer

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Theo T. Hollis

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

29337 New Zealand Infantry

Adrian Nelson

1944

Suda Bay War Cemetery

LIEUTENANT A. NELSON, DFM. S.A. A.F. 3RD FEBRUARY 1944 AGE 25 † YOU WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US

Gordon Bernard Godfrey Seward

1914 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Royal Army Medical Corps

Henry William Rogers

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

34872 WARRANT OFFICER II N. Z. INFANTRY

John Fleetwood Van Asch

1917 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

1285 SERJEANT N. Z. Armoured Corps

Albert Carr

1940

Suda Bay War Cemetery

7264188 Royal Army Medical Corps

I. Beran

1943

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Ronald Charles Brock

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

6916 New Zealand Infantry

Neil Studley Galyer

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

32121 SAPPER New Zealand Engineers

Arthur George “Darkie” Willis

1903 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

30113 PRIVATE A. G. WILLIS N. Z. INFANTRY 2ND JUNE 1941 AGE 38 †

James Leslie Thomas

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

4076566 Royal Artillery

Graham John Carr

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

14952 New Zealand Infantry

Kenneth Bradshaw

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Buried near this spot 4861607 Private K. Bradshaw The Leicestershire Regt. 26th. May 1941 Age 24

Albert Alexander Gilmore

1911 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

4419 SECOND LIEUTENANT A. A. GILMORE, BEM. N.Z. ARMY SERVICE CORPS 2ND JUNE 1941 AGE 28 † NEW ZEALAND

Joseph A. Frith

1916

Suda Bay War Cemetery

J. A. FRITH OFFICER'S STEWARD 2ND L/7770 H. M. S. "PELOPUS" 15TH OCTOBER 1916 †

Robert R. Mills

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

CH/X 100508 Royal Marines

Archibald Einer “Tinker” Pedersen

1916 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

30050 PRIVATE N. Z. INFANTRY

Albert Edgar Geale

1911 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

NX 13466 PRIVATE A. E. GEALE 2/2 AUST. INF. BN. 1ST JUNE 1941 AGE 30 †

Henry Frank Harrison

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

6896842 King's Royal Rifle Corps

Ronald John Reid

1915 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

29438 N. Z. INFANTRY

Janusz C. F. Zbyszynski

1906 – 1943

Suda Bay War Cemetery

David Erwin “Davie” Seaton

1907 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

New Zealand Infantry

Edward John Webb

1916 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Australian Infantry

James Kenneth Atock

1919 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

"HE LEAVES A WHITE UNBROKEN GLORY, A GATHERED RADIANCE"

Arthur Noel Norton

1916 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

6637 DRIVER A. N. NORTON N. Z. ARMY SERVICE CORPS 2ND JUNE 1941 AGE 24

Colin Thomas McDonald

1916 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

WX1722 PRIVATE Australian Infantry

Bryce Guthrie Landman

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

3184 New Zealand Infantry

Albert Henry Jackways

1886 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

New Zealand Infantry

George William Edwards

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

PLY/X 1925 Royal Marines

John A. Gout

1900

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Norman Malcolm Perrott

1918 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

8058 New Zealand Infantry

Cecil Webber

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

621163 Royal Air Force

Alfred John Parker

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

1536811 GUNNER A. J. PARKER 102 (NORTHUMBERLAND HUSSARS) ANTI-TANK REGIMENT, R. A. 20TH MAY 1941 AGE 21 †

Peter Harry Boyd

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

14201 New Zealand Infantry

N. C. Scott-Winlow

1944

Suda Bay War Cemetery

LIEUTENANT N. C. SCOTT-WINLOW S. A. A. F. 3RD FEBRUARY 1944

George Robertson McDermid

1913 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

WX1658 Australian Infantry

Frank Lloyd

1917 – 1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

Believed to be VX.7185 PRIVATE F. LLOYD 2/7 AUST. INF. BN. 4TH SEPTEMBER 1941 AGE 23 † LOVED SON OF GEORGE & MARY. BROTHER OF LINDA, JESS & DOROTHY Born in Corryong, Victoria

William Laurie Clelland Horn

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

9394 PRIVATE W. L. C. HORN N.Z. INFANTRY 25TH MAY 1941 AGE 26

Terea T. Karora

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

39668 PRIVATE N. Z. INFANTRY

George Andrew Allan

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

New Zealand Infantry

Ellis Ernie Boyce

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

9294 New Zealand Infantry

Leslie Thomas

1941

Suda Bay War Cemetery

406292 TROOPER L. THOMAS THE STAFFORDSHIRE YEOMANRY ROYAL ARMOURED CORPS 27TH MAY 1941 AGE 28 † HE OFFERED WILLINGLY AND GAVE WHOLLY FOR HIS HOME AND COUNTRY