Meyerhöfen

The cemetery is composed of 17 rows of almost only anonymous graves located on both sides of the main alley and over a dozen short stone crosses arranged all over the necropolis. The numbers of rows and graves are marked with small stone blocks with the numbers carved on them (almost illegible and covered by moss). There is an alley there, leading from the central entrance across the whole cemetery to a monument in the form of two concrete pillars with two large metal plates bearing the names of 200 people attached to them. More than 60 of them sound Polish. Moreover, the names on the plates include 16 names of soldiers from the 1st Polish Armoured Division; however, this number is not consistent with the archival materials that we have, according to which 18 soldiers were buried at the cemetery in Meyerhöfen. According to the information on the plate, majority of the 482 victims buried here are identified by their first name and surname.

Originally there were only over a dozen graves of forced labourers at the cemetery and of prisoners of war who died in years 1942–1945. Majority of the deceased were only transferred here in the 1950s and 1960s from other burial places in the areas of Hannover, Osnabrück and Emsland.

The burial of 18 soldiers from the 1st Polish Armoured Division was confirmed through archive search carried out by Henryk Nazarczuk. They were mainly soldiers from the following units: 8th Rifle Battalion, 1st Armoured Regiment, Staff Squadron, Communication Battalion, Highland Rifle Battalion, 10th Dragoon Regiment and 2nd Armoured Regiment, who were originally buried for instance at the Catholic cemetery in Meppen. Eleven of them were killed between the 13th and the 22nd of April 1945 during the most difficult fights for the crossing over the Küsten channel and when conquering the towns of Aschendorf and Papenburg. Three soldiers died during fights and the battle for the crossing over the Leda river and for the town of Halsbek between the 28th and the 30th of April 1945. The other four soldiers died in the first months after the war.

Specific location of the tombs is not utterly clear; the deceased (the transferred ones) were turned into numbers carved on small stone blocks that with time got overgrown by plants. Since 2002 the authorities of Bohmte have been trying to regularly care for the cemetery, which has also been tidied up throughout this time.

The following detailed list is based on archive materials concerning the 18 Polish soldiers buried at the cemetery in Meyerhöfen:

Błaszczyk, Ernest, a.k.a. "Moch", Rifleman, 8th Rifle Battalion, * 14.03.1919 Hajduki Wielkie/Silesia, † 13.04.1945 in 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1919/408/I-335578.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 11. Metal plate with the name: E. MOCH

Bobel, Jan, Lance Corporal Rifles, 3rd Rifle Brigade of the Supplies Company, * 14.03.1916 Kołaki district Bielsk Podlaski, † 21.04.1945 in 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1916/8/I-1558.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 7. Metal plate with the name: J. BOBRL

Brzozowski, Stanisław, Corporal, 1st Anti-Tank, * 24.05.1917 Siedlisko district Kostopol, † 20.04.1945 in Aschendorf. R-C. Serv. Number 1917/34/I-2883.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 25. Metal plate with the name: MICHAEL (BSCHESOWSKI) BRZOZOWSKI

Ciesielski, Bronisław, a.k.a. "Czerski", Rifleman, 1st Anti-Tank, * 23.02.1920 Białobłoty district Grudziądz, † 20.04.1945 in Aschendorf. R-C. Serv. Number 1920/38/I-33846.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 30. Metal plate with the name: B. CZERSKI

Gadzikiewicz, Witold, Second Lieutenant, 8th Rifle Battalion, * 10.06.1916 Petersburg/Russia, Protestant, † 30.06.1945 in Haren near Meppen. PAF/ 1917.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 18. Metal plate with the name: WITOLD GADZIKIEWICZ

Górka, Jan, Corporal, 1st Anti-Tank, * 06.07.1911 Łaskarzew district Garwolin, † 03.05.1945 in Halsbek. R-C. Serv. Number 1911/25/I-3349.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 10. Metal plate with the name: J. GORKA

Hołowicz, Władysław, Corporal, 1st Anti-Tank, * 24.10.1907 Ostrów district Jarosław, † 21.04.1945 in Vollen near Papenburg. R-C. Serv. Number 1907/6/I-21958.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 22. Metal plate with the name: W. HOLOWICZ

Kandora, Engelberd, Rifleman, Staff Squadron, * 06.11.1907 Bielszowice district Katowice, † 30.08.1946 near Hannover. Probably buried in Hannover or in Haren. R-C. Serv. Number 1907/402/I-101670

