Lake Bolsena, British Military Cemetery, Italy

• published: 28 Jul 2015
• views: 36

On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland and five days later Italy switched sides and joined the Allies. The Allies had a number of problems mainly due to the terrain and eventually the advance stopped at the Gustav Line which was hinged on Monte Cassino. The line was breached in May 1944 and as the Germans fell back, Rome was taken by the Allies on 3 June 1944. The Germans made their first stand after being driven north of Rome at Bolsena and to the east of Lake Bolsena, there was a tank battle in June 1944 between the 6th South African Armoured Division and the Hermann Goering Panzer Division. The site for the cemetery was chosen in November 1944, and graves were brought in from the battlefields between Bolsena and Orvieto. Almost one-third of those buried at Bolsena were South Africans. In 1947, 42 graves were brought into the cemetery (into Plot 4 Rows G and H) from the Island of Elba. The cemetery is on the actual site of the first camp occupied by General Alexander's advanced headquarters after the liberation of Rome and it was here that King George VI visited General Alexander at the end of July 1944. Bolsena War Cemetery contains 597 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 40 of them unidentified. The cemetery was designed by Louis de Soissons. Bolsena War Cemetery is situated on the eastern side of Lake Bolsena just west of the SS2, between Rome (104 kilometres) and Siena (115 kilometres). Take the Orte exit from the autostrada A1. Go 30 km west towards Viterbo then turn right on to the SS2. The two nearest towns are Montefiascone, 8 kilometres to the south, and Bolsena on the shores of the lake, 7 kilometres to the north. The cemetery entrance can be clearly seen from the main road. Cemetery address: SS2 Cassia (Nord) K106 - 1027 Montefiascone (VT) Lazio. GPS Co-ordinates: Latitude: 42.586337, Longitude: 12.001811. The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited anytime. Please note that as there are steep steps and a long steep path within the cemetery, wheelchair access is impossible. For further information and enquiries please contact enquiries@cwgc.org