Original Item: Only One Available. The scale of casualties in the First World War was unprecedented. Thousands of soldiers were being buried on the battlefields in individual or communal graves by their comrades. They were often buried where they fell in action, or in a burial ground on or near the battlefield. A simple cross or marker might be put up to mark the location and give brief details of the individuals who had died.

This 8 ¼” x 8 ¼” Iron Cross is just one of thousands that would have been placed on the site of these communal graves. With how dense the fighting was and the huge influx of replacement soldiers being sent to the front, many soldiers wouldn’t even get the chance to learn the names of the men fighting to their left and right, resulting in these unknown grave markers.

The grave marker reads as:

HIER STARBEN
DER
HELDENTOD FURS VATERLAND
20 DEUTSCHE
SOLDATEN

This loosely translates to “Here 20 German soldiers died a heroic death for the fatherland”.

Much of the original paint has been retained but there are signs of past pitting and oxidation. The overall condition is quite nice with only one bent corner.

Comes more than ready for display.