- Contributed byÌý
- Isle of Wight Libraries
- People in story:Ìý
- Les Attrill, Heinrich Vidua
- Location of story:Ìý
- Ramsgate, Kent
- Article ID:Ìý
- A5964096
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 30 September 2005
The Grave of Heinrich Vidua, before and after the change of headstone.
This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Andy Walker and has been added to the website on behalf of Les Attrill with his permission and he fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.
In 1943, I was serving on board a motor gunboat (MGB118) operating out of Ramsgate. On the night of the 4th/5th April 1943, three MGBs met four German armed trawlers off Dunkirk, sinking one of them. 27 Germans were killed, but 13 were picked out of the sea and taken prisoner.
One of the prisoners was seriously injured. His name was Heinrich Vidner, and on our return to Ramsgate at daybreak he was quickly transferred to the local hospital. I saw him in the hospital the next day, in a bed opposite to one of our own crew who had been injured. He was under armed guard, but was being treated the same as one of our own men.
Sadly Heinrich did not survive his injuries, and I was detailed to be a member of the burial party for his internment in Ramsgate Cemetery. His grave was marked by a simple wooden cross bearing the name Heinrich Vidner. After the war I visited the grave on several occasions to pay my respects, the last time being in 1955.
At a much later visit — in 1996- I was intrigued to see the name on the War Graves Commission headstone was now Heinrich Vidua, with the dates 13/12/1920 to 5/4/1943. The date of death on the headstone indicates that he died later on the day of action.
Intrigued at this change of name, and worrying that I had been visiting the right grave I decided to investigate. I discovered from the War Graves Commission that the casualty was originally listed as Heinrich Vidner. However after the war the German authorities advised them that the surname was wrong and that Vidua was the correct name. As regards Maogef, this was an abbreviation of Matrosenobergefreiter which was his rank — equivalent to Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. It was agreed not to show ranks on the headstones of German war graves.
Photos of the headstones have now been placed in the German files in case a member of Heinrich Vidua’s family comes to light.
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