Princess Royal opens history centre at Cannock Chase German cemetery

The Princess Royal officially opened a new history centre at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire, on 17 September 2026. The ceremony was hosted by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (the German War Graves Commission), working in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

Cannock Chase is the central German military cemetery in Great Britain, holding almost 5,000 burials from the two World Wars – 2,143 from the First World War and around 2,800 from the Second, many of them PoWs or internees who died in Britain. The cemetery was established under a 1959 agreement between the British and West German governments and opened to the public in June 1967. The cemetery building, courtyard and terrace were listed Grade II by Historic England in 2006.

Extensive renovation has been under way since 2025, including refurbishment of the existing building. The new history centre presents a bilingual exhibition and workshop facilities setting out the cemetery's history and the reconciliation between Britain and Germany since 1945.

Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, Vice Chairman of the CWGC, said the centre would help future generations engage honestly with the past and better appreciate the value of peace and international cooperation. The Princess Royal, who unveiled a commemorative plaque during the visit, spoke of the exhibition's aim of connecting the past with the present for visitors.

Representatives from the UK and Germany attended the opening.

The cemetery is the resting place of four German airship crews shot down over Britain in the First World War, buried together on its western terrace, and of the Second World War Field Marshal Ernst Busch. At its centre stands a bronze sculpture of a fallen warrior by the German sculptor Hans Wimmer, housed in the Hall of Honour linking the site's two terraces.

Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery is open to visitors throughout the year.