Imagine driving along a quiet countryside road in England or Germany. It is a sunny day, and the surroundings are calm, with only the sound of the car’s engine, birdsong, and the occasional gust of wind. Then you see a detour near a town or in a remote area pointing to a War Cemetery. You stop, park your car, and follow the sign. After walking a few steps, you find yourself facing an extensive field of crosses or gravestones that seem to stretch endlessly as far as the eye can see. They all look the same, and yet behind each and every one of those stones there was once a life.
Many countries throughout Europe have organised memorials, which contain large numbers of the fallen over many conflicts. Sometimes with multiple nationalities, sometimes one side only, and in unusual cases, exclusively those considered the ‘enemy’. But how were these burial sites established?
Burying The Enemy is a compelling, yet emotional read, where facts such as dates, names, and figures are interwoven with poignant stories: acts of humanity prevailing over vicious fighting and antagonism. The book specifically examines how the enemy dead were treated, and to do so, Tim Grady expertly guides readers on a historical journey, beginning with the suspicion present between Germany and Britain even before the Great War began.
During that war, so many had already encountered death of friends and adversaries alike, but hatred, sometimes, seemed pointless. As a British nurse held the hand of a German soldier that grew colder in 1914, all barriers were erased in that grip, until the breathing stopped and she knew that her ‘prisoner had been released.’
The author presents numerous accounts from both world wars where civilians, soldiers and medical personnel cared for enemy combatants, both deceased and alive. While recounting these beautiful tales, Grady also shows us the other face of death: funerals were sometimes used by both nations for propaganda, and elaborate ceremonies served to demonstrate respect for the enemy, while signalling expectations of similar treatment for their own fallen.
However, it was after each war that issues surrounding these burial sites became subjects of dispute and lengthy negotiation, before the German and British governments settled on building official war cemeteries. Following World War I especially, years were spent agonising over what should be done with the bodies, including exhumation or leaving them undisturbed.
With great detail and touching vignettes such as local communities assisting families in locating graves or tending unknown soldiers, Burying The Enemy emphasises the emotional toll of loss but also the bureaucratic challenges. There is the difficult process of exhumation and the consequences that can follow, so causing pain to the already bereaved.
This is a moving and powerful book, that at its heart captures what results from war: loss. As we have seen in recent days, there will be always be more holes in the ground to fill, and relatives’ lives upturned.
Letizia Turini is an Editorial Intern at Aspects of History.
