| THE GERMAN MONUMENTS – COMMERCIAL ROAD |
| ALSO INCLUDING MONTAIN RISE CEMETERY |
| AND ROBERTS ROAD CEMETERY |
| A Monument was erected after the First World War, by the German War Graves Commission. Names of German prisoners buried there are remembered on the plaque. This monument can be located in the section known as the Voortrekker Section of the Commercial Road Cemetery. These men were interned in the city in the prisoner-of-war camp, and died during the 1914-1919 War. |
| Names on the plaque:- |
| DEM ANDENKEN UNSERER IN DER GEFANGENSCHAFT VERSTORBENEN KAMERADEN 1914 – 1919. |
| BOTTGER FREIDRICH E.H. KOTTNITZ CLEMENS JOHANNES |
| BURNO W.J. LANGE AUGUST |
| CLEMENS OSKAR K.R. MERKENS ROBERT ALBERT |
| CONDE GEORG POHL GEORG LOUIS |
| EIGNER RICHARD ROBERT QUERKOWSKY A.A. OTTO |
| FRIEDRICH JOHANN RUDOLPH ROSS AUGUST |
| FROHBES CARL SHERSING ALBERT W.M. |
| GEDHARDT EDWARD WILHELM T. RICHARD STADE HERMAN W. |
| HOFMAM CARL GODTFRIED GUSTAV STERZEL MORITZ |
| HORN JULIUS A.L.J. VON LEVETZOW ALEXANDER E.V.J.C. |
| KNOTHE RUDOLPH HERMANUS WEISS OTTO |
| JOHN B. WILLY ZEPTRIX EMIL MAX PAUL |
| DIEBIG MAX VOGTS EUGENE E. |
| BUSCH FRIEDRICH HILTE CARL E. |
| Around the monument are a a few grave stones: |
| HAYN HERBERT, 2 and a half months ) |
| KIRSCH KARL, 2 months ) Aus deutch Sud Wes Afrika |
| SCHMIDT HILDEGARD, 2 years ) |
| DICK HELMUT, 9 months ) |
| RIEBESELL FRIEDRICH, died 12.12.1924 at 60 years |
| In the Catholic section of the Commercial Road Cemetery, we find two further monuments to German prisoners-of-war. Each stone is surmounted by a black metal cross with floral decoration, and the following is recorded on them: |
| DEM ANDENKEN UNSERER IN DER GEFANGENSCHAFT VERSTORBENEN KAMERADEN 1914 – 1919. |
| BABURIZZA NICOLO MAUDIC SIMON PETER |
| BLASNIK JOHANN MOCZELARY IGNATZ |
| GEHRER EMIL NOACK JOH. ERNST |
| KRAUS LEOPOLD STAHL AUGUST |
| There are German tourists who visit our Commercial Road Cemetery and during the hours we have spent there documenting graves we have guided them through weeds, litter, ants and debris to take them to the graves. The ones I have spoken to are young people who have made a special visit to the City to find the grave of a dead relative. On one occasion I remember trying to help a young lad to pull out the tall grass against the stone to enable him to take a photograph, and then we both sat down to battle with the seed heads and the black-jacks in our socks! |
| Four additional German prisoners are buried in the Jewish Cemetery behind the Jacaranda Nursery School in Roberts Road, and are listed as follows: |
| HIRSCH OTTO SIGMUND, died 21.5.1918 |
| NEUHAUS JULIUS, died 19.7.1917 |
| PODBIELSKI HERMANN, died 13.10.1917 |
| ROSSINE ARTHUR, died 23.6.1916 |
| Two graves from the Second World War can be located in the Mountain Rise Cemetery in the War Graves Section. These were Germans in the prisoner-of-war camp in the City. Information from the Mountain Rise cemetery office states that these were a murderer and his victim. The murderer was brought before the court and hanged and his body was buried next to that of his victim. The deceased were: |
| HAENSEL HELMUT, born 4.2.1913, died 6.6.1942 |
| XAVER CARL, born 5.5.1920, died 2.11.1942 |
| I have mentioned the other graves of German prisoners in Pietermaritaburg as 1992 is “The German Festival Year”. We are likely to have German tourists visiting the City once again. |
| March 1992. |
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