WHAT TO DO WITH THE DEAD?

Tens of thousands of British and German servicemen died on enemy soil during the two world wars. What happened to their remains, writes Tim Grady, tells us a great deal about the two nations’ evolving relationship after the conflicts

Tim Grady

Behind every enemy funeral and every enemy grave lay a wider history of loss Thousands of people lined the streets of Edinburgh in October 1939 hoping to catch a glimpse of the day's big event. Finally, the sound of an RAF pipe band could be heard, and a slow-moving funeral cortege came into view. Once safely inside the city's Portobello Cemetery, a military chaplain gave a poignant eulogy to the assembled crowd, and local dignitaries laid wreaths for “two brave airmen”. Although rarely on this scale, such scenes were repeated time and again during the Second World War. What marked this ceremony out as somewhat different, however, was that the flags on the coffins were not Union Jacks, but Nazi swastikas. The mourners in the Scottish capital were well aware…

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Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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