Description

The German War Cemetery, Tatura, is historically significant as the first foreign war cemetery to be established in Australia and as one of five war cemeteries established by the Australian War Graves Commission in Victoria after the end of World War II. It provided for the reburial of German internees and Prisoners of War who died whilst detained in Australia during World War I and II. Bodies were exhumed from cemeteries throughout Australia and reinterred at this cemetery which is located in close proximity to the largest group of World War II internment camps constructed in Australia. It contains the graves of 191 World War I and 59 World War II internees, including 11 Prisoners of War. Headstones and plaques are arranged in rows around the perimeter, with the original World War II section located at the front and the World War I section located at the rear. Each grave is marked by a bronze plaque with the deceaseds name and date of death, the Iron Cross signifying the grave of a Prisoner of War and the Latin Cross that of a civilian internee. It is the only war cemetery in Australia dedicated to German civilians and Prisoners of War.