Canadian Military Cemeteries |
Agira War Cemetery (Agira, Enna Province, Sicilia Region, Italy) - 490 burials, 6 Unknown.
Visiting Information: The cemetery is steeply terraced with numerous steps, making wheelchair access to this site impossible. The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime.
Agira Canadian War Cemetery lies in the Commune of Agira, Province of Enna, in the centre of Sicily. From the autostrada A19, Catania-Palermo, take the exit to Catenanuova. Follow signposts to Regalbuto, then pass Regalbuto, going in the direction of Agira. The Cemetery is then signposted about 12 kilometres from Regalbuto. Alternatively, leave the A19 at Agira and the cemetery can be seen from this exit. Cemetery address: Contrada Pennino Buterno, 2 - 94011, Agira (EN), Sicily. GPS Co-ordinates: Latitude: 37.6549115, Longitude: 14.55086.
On 10 July 1943, following the successful conclusion of the north African campaign in mid May, a combined allied force of 160,000 Commonwealth and American troops invaded Sicily as a prelude to the assault on mainland Italy. The Italians, who would shortly make peace with the Allies and re-enter the war on their side, offered little determined resistance but German opposition was vigorous and stubborn. The campaign in Sicily came to an end on 17 August when the two allied forces came together at Messina, but failed to cut off the retreating Axis lines. Agira was taken by the 1st Canadian Division of 28 July and the site for the war cemetery was chosen in September for the burial of all Canadians who had been killed in the Sicily campaign. Agira Canadian War Cemetery contains 490 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.
Bari War Cemetery (Carbonara di Bari, Bari Province, Puglia Region, Italy) WWI and WWII
Commonwealth - New Zealand, United Kingdom, 210 Canadians, 165 South African, 45 Australian,
2218 total WWII burials, 170 Unknown. 85 WWI burials from Brindisi.
Beach Head War Cemetery (Anzio, Roma Province, Lazio Region, Italy) WWI Commonwealth - 1
burial; WWII Commonwealth - 1,980 United Kingdom, 70 Canadian, 25 South African, 7 Australian, 4
Indian, 4 New Zealander, and 9 others, 2,316 total burials, 295 unknown.
Bologna War Cemetery (Bologna, Bologna Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - United Kingdom, Canadian, New Zealand, 11 South Africans. 3 Australians. 184 total
burials, 8 Unknown.
Bolsena War Cemetery (Montefiascone, Viterbo Province, Lazio Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth -
187 South African, 2 Australian, United Kingdom, Indian, Canadian, includes burials transferred from
Elba, 597 burials, 40 unknown.
Cagliari (St. Michele) Comune Cemetery (Cagliari, Cagliari Province, Sardegna Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - United Kingdom, Canadian, 6 Australian, 3 South African, 60 total, 10 unknown;
WWII German - 424 from Sardegna battles, 16 from Milis battles, 190 from Malta (moved in 1960 from
English Cemetery at Pembroke).
Caserta War Cemetery (Caserta, Caserta Province, Campania Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth -
54 South Africans, 10 Australians, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Total: 768 burials, 13
Unknown.
Cesena War Cemetery (Cesena, Forli-Cesena Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - 5 South African, Canadian, New Zealand, 775 total burials, 3 unknown.
Coriano Ridge War Cemetery (Coriano, Rimini Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - 1,411 United Kingdom, 427 Canadians, 52 New Zealanders, 28 South Africans, 8
Indian, 1 Australian, 1 Russian, 1939 total burials, 11 Unknown.
Faenza War Cemetery (Faenza, Ravenna Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - 8 South Africans, 4 Australians, United Kingdom, New Zealanders, Canadians, 1152
total burials, 13 Unknown.
Gradara War Cemetery (Gradara, Pesaro-Urbino province, Marche Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - 14 South Africans, 2 Australians, 1 Belgian, United Kingdom, Canadian, 1191 total
burials, 4 Unknown.
Montecchio War Cemetery (Montecchio, a frazione of Montelabbate, Pesaro-Urbino province, Marche
Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth - 6 South Africans, 289 Canadian, 284 United Kingdom, 2 Indian,
582 total burials.
Moro River Canadian War Cemetery (Ortona Porto, Chieti Province, Abruzzo Region, Italy) WWII
Commonwealth - Canada, 17 South Africa, United Kingdom, New Zealand, 4 Australia, 52 Unknown,
1615 total.
The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime. Wheelchair access to the cemetery is
possible, but may be by alternative entrance. For further information regarding wheelchair access,
please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.
The Moro River Canadian War Cemetery lies in the locality of San Donato in the Comune of Ortona
and is sited on high ground near the sea just east of the main Adriatic coast road (SS16). The cemetery
can be reached from Rome on the autostrada A25 (Rome-Pescara) by branching on the autostrada A14
and leaving it at Ortona. The approach road to the cemetery from the main road passes under an arch
forming part of the little church of San Donato. Cemetery address: Contrada San Donato - 66028
Ortona Porto (CH) Abruzzo. Latitude: 42.336403, Longitude: 14.416677.
On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice
made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Allied objectives were to draw
German troops from the Russian front and more particularly from France, where an offensive was
planned for the following year. Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by
the end of October, the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav
Line, which stretched from the river Garigliano in the west to the Sangro in the east. The Allied force
that had fought its way up the Adriatic took the Sangro river positions by 30 November. The 1st
Canadian Division went on to cross the Moro river on 6 December against stiff opposition, and to take
Ortona on the 28th, after a week of bitter street fighting. The 2nd New Zealand division made some
advances further inland but thereafter, there was virtually no movement east of the Appennines until
after the fall of Rome. The site of the cemetery was chosen by the Canadian Corps in January 1944. It
contains the graves of those who died during that fighting at Moro river and Ortona, and during the
weeks that preceded and followed it. In December 1943 alone, the 1st Canadian Division suffered over
500 fatal battle casualties. Burials other than those of members of the Canadian forces are almost all in
plots 12, 13 and 16. Moro River Canadian War Cemetery contains 1,615 Commonwealth burials of the
Second World War.
Padua War Cemetery (Padova, Padova Province, Veneto Region, Italy) Commonwealth - 391 United
Kingdom, 15 Canadian, 9 Australian, 26 New Zealander, 74 South African, 517 total burials, 32
Unknown, 4 other nationalities.
Ravenna War Cemetery (near Piangipani, Ravenna Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWI and
WWII Commonwealth - 11 South Africans, 8 Australians, 33 total burials from WWI; 33 Jewish
Brigade, United Kingdom, Indians, Canadians, New Zealanders, 955 total burials from WWII, 63
Unknown.
Rome (Verano) Comune Cemetery (Roma, Roma Province, Lazio Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth
- 1 Canadian burial. This is a large comune cemetery near the Piazzale del Verano in the San Lorenzo
district about 2.5km due east of Termini Station in Rome. Rome (Verano) Comune Cemetery contains
one Commonwealth burial of the Second World War.
Rome War Cemetery (Roma, Roma Province, Lazio Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth - 28 South
Africans. 4 Australians, 355 United Kingdom, 22 Canadians, 3 Indian, 10 New Zealand, 1 from
Mauritius, 2 Palestinian, 426 total burials.
Salerno War Cemetery (Montecorvino Pugliano, Salerno Province, Campania Region, Italy) - WWI
Memorial and WWII Commonwealth - 1846 burials; 10 South Africans. 20 Australians. 1,650 UK, 30
Canadians, 3 New Zealand, 55 Indian, 111 unknown
Santerno Valley War Cemetery (Coniale, Firenze Province, Toscana Region, Italy) WWIICommonwealth - 2 South Africans, United Kingdom, Canadians, 287 total burials, 6 Unknown.
Villanova Canadian War Cemetery (Bagnacavallo, Ravenna Province, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy) WWII Commonwealth - 212 total burials.
The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime. Wheelchair access is possible via the main entrance.
Take autostrada A14, Bologna-Ancona, and branch off to Ravenna. Turn left along the SS16 towards Ferrara and at 7.5 kilometres, at the village of Mezzano, turn left to Villanova, about 4 kilometres. If travelling by train, the nearest station is Mezzano but there is no taxi service from there. Taxi's are available however, from Ravenna train station. Cemetery address: Via Chiesa 11 - 48020 Bagnacavallo (RA) Emilia Romagna. Latitude: 44.45150, Longitude: 12.05180.
The site of this cemetery was chosen by the 5th Canadian Armoured Division for battlefield burials. It was in the vicinity of Villanova that troops of this Division succeeded in establishing a bridgehead over the River Lamone in the night 10/11 December 1944. West of this bridgehead there was heavy fighting in the following days, when attempts were made to cross the three canals that run from Faenza to the sea. From 12 to 15 December, the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment and the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards suffered heavily in these attempts, and 85 of the burials in the cemetery come from these two regiments. Others include those killed in the advance to the final line held by the Canadians on the River Senio before they left Italy in February 1945. Villanova Canadian War Cemetery contains 212 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.
Links to other sites about Canadian Military Cemeteries include:
Battle for Anzio
Battle for Cassino
Canadian War Graves
Commonwealth Military Cemeteries
Kitchener Cemetery
War Cemeteries in Italy by Region
Military Cemeteries
Military Burials at GenTracer.net