Lost records and shattered histories haunt this serene landscape. This is Phaleron War Cemetery. It stands a few kilometers southeast of Athens. We are at the boundary where the old Phaleron district meets Alimos-Kalamaki. The cemetery sits on the coast road linking Athens to Vouliagmeni.
Phaleron War Cemetery’s story began during the Greek Civil War from 1944 to 1945. The 4th Division chose this site as a burial ground. It was specifically for Commonwealth casualties. Later, military authorities and the Greek government decided it would serve a greater purpose. It became the main Second World War cemetery for mainland Greece.
The 23rd and 24th Graves Registration Units and the 21st and 22nd Australian War Graves Units undertook a solemn task. They gathered graves from battlefields and temporary cemeteries. They even recovered remains from civil cemeteries. These were casualties of the 1941 campaign.
Today, Phaleron War Cemetery holds 2,029 Commonwealth servicemen. These men fought in the Second World War. Sadly, 596 of these burials are unidentified. Special memorials honor casualties interred within groups of graves. Their individual locations remain unknown. Other memorials commemorate those re-buried here. Their original graves could not be identified due to destroyed local records.
Notice the Phaleron Cremation Memorial. It commemorates 74 men of the Indian army. They died in the campaigns in Greece and Crete. Their religion required committal to fire.
The Athens Memorial stands within the cemetery. It commemorates nearly 3,000 Commonwealth land forces members. They lost their lives in the campaigns in Greece and Crete in 1941 and 1944-1945. Some died in the Dodecanese Islands from 1943-1945. Others perished in Yugoslavia during the same period. They have no known grave.
In the northeast corner, you will see a special plot. Here lie servicemen and civilians. They served in the Crimean War and later died in Greece. Initially, they were buried in the Anglo-French Crimean Cemetery. In 1966, their graves were moved here. The original cemetery could no longer be maintained.
Louis de Soissons designed both the cemetery and the Athens Memorial. The Phaleron War Cemetery is permanently open. You can visit any time. Take a moment to reflect. Remember those who sacrificed so much. Their stories echo in this peaceful place.