Karpiński, Zygmunt, Rifleman, Communication Battalion, * 27.03.1905 Warsaw, † 18.05.1945 w 2 Canadian Casualry Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1905/219/I-60496.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 8. Metal plate with the name: Z. KARPINEWSKI

Kos, Zygmunt, Rifleman, Highland Battalion, * 17.08.1908 Dragonówka district Tarnopol, † 12.07.1945 in Haren. R-C. Serv. Number 1908/52/I-21421

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 17. Metal plate with the name: ZYGMUNT KOS

Kotas, Jan, Lance Corporal Rifles, 1st Anti-Tank, *01.09.1922, † 21.04.1945 in Ihren. R-C. Serv. Number 1922/47/I-8508. Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 23. Metal plate with the name: TAH. KATAS

Koziel, Apoloniusz, Sergeant, 1st Anti-Tank, * 07.07.1918 Mierzęcice district Zawiercie, † 20.04.1945 in Aschendoef. R-C. Serv. Number 1918/53/I-3335.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 9. Metal plate with the name: A. KASZIET

Lewandowski, Franciszek, a.k.a. "Wróbel", Lance Corporal Rifles, * 29.11.? Dubielno district Chełmno, † 18.04.1945 in 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 11922/51/I-53315.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 26. Metal plate with the name: E. WROBEL

Olejnik, Jan, Lance Corporal Dragoon, 10th Dragoon Regiment, * 13.05.1919 New York, † 18.04.1945 in 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1919/15/I-24844.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 29. Metal plate with the name: J. OLEJNIK

Siemilak, Walenty, Rifleman, 2nd Anti-Tank, * 19.01.1911 Wagłczew district Sieradz, † 03.05.1945 in 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1911/108/I-31074.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 27. Metal plate with the name: None. Based on death register 1. PDP Vol. VII entry 1476 Rifleman Siemilak Walenty was buried on 03.05.1945 at the cemetery in Meppen (Temporary / Map. REF No.1\V 702562 plow 1 row 3 grave 8 Germany, death as a result of being shot)

Stolp, Brunon, Corporal, Highland Rifle Battalion, * 31.05.1913 Starogard, † 18.04.1945 Neu Wolde. R-C. Serv. Number 1913/409/I-89863.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 28. Metal plate with the name: R. STOLPE

Strzygłowski, Stanisław, Lance Corporal Rifles, Highland Rifle Battalion, * 01.12.1915 Dobrud district Radom, † 28.04.1945 in 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1915/154/I-23796.

Tomb location: row 12, tomb No. 6. Metal plate with the name: S. SZCZYGLOWSKI

Zadorożny, Michał, Lance Corporal Lancers, 24th Uhlan Regiment, * 11.11.1919 Lviv, † 22.04.1945 in Kollighorst 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. R-C. Serv. Number 1919/45/26051.

Tomb location: row 11, tomb No. 24. Metal plate with the name: M. ZADOROZNY

Polish-sounding names were copied from the metal plates, original spelling was preserved; some of the names are distorted, in several cases nickname was provided instead of the surname.

PETER WEKA

ALEXSANDRA RADKO

MARIAN KAMARSKI

WERA KULSCHITZKA

HANNA BLAUT

JAN WINIARCZYK

STEPHAN WOJEWODKA

SIMON KORESKA

ZISTAW (SKTSLAW) JAROSLAWSKI

ANTON GOLINSKI

JOSEF SLUZARZ

ALEXANDER URBANOWSKI

LEON NIESUCHORSKI

DZIUBA BOLESWA

JOHANN ZBLEWSKI

JOHANNES GIETDON

LUCIA DORCH

JOSEF PRZYBYLEK

KASIMIR PAL

ALICIA SYPNIEWSKA

ALOIS HERMAN

WLADISLAW ZIEBROWSKI

FAWA SCHETROWSKI

GREGOR KORLOTEWETZ

WALENTYN KAMINSKI

JAN SZYDLOWSKI

MARIAN KLIMZAK

KASIMIR SCHLODKOWSKI

JAN ERBEL

JOSEF KARDAS

FELIX FIGIL

MICHAL SLONSKI

ANTONIA PRELUTZKA

ANNA NOWOSTRONIA

ANZONI WINNIK

FRANZISZEK SOBIEREY

JAN SKADY

JOSEF PRZEDWOLSKI

WLADISLAUS MICHAREK

TADEUS JASZRAAB

STEFAN KOWALSKI

JAN CHUMINSKI

BRUNISLAW SWOYDZINSKI