This cemetery no longer exists. Also known as Inselfriedhof. Helgoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea. Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands (population 1,127) are located in the Helgoland Bight (part of the German Bight) in the southeastern corner of the North Sea off of the Atlantic Ocean. It's about 30 miles from the German main land.

In 1945 Allied air forces bombed and severely damaged Helgoland and it's smaller islands. In the years following the British Royal Air Force used the archipelago for target practice and completely destroyed it, including the historic old cemetery (established in the 17th century). Helgoland remained under British occupation until the islands were returned to Germany in 1952.

When the first islanders returned they found the old cemetery to be gone, but found remains all over the area. Those were collected and placed in several wooden boxes. Unable to determine the actual persons, the boxes were re-interred underneath the new church in a bone chamber (Beinkammer).

The old cemetery was located approximately were the current one is. The names listed here are taken from remaining grave markers, now lining the wall of the new cemetery and a "Book of Remembrance", which is now displayed in the new St. Nicolai Church within the new cemetery. Every day a page gets turned and visitors can look at some of the names of those islanders that were originally buried in the historic cemetery.

A photo of that book of remembrance can be seen on the right. The German text translates to:

In this Book of Remembrance are listed the names of the deceased who had been laid to rest in the Island Cemetery when it was destroyed by bombs. Since in the hard fate of the island the dead were also not spared, when this House of God was built we recovered their remains and interred them in the foundation. This book lies over the bone chamber for continuous remembrance of the forefathers of this island and as a preserving admonition for all generations to guard against hate and vengeance. The living ask for the love and forgiveness of God, so that all restoration can have a prosperous course and a blessed completion.

Other burial grounds on Helgoland were and are:

Alter Friedhof Helgoland (defunct)

Friedhof Helgoland

Friedhof der Namenlosen