Maissemy German Cemetery.2

The 30 478 soldiers buried here render this is the second largest German Military Cemetery in France [after Maison Blanche near Arras]. 15,478 soldiers are interred in named graves with two names per headstone being typical at this cemetery as opposed to the four per marker at cemeteries such as Proyart [near Bray-sur-Somme], or Fricourt [between Albert and Peronne] ; 54 of these distinct burials remain unknown. As is customary at German cemeteries in the battlefields of France and Belgium, there is a large communal grave contained within the grounds, and this contains the remains of 15,000 German fallen; only 956 of whom are identified; these individuals are commemorated on brass plaques bordering the edge of the grave. In the photo, in the left middle-distance, can also be seen a chapel which has been built in the austere style that characterises German cemeteries in the region; this houses a bronze sarcophagus bearing an repeating relief design of an angel.The ceiling is contrastingly ornate and bears an intricate mosaic.