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5 UCLI '
officers refuse to  ..

Coal board acts to save Germantwar

cemetery from landsu

From Anthur Osman
Cannock, Dec. 28

The Commonwealth War Graves
Commission is concerned about
land subsidence caused by mining
near the German war cemetery on
Cannock Chase. So far none of the

», 5,000 graves in the burial area

appears to have been affected, nor
have those in the small adjacent
British war cemetery.

The National Coal Board has
sent men to make temporary re-
pairs where cracks have appeared
in buildings and the car park. I
understand the position will cause
continuing amriety here and in
Germany until mining ceases in the
immediate area in about March or
April.

Littleton Colliery, over two miles
away, is working a seam l,400Et
beneath the Broadhurst Green
sector of the Chase, which includes
the cemetery.

The coal board has assured the
war graves commission that when
mining is going on directly under
the six-acre cemetery precautions
will be taken. It is intended to leave
large “ pillars ” of coal in‘the seam
to serve as props and reduce the
risk of subsidence, however small.

The board said : “ We are taking
out one seam but there are others
 the area. We have no plans to
r.3rk them at present, but even-

-'tually, as Littleton is a long-life

Colliery, we shall be working within
the area over the next 10 to 20
years.

“Before the. cemetery was built
we were consulted and the architect
on our advice incorporated struc-
tural precautions designed to mini-
‘mize the effects of subsidence.

.- These have worked well."

~ ‘ The first evidence of subsidence,

  

in Cannock
Chase war cemetery.

A cracked wall

a common hazard in this part of
Staffordshire. appeared several
weeks ago with cracks in the car
park surface and ridges in a road.

An official of the commission,‘

which administers the cemetery on
behalf of_the German war graves
commission, said that the resident
custodian had reported largecracks
opening in the ground and closing
again in the course of a single
night. A close inspection had-been

bsidence ‘

‘tit’ »

made of the custo_dian’s house and
the hall of memory. Cracks varying
between a hairline and one cen-
timetre have been found in the
masonry and doors were jammed.

The coal board immediately sent
men to make running repairs. A
war graves official said: “The
board is very conscious of its
obligations under the various Acts
and acted with commendable
speed. Some final rehabilitation
will be necessary, however, when
mining has ceased and it is ex-
pected the cemetery will be re-
turned to its original state." '

With mining continuing into the
spring. the board said, there might
be further subsidence atsome time.
“ We cannot really tell what is
going to happen. Although we are
worried about the buildings we are
even more anxious in case anything
should happen to the graves.”

The 5,000 German bodies in-
terred in the cemetery are from
both world wars and include
Zeppelin crews, They were ex-
humed from about 700 cemeteries
and churchyards in all parts of
Britain ‘

The cemetery, which is on one of
the most beautiful parts of the
Chase. is set among clusters of
silver birch trees and has concealed
fences to keep out wild deer.
Staffordshire County Council gave
the six acre site to the west German
Government in 1959 and the ceme-
tery was dedicated in 1967.

Much of the work on it was done
by parties of German boys and
girls who still come each summer
from Bremen and Bremerhaven to
clean the "headstones, weed the
heather grave plots, and do" any
other necessary work.

error.
the _s.
repair.

Com
sport.
threat

From ‘Our _l
Peterboroug

A father
local‘ councii
ban his. son f
i.n~g- field un.‘
replace a \
smashed durin

The glass in
Manor Field ‘a
bridgeshire, wa
hall. while Mar
12, was playir.
friends. ‘ -

The, bill arrive
Station 'Road,
addressed to his 1‘
Ramsden. He _we.
offices-to protest
bill.‘

Mr. Derek Bamt
Whittlesey Urban
cil. saidfboday:
did not deny that
the glass but said
intend to pay the l
and-asked what ac
intended to take.‘
possibility that th
banned but this suit
been discussed any
stage; Otherparent
the past."

Mr. Ramsden, .5:
dealer. said: “V2
thing. but this we
Things do happen
a ‘field, which .is' 1
football anyway."
deny that Mark ‘hr

The matter is do
the full‘: council 1