Tobruk War Cemetery, Tobruk, Libya

Cemetery Details

Location Alexandria Highway, Tobruk, Cyrenaica - Butnan, Libya
Co‑ordinates N32.024735, E23.965036
Description

Tobruk War Cemetery  - Libya

extract from CWGC site

Tobruk is a Mediterranean port with an excellent deep water harbour. During the war it was important to Allied and Axis forces alike, for the reception of supplies and reinforcements. In January 1941, it was taken from the Italians by General Wavell's forces, and after the clearance of the demolitions in the harbour the port was usable and proved invaluable. When Rommel commenced his drive across Cyrenaica towards Suez it was deemed essential that Tobruk be held, and the resulting siege lasted from 11 April to 10 December 1941, when the Axis forces were driven back. They recovered far more quickly than was expected and by early February 1942, it was the Allies turn to fall back towards a line running southwards from Gazala to Bir Hakeim. Again orders were given to hold Tobruk, but it fell to Rommel on 21 June. It was retaken five months later by the Eighth Army in their final sweep along the North African coast into Tunisia.

Tobruk War Cemetery incorporates the burial ground used during the siege and the memorial erected there at the time by the Australians has been replaced by a permanent memorial of similar design. Many battlefield graves in the desert have been brought into the cemetery.

There are now 2,282 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in Tobruk War Cemetery. 171 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them. The cemetery also contains 171 war graves of other nationalities, most of them Polish.

Read more...

Names

Showing 8 people of interest from cemetery

CLIFTON, Robert Edward

Service number SX5502
Private
Born 1 Jul 1922

BROCKSOPP, John Bentley

Service number 407489
Flight Sergeant
No. 454 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 2 Feb 1912

BARASSI, Ronald James

Service number VX45220
Corporal
7th Division Supply Column AASC
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 24 Oct 1913

BARRY, Kenneth Augusta

Service number SX7575
Private
2nd/48th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 9 May 1920

KEMPSTER, Harry

Service number DX512
Private
2nd/13th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 30 Mar 1912

LEAHY, Leo Stanislaus

Service number SX7545
Private
2nd/8th Field Ambulance
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 19 Jan 1901

CAZNEAUX, Harold Ramsay

Service number NX58428
Corporal
9th Division Signals
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 13 Mar 1920

STRINGER, Victor Eric

Service number SX2538
Private
2nd/10th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 26 Jul 1919

Showing 1 of 1 image.
Click images to start slideshow.