PHALERON WAR CEMETERY
HISTORY INFORMATION
The site of what is now PHALERON WAR CEMETERY was chosen originally by the 4th Division as a burial ground for Commonwealth casualties of the Greek Civil War (December 1944-February 1945). Subsequently, the military authorities, in conjunction with the Greek Government and the Army Graves Service, decided that it would be the most suitable site for a Second World War cemetery for the whole mainland of Greece. The 23rd and 24th Graves Registration Units and the 21st and 22nd Australian War Graves Units worked together to bring in graves of the 1941 campaign from the battlefields, temporary military cemeteries and from various civil cemeteries.
There are now 2,029 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 596 of the burials are unidentified. Special memorials commemorate casualties known to have been interred in certain groups of graves in the cemetery, but whose individual graves cannot be precisely located within these groups. Other special memorials commemorate casualties re-buried in the cemetery from original graves which, owing to the destruction of local records, could not be identified.
Also within the cemetery are:
The PHALERON CREMATION MEMORIAL, commemorating 74 men of the army of undivided India who died during the campaigns in Greece and Crete during the Second World War and who were accorded the last rite required by their religion - committal to fire.
The ATHENS MEMORIAL, commemorating nearly 3,000 members of the land forces of the Commonwealth who lost their lives during the campaigns in Greece and Crete in 1941 and 1944-1945, in the Dodecanese Islands in 1943-1945 and in Yugoslavia in 1943-1945, and who have no known grave.
In the north-east corner of the cemetery, a plot contains the graves of servicemen and civilians who after serving in the Crimean War, died in Greece, and were buried in the Anglo-French Crimean Cemetery, New Phaleron. The graves were moved in 1966 when that cemetery could no longer be maintained.
The CEMETERY and the ATHENS MEMORIAL were designed by Louis de Soissons.
-
SURNAME
Atkinson
FORENAME
John George Patterson
UNIT
Force 133 SOE
RANK
Lieutenant
NUMBER
115105
DATE OF DEATH
13th February 1943
AGE
32
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 10.E.18
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Army Service Corps
Scot
Officer Producing Centre,RASC...
-
SURNAME
Vinsen
FORENAME
Thomas William
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Driver
NUMBER
2589803
DATE OF DEATH
1st September 1943
AGE
31
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 10.B.14
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 101 Special Wire Section,Royal Corps of Signals
born 1912 Poplar,London...
-
SURNAME
Page
FORENAME
Stuart Raymond
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Warrant Officer Second Class (BSM)
NUMBER
4967865
DATE OF DEATH
9th October 1943
AGE
34
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 22.C.18
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 116 Battery,26 Light A.A. Regiment,Royal...
-
SURNAME
Bircumshaw
FORENAME
Michael
UNIT
Para
RANK
Private
NUMBER
23684334
DATE OF DEATH
21st September 1962
AGE
23
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Section 11 Row D
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
born 16.11.1938
-
SURNAME
Chisim
FORENAME
John Dorman
UNIT
RSR (HQ)
RANK
Lance Corporal
NUMBER
1877605
DATE OF DEATH
19th November 1944
AGE
23
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 21.A.1
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Engineers
born 1921, Belfast
son of Samuel David and...
-
SURNAME
Walker
FORENAME
Kenneth
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Lieutenant
NUMBER
301523
DATE OF DEATH
24th May 1944
AGE
29
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 20.C.12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Engineers
born 8.4.1915 Huddersfield,Yorkshire
son of Ernest and...
-
SURNAME
Turner
FORENAME
Richard Sydney
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Sergeant
NUMBER
NX3048
DATE OF DEATH
17th December 1944
AGE
28
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 3.A.3
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Australian Army Service Corps
born 5.2.1916 Newtown,New South...
-
SURNAME
Richmond
FORENAME
Frederick James
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Warrant Officer Second Class (BSM)
NUMBER
1483910
DATE OF DEATH
10th May 1943
AGE
37
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 14.C.10
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Artillery
born 19.9.1903...
-
SURNAME
Phillips
FORENAME
William Ronald
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Captain
NUMBER
254405
DATE OF DEATH
29th January 1944
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 15.A.6
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit General List
born 13.6.1917 Hertfordshire
son of Ernest Arnold...
-
SURNAME
Phillips
FORENAME
Isaac Douglas
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Sergeant
NUMBER
2325548
DATE OF DEATH
24th May 1944
AGE
22
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 20.C.13
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Corps of Signals
born 14.4.1922 Bootle,Cumberland
son of...
-
SURNAME
Marsden
FORENAME
John Horace (Jack)
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Signalman
NUMBER
2385537
DATE OF DEATH
15th October 1943
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 15.A.8
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Corps of Signals
born 19.3.1917 Rotherham,Yorkshire...
-
SURNAME
McGill
FORENAME
Dennys Blair
UNIT
SOE Force 133
RANK
Sergeant
NUMBER
927205
DATE OF DEATH
15th September 1944
AGE
25
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 23.C.20
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Artillery
born 5.8.1919 Edinburgh
son of John R.B. and...
-
SURNAME
Campbell
FORENAME
Alan Clark
UNIT
SOE Greece
RANK
Lieutenant
NUMBER
222718
DATE OF DEATH
26th June 1944
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece 14.C.8
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Engineers
son of Rev.William H. and Elizabeth Campbell,Acomb,York...
-
SURNAME
McKenna
FORENAME
George Hughes
UNIT
Force 133 (Albania)
RANK
Gunner
NUMBER
876381
DATE OF DEATH
1st December 1943
AGE
23
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Artillery
born 17.1.1920 Dundee
resided...
-
SURNAME
Kesterton
FORENAME
Ian Douglas
UNIT
Force 133 (Albania)
RANK
Corporal
NUMBER
2880174
DATE OF DEATH
1st December 1943
AGE
22
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit Royal Corps of Signals
former Gordon...
-
SURNAME
Toley
FORENAME
Alan Willoughby
UNIT
Force 133 (Albania)
RANK
Lieutenant
NUMBER
187268
DATE OF DEATH
1st December 1943
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 1st Royal Tank Regiment,Royal Armoured Corps...
-
SURNAME
Stephenson
FORENAME
John Cory (Jack)
UNIT
Force 133 (Albania)
RANK
Captain
NUMBER
145228
DATE OF DEATH
1st December 1943
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 15th/19th King's Royal Hussars,Royal...
-
SURNAME
Smart
FORENAME
Ian Albert
UNIT
Force 133 (Albania)
RANK
Major
NUMBER
71139
DATE OF DEATH
1st December 1943
AGE
26
GRAVESITE
Phaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
parent unit 2 Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
born 1.2.1917...
-
SURNAMEShewring FORENAMEJames Kenneth UNIT624 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.) RANKFlight Sergeant NUMBER1337064 DATE OF DEATH1st December 1943 AGE GRAVESITEPhaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONair gunner
Op. Albania
Halifax EB140
crashed near Koplesiagraphn,Greece
-
SURNAMEHughes FORENAMEJohn Kenneth UNIT624 Squadron (R.A.F.V.R.) RANKFlight Sergeant NUMBER1030906 DATE OF DEATH1st December 1943 AGE GRAVESITEPhaleron War Cemetery,Greece Coll.grave 5.D.1-12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONwireless op./air gunner
Op. Albania
Halifax EB140
crashed near...