Memorial Dörverden to the Murdered Children of Slave Labourers

n the southern corner of the cemetery is a marble memorial marking the graves of 27 children born to Forced labourers between 1944 and 1945. The mothers were prisoners at the nearby Stein, Todt and Wiebe camps providing labour for the Elbia gunpowder works in Dörverden. They suffered the terrible trauma of not only having their child taken away immediately at birth but were also then forced back to work. The newborn babies were removed to a ‘Nursing Home’ but this facility lacked medical care and the babies were neglected with minimal effort made to keep them alive. The mothers were allowed to visit for 2 hours a week but were unable to intervene to help save their children. As a result most died within weeks of their birth and only one lived, briefly, beyond its first birthday. The names include 3 sets of twins. The full names of the 26 children are inscribed on the memorial and one known only by its surname. The inscription at the top of the memorial reads: ‘To the Children of Forced Labourers born and died 1944 to 1945’. More details can be found at the website of the History project by the Hauptschule Ganderkesse.

Those commemorated are (spellings as on the monument):

Heinz Amielle (France). 2 March – 15 April 1945.
Maurice Bogaert (Belgium). 1 month.
Nelly Buschman (Russia). 28 September 1944 - 16 March 1945.
Kosovec Colwerd (Russia). 16 January 1944 – 24 April 1945.
Walter Daelmann (Belgium). 28 January – 29 May 1945.
Wallerik Derchatschewa (Russia). 5 July 1944 – 22 March 1945.
Eddie Hooghe (Belgium).1 January – 25 April 1945.
Nikolai Jakimova (Russia). 22 August 1944 - 17 April 1945.
Valentina Kissilowa (Russia). 21 February – 1 May 1944.
Ivan Kleptikowa (Russia). 26 August 1944 – 15 January 1945.
Anny Krupilnitzka (Russia). 30 September – 25 December 1944.
Daniel Le Penn (France). 31 August – 31 December 1944.
Francoise Lemettre (France). 27 January – 24 March 1945.
Jeanine Lemettre (France), 27 January – 21 March 1945.
Solange Lesneur (France). 16 December – 27 December 1944.
Dusja Luncenko (Russia). 6 August 1944 – 21April 1945.
Anatoli Maisenko (Russia). 8 July – 26 December 1944.
Alfons Michiels (Belgium). 23 March 1944.
Robert Michiels (Belgium). 23 March 1944.
Peter Mokris (Czech Republic). 14 August – 6 November 1944.
Josef Radionova (Russia). 29 August – 24 September 1944.
Alexandra Romanowskaja (Russia). 6 – 23 August 1944.
Wassil Romanowskaja (Russia). 6 August 1944.
Nikolai Thatschenko (Russia). 4 October – 12 December 1944.
Helja Turlakowa (Russia). 25 August 1944 – 17 March 1945.
Valentina Vomitschowa (Russia). 14 February – 4 May 1945.
(No first name) Urban (Croatia). Died on birth day.

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Source

• Text: Andy Pegler
• Photos: Andy Pegler
• Schaapskopp.de