The Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn (), sometimes called the Tallinn Military Cemetery (), is one of the three cemeteries of the Tallinn City Centre Cemetery (Estonian: ''Siselinna kalmistu''). It is situated about 3 kilometres outside the centre of
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, the capital of
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. During Estonian independence before the Soviet and German occupations of the 1940–1991 period, it was Estonia's foremost military cemetery.
History
The cemetery was established in the years of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
as the cemetery of the Tallinn garrison. The oldest grave dates back to 1916 and holds
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
,
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
, and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
soldiers killed during World War I.
Also buried there are one British
merchant seaman and four
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
personnel from the same war who died before the Armistice, in addition to seven Royal Navy and two
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
personnel who died during the period of the
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
, and one non-world war grave. Eight of the Royal Navy personnel had been reburied here from Tallinn Old Cemetery.
[ Named Tallinn Military Cemetery by the CWGC.]
The graves from 1918 to 1944, the gravestones of the Estonian soldiers and the monuments of the
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
were largely destroyed by the Soviet authorities and the graveyard was taken over by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
for use by the Soviet occupation forces after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
The graves of the fifteen
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
servicemen who died mostly in the
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...
between 1918 and 1920 were repaired in 1994.
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
appointed Linda Soomre an honorary
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) for dedication and bravery in protecting the British graves during the years of the Soviet rule. Soomre was in charge of the Tallinn City Centre Cemetery for 35 years. After the destruction of the gravestones she had made the ground overnight a maintenance area saving the remains of the British soldiers from being violated.
The graves are in a curbed graveled plot 75 yards inside from the cemetery main gate, in two rows, but because their exact locations could not be marked each man has a Special Memorial headstone.[ The graves are maintained by the ]Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
.
Linda Soomre also saved the graves of two Estonian generals