The service in Porlock highlighted the story of community, forgiveness and reconciliation.
A wartime grave cared for by the people of Porlock for more than 80 years has been rededicated in a special service this week. Revd Ann Gibbs took part in the service, which was held jointly by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, the German War Graves Commission.
The service marked the installation of a German War Graves headstone for Wilhelm Reuhl, a 20-year-old German airman who died in September 1940 when his aircraft was shot down over Porlock Bay during the Second World War.
Wilhelm was one of four crew members on the aircraft. Three survived and were taken prisoner, but Wilhelm was killed. His body was recovered and buried at Hawkcombe Cemetery in Porlock.
His grave was marked by a simple wooden cross and was cared for by local people. Over the years, this act of respect and remembrance led to friendships developing between Reuhl’s family in Germany and the residents of Porlock who tended his grave, creating a remarkable story of post-war reconciliation and understanding.
The Revd Ann Gibbs, Rector of the Benefice of Porlock, took part in the service, providing the local parish link as representatives from Britain and Germany, local people and the wider community gathered to remember a young life lost in war and the quiet Christian witness of those who have tended the grave ever since.
The new German War Graves headstone now gives Wilhelm’s grave a permanent military commemoration, ensuring he is remembered with dignity alongside others who died in war.
Permission for the headstone was granted by Porlock Parish Council. Following the ceremony, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will continue to maintain the grave on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The partnership between the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Volksbund is one of Europe’s longest-standing examples of post-war cooperation. In Porlock, that wider work of reconciliation has been reflected in the faithfulness of a local community which chose to remember with kindness, even in the shadow of conflict.
Read more about this story on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
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