Ritterkreuzträger Wilhelm Bach is one of two men who have more than one headstone located at Woodland Cemetery, Canada.
As a final sign of respect for a fallen comrade, Bach’s fellow POWS took great care in hand carving a solid wood headstone for his grave in Gravenhurst, Ontario.
The men who skillfully carved the headstone would not have been aware that the Major had been posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant. Consequently his rank of Major at his capture was used for the marker.
When Bach’s remains were exhumed from the Gravenhurst Cemetery and relocated to Woodland, the original headstone was moved too. However, that headstone no longer marks the location of Bach’s grave. Instead, a regulation, German-spec stone cross is now used in its place.
Placed in a prominent position within the cemetery’s alcove, the original marker now serves as a monument to Wilhelm Bach.
The wood marker has suffered over the years: Much shorter now, some of its original length has been cut off, presumably because of wood rot. Far more disturbing, it was defaced in April 1978, solely because of one reactionary Canadian Legion member.
The highest honour bestowed to Major Bach during his military career was the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross), which understandably had been carved into the headstone. This medal includes a swastika, which is integral to the Knight’s Cross design.
At one person’s behest, a person incapable of differentiating between politics, war crimes, and the bravery of common men whose only offense was to answer their country’s call during a time of war, a cemetery worker took a chisel to the wood marker and removed the swastika.
The original headstone for Bach's grave as it stood in Gravenhurst, Ontario. The photo was taken by one of Bach's men who also survived Halfaya Pass, but had been interred in Alberta. On the back of the photo, which shows his children at Bach's grave, is written "Hannelore brightens up the grave of my Major." The reverence held for Bach by the men he commanded is exemplified in this touching photo.
The original headstone as it looks today (2013). Shorter, and defaced as a result of ignorance, it no longer marks the location of Bach's grave.
The regulation, German government issued two-name.headstone now used to mark Bach's grave.
Source :
https://www.vorg.com/home/german-war-graves-in-canada/pow-history/oberstleutnant-wilhelm-bach/
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