Author talk: The Caretakers: War Graves Gardeners and the Secret Battle to Rescue Allied Airmen in World War II by Caitlin DeAngelis

Bremen Library is pleased to present internationally renowned cemetery expert Caitlin Galante DeAngelis on Thursday, November 14 at 4 pm. DeAngelis will talk about her book The Caretakers: War Graves Gardeners and the Secret Battle to Rescue Allied Airmen in World War II, a fascinating story about the cemetery gardeners who worked for the Imperial War Graves Commission after World War I, caring for the WWI cemeteries in France. In 1940, these caretakers were trapped in France when the Nazis invaded. Some were arrested and sent to internment camps; others joined the French Resistance.

When World War I ended, hundreds of British veterans stayed in France to work for the newly chartered Imperial War Graves Commission. Through the 1920s and 1930s, these veteran-gardeners married local women, raised bilingual children, and dedicated themselves to caring for the graves of their fallen comrades.

When World War II swept through Europe in 1940, more than 200 War Graves gardeners were stranded in Nazi-occupied France. Their bosses explicitly ordered them to remain at their posts, even when their villages were under attack by the invading Germans.

Through meticulous research, never-before-published journals and papers, and compassionate storytelling, DeAngelis honors the sacrifices made by War Graves gardeners and their families.

The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.