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Not Forgotten – Wales
Posted on 20 February 2013 by fcafa
Map key: Town:
1 Cathays Cemetery Cardiff
2 Merthyr Dyfan Burial Ground Barry
3 Llantwit Major Cemetery Llantwit Major
4 Killay (St.Hilary of Poitiers) Churchyard Killay
5 Angle (St. Mary) Churchyard Angle
6 City Road Cemetery Haverfordwest
7 Hollywell Cemetery, Hollywell
8 Hawarden Cemetery Hawarden
Glamorganshire:
1 – Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff.
During the 1939-1945 War, the city of Cardiff was one of the Royal Naval bases of the Western Approaches Command. It was severely damaged by enemy air attack during the early part of the 1939-1945 War and has been largely rebuilt.
The cemetery, known locally as Cathays Cemetery was opened in 1859 and has been extended to cover over 100 acres.
The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars. Just over a third of the 1914-1918 burials are contained in a War Graves Plot in the portion of Section EB, this plot is on two converging roadways leading to the main entrance. The remainder of the graves are scattered in other parts of the cemetery. After the 1914-1918 War, a Cross of Sacrifice was erected in front of the plot in the angle formed by the junction of the two roadways, the whole forming a triangular island site.
The 1939-1945 War burials are scattered throughout the cemetery in more than 30 different sections. A number of them are airmen who came from the Royal Air Force stations at Cardiff and St. Athan.
There are now nearly 500, 1914-1918 and over 200, 1939-1945 war casualties commemorated in this site. Some 40 French and Norwegian Foreign Nationals are also commemorated here.
KULHAVÝ Jaroslav, 25, Sgt, 311 Sqn, Flight Engineer
* 17/08/19, Mladá Boleslav.
† 04/12/44, Tain, Scotland.
Accident at start of a training flight, crashed near Tain railway bridge.
Grave ref: Grave 2975, Section E.K.
A symbolic urn, no. 242, was returned to Prostějov 1945.
Location Information:
Address: Cathays Cemetery, Fairoak Road, Cardiff.
GPS Location: 51°30'1″ N 3°10'43" W
Map Location: View
2 – Merthyr Dyfan Burial Ground, Barry.
The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars, the burials of the 1914-1918 War being in various parts of the cemetery. Burials of the 1939-1945 War, 23 of which are in a group in Section R in the north-western corner of the cemetery, and the remainder are to be found elsewhere. There is a man belonging to the National Fire Service, who was buried in the group of war graves. Among the 14 men of the Merchant Navy are four Danish seamen who, with two other Danes, lost their lives in April 1942 in an explosion in the British Merchant vessel S.S. Soborg of Glasgow, in which they were serving. They are buried in the group of war graves. The body of the fifth Danish member of the crew was originally buried here but was later repatriated. The sixth body was not recovered. The names of all six are commemorated on a grey granite memorial which was erected on the empty grave of the repatriated Dane by the Danish Government and unveiled by the Danish Ambassador in April 1948. The four graves are marked by Commission headstones.
KUBÍN Valentýn, 24, Sgt, 311 Sqn, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
* 06/11/20, Lešná, Vsetín.
† 17/03/45, Penarth.
Died of TB, in Sully Hospital, Penarth.
Grave ref: Grave 1124, Section R
Address: Merthyr Dyfan Burial Ground, Cemetery Road, Barry.
GPS Location: 51°24'47" N 3°16'28" W
3 – Llantwit Major Cemetery, Llantwit Major.
The War Graves Plot is enclosed on two sides by the stone wall which marks the cemetery boundary. The Cross of Sacrifice stands on the western side of the plot near the entrance.
Early in the 1939-1945 War, a piece of ground was set aside by the local authorities in Section C, in the south-eastern corner of the cemetery, for service war burials which became the War Graves Plot.
Most of the airmen buried here came from the large R.A.F. station at St. Athan near Barry and some from Llandow R.A.F. station near Cowbridge. Many of them were killed in flying accidents while training.
The non-war graves in this cemetery have been marked by headstones designed to harmonise with those on the war graves beside them.
There are more than 50, 1939-1945 war casualties commemorated in this site, 1 casualty is unidentified.
IVANČÍK Jozef, 43, Cpl, Czech Depot, Flight Mechanic E
* 03/09/98, Voderady, Trnava.
† 18/08/42, St Athan, Glamorganshire.
Died in St Athan Hospital after illness.
Grave ref: Grave 28, Section C
A symbolic urn was returned to Slovakia 1945.
NEJEZCHLEBA Josef, 25, F/Lt, 32 MU, Pilot
* 17/11/16, Moravský Písek, Hodonín.
† 22/08/42, St Athan airfield, Glamorganshire.
Killed during a test flight of Beaufighter V8398.
A symbolic urn was returned to Czechoslovakia 1945.
REMEŠ František, 23, Sgt, 53 OTU, Pilot
* 15/01/19, Crikvenica, Yugoslavia.
† 22/11/42, Flemingston, Glamorganshire.
Killed in a training flight accident in Spitfire P7829.
A symbolic urn was returned to Ústí nad Labem 1945.
Address: Llantwit Major Cemetery, Boverton Road, Llantwit Major.
GPS Location: 51°36'57" N 4°1'21" W
4 – Killay (St.Hilary of Poitiers) Churchyard, Killay.
JANEBA Josef, 27, P/O, 312 Sqn, Pilot
* 04/02/15, Blešno, Hradec Králové.
† 02/05/42, Fairwood Common.
Killed in mid-air collision on operational flight.
Grave ref: Grave 163.
A symbolic urn was returned to Hradec Králové 1945.
ROHÁČEK Rudolf , 27, F/Lt, 312 Sqn, Pilot
* 18/11/14, Mariánské Hory, Ostrava.
† 27/04/42, Axbridge, Somerset.
Killed due to oxygen failure on operational flight.
Address: Killay (St. Hilary of Poictiers) Churchyard, Gower Road, Killay.
GPS Location: 51°36'56,05″N, 04°01'15,92″W
Pembrokeshire:
5 – Angle (St. Mary) Churchyard, Angle.
DOUCHA Jan, 28, P/O, 310 Sqn, Pilot.
* 20/10/14, Vienna, Austria.
† 07/11/42, sea of South Wales coast.
Shot down by fighter.
Grave ref: Grave 84
A symbolic urn was returned to Prague 1945.
Address: The Church of St. Mary, Angle.
6 – City Road Cemetery, Haverfordwest.
There are 26 Commonwealth burials of the 1939-45 war here, 1 being a sailor belonging to the Royal Navy whose body was washed ashore and could not be identified. In addition there is also 1 airman of the Polish Air Force.
BŘEČKA Vladislav, 28, Sgt, 311 Sqn, Air Gunner.
* 01/06/14, Žďár na Sázavou.
† 08/10/42, Talbenny.
Committed suicide whilst cleaning aircraft guns.
Grave ref: Grave 1, Row 3
A symbolic urn, no 74, was returned to Prostějov 1945.
Address: City Road Cemetery, St Davids Road, Haverfordwest.
7 – Hollywell Cemetery, Hollywell.
NAXERA František, 28, F/O, 311 Sqn, Pilot
* 15/01/16, Prague.
† 29/06/44, Roskilly Farm, Wed Keverne, Cornwall.
Crashed after take-off from Predannack.
Grave ref: Grave 32, RC Section
A symbolic urn, was returned to Olšanský cemetery, Prague 1945.
Address: Hollywell Cemetery, Bryn Aber, off Holway Road, Hollywell.
Flintshire:
8 – Hawarden Cemetery, Hawarden.
There are now 2, 1914-1918 and over 30, 1939-1945 war casualties commemorated in this site.
MACHÁLEK Jan, 21, Sgt, 57 OTU, Pilot
* 03/08/21, Kunovice, Uherské Hradiště.
† 28/10/42, Lower Hall Farm, Picton, Cheshire.
Killed on a training flight in Spitfire P8040.
Grave ref: Grave 36, Section 4G
A symbolic urn, was returned to Brno 1945.
Address: Hawarden Cemetery, Crosstree Lane, Hawarden.
The assistance of Ministerstvo obrany České republiky [Ministry of Defence, Czech Republic], the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and The War Graves Photographic Project, with this article, is very much appreciated.
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