Cemetery for police dead in Southwest Cemetery in Essen

Pictures and text by Mark R. Hatlie

These pictures were taken on 10 June, 2007 in the Südwestfriedhof in Essen. This memorial is kind of tucked away between the hedges. I stumbled upon it only by chance. It appears to have evolved over time.

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	The obelisk reads "They died in loyal duty an honorable death for the fatherland." (Sie starben in treuer Pflichterfüllung den Ehrentod für das Vaterland.)
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	The base shows the years 1920-1921.
	Off to the side in a section of bushes there are two large slabs of stone.
	One reads, "Loyal to their Fatherland and their sworn duty from the police precinct of Essen fell...." (Treu ihrem Vaterland und beschworener Pflicht fielen vom Polizeipräsidium Essen....) followed by the names and ranks of those who died. They are sorted by year under the years 1920 to 1923.
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	The other one, above the more stylized eagle, reads "While fulfilling their service to the citizenry in their voluntarily assumed duties in the March days of 1920 (the following) members of the Essen civil defense fell... ." (In Erfüllung ihrer Dienste der Bürgerschaft freiwillig übernommenen Pflicht fielen in den Märztagen 1920 von der Essener Einwohnerwehr...) followed by the names of the fallen.
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