Addis Ababa War Cemetery
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa Chartered City, Ethiopia
Addis Abbaba War Cemetery is approximately 9 kilometres from the city centre on Ambo Road, the main road to western Ethiopia, opposite the General Wingate School.
When Italy entered the war in June 1940, Ethiopia, which had been part of the Italian East African empire since 1936, became a threat to British positions in Egypt and the link by sea to the Far East and Australasia. Commonwealth forces took up defensive positions on Ethiopia's borders with Sudan to the west and Kenya to the south, and in mid-December 1940, after initial skirmishes with the Italians, the first of a series of offensives was launched from Kenya.
A strike east into Italian Somaliland secured the coastal port of Mogadishu in February 1941 which made possible an advance into the heart of Ethiopia. Within a month Harar had been taken and Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, was captured early in April, allowing the deposed Emperor Heile Selassie to return in May. Diminished Italian forces continued to withdraw north and the East African campaign in Ethiopia was not concluded until the end of November 1941 with the surrender of the last concentration of Italian forces at Gondar.
Addis Ababa War Cemetery contains 294 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, seven of which are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of three French airmen and 60 non-war burials.
Addis Abbaba War Cemetery is approximately 9 kilometres from the city centre on Ambo Road, the main road to western Ethiopia, opposite the General Wingate School.
When Italy entered the war in June 1940, Ethiopia, which had been part of the Italian East African empire since 1936, became a threat to British positions in Egypt and the link by sea to the Far East and Australasia. Commonwealth forces took up defensive positions on Ethiopia's borders with Sudan to the west and Kenya to the south, and in mid-December 1940, after initial skirmishes with the Italians, the first of a series of offensives was launched from Kenya.
A strike east into Italian Somaliland secured the coastal port of Mogadishu in February 1941 which made possible an advance into the heart of Ethiopia. Within a month Harar had been taken and Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, was captured early in April, allowing the deposed Emperor Heile Selassie to return in May. Diminished Italian forces continued to withdraw north and the East African campaign in Ethiopia was not concluded until the end of November 1941 with the surrender of the last concentration of Italian forces at Gondar.
Addis Ababa War Cemetery contains 294 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, seven of which are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of three French airmen and 60 non-war burials.
Nearby cemeteries
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa Chartered City, Ethiopia
- Total memorials7
- Percent photographed0%
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa Chartered City, Ethiopia
- Total memorials5
- Percent photographed0%
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa Chartered City, Ethiopia
- Total memorials4
- Percent photographed50%
Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa Chartered City, Ethiopia
- Total memorials4
- Percent photographed75%
- Added: 18 Dec 2007
- Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2243175
Success
Uploading...
Waiting...
Failed
This photo was not uploaded because this cemetery already has 20 photos
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this cemetery
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this cemetery
Invalid File Type
Birth and death years unknown.
1 photo picked...
2 photos picked...
Uploading 1 Photo
Uploading 2 Photos
1 Photo Uploaded
2 Photos Uploaded
Size exceeded
Too many photos have been uploaded
"Unsupported file type"
• ##count## of 0 memorials with GPS displayed. Double click on map to view more.No cemeteries found