Prince Joachim Attends Rededication of Danish Military Cemetery

Prince Joachim travelled down to northern France on Friday June 14th, to attend a ceremony rededicating the Danish Military Cemetery in the town of Braine.

The Prince held a speech at the gates of the cemetery, before unveiling a new bronze plaque on the wall rededicating the cemetery to the Danish soldiers who lie there. He then laid a wreath at the cemetery’s remembrance monument, before being given a tour of the area where 79 Danes lie.

What is special about this cemetery is the story behind the soldiers. They were of Danish origin, but lived in the Schleswig-Holstein region when it was taken over by Prussia (later the German Empire) in 1866. During the First World War, thousands of Danish men from the region were enlisted in the German army, and over 5,300 perished, including the 79 ‘Schleswigers’ buried in Braine since it was opened in 1924.

The renovations of the cemetery have been designed by architect Jørgen Overby, and financed by Laurids Jessen, the Danish Agency for Culture and the AGF Fund Bequest. The new plaques within the cemetery reflect all the 5,300 soldiers by name.

After the rededication ceremony, Prince Joachim attended a service at the local church.

Filed under Denmark
Tagged France, Military, Prince Joachim of Denmark, World War I.