Reflecting somber beauty is The Cross of Sacrifice. It stands here as a poignant reminder of lives lost. This memorial commemorates the nearly 3000 members of the Commonwealth forces. They died during the campaigns in Greece and Crete 1941 and 1944-1945. The Dodecanese Islands 1943-1945 and Yugoslavia 1943-1945 also saw losses. These individuals have no known grave.
The Athens Memorial, where The Cross of Sacrifice stands, lies within Phaleron War Cemetery. This cemetery began as a burial ground. It was chosen by the 4th Division for Commonwealth casualties. They fell during the Greek Civil War December 1944 to February 1945. Later authorities decided it would be a Second World War cemetery for mainland Greece.
The 23rd and 24th Graves Registration Units worked with the 21st and 22nd Australian War Graves Units. Together they brought graves from battlefields. These graves came from temporary military cemeteries and civil cemeteries of the 1941 campaign.
Today the cemetery holds 2028 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War. Some 596 burials are unidentified. Special memorials honor those known to be interred in groups of graves. Their individual graves cannot be precisely located. Other memorials commemorate those re-buried here. Their original graves could not be identified due to the destruction of local records.
The Cross of Sacrifice is a design found in Commonwealth war cemeteries. These cemeteries contain 40 or more graves. Sir Reginald Blomfield designed it in 1918. He worked for the Imperial War Graves Commission now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Cross of Sacrifice has an elongated Latin cross shape. Its proportions resemble a Celtic cross. The shaft and crossarm are octagonal. It stands 18 to 24 feet tall. A bronze longsword faces downwards on the front of the cross. Sometimes there is a sword on the back too. It usually sits on an octagonal base. It may stand alone or be part of other cemetery features.
The First World War led to deaths on a massive scale. Few nations could handle it. Millions of bodies were never found. Some were found long after identification was possible. Many bodies were buried on battlefields. It was hard to dig trenches without unearthing remains. Artillery barrages often uncovered bodies. They flung corpses into the air. Many bodies were buried in French municipal cemeteries. But these quickly filled. Repatriation of remains was barred.
The Cross of Sacrifice is widely praised. It is seen as the archetypal British war memorial. Duplicates and imitations exist worldwide. The site is permanently open. You can visit at any time including weekends and public holidays.
The Athens Memorial and Phaleron War Cemetery were designed by Louis de Soissons.
Let us take a moment to reflect. Remember the sacrifices made by these brave individuals. Their memory lives on through this solemn memorial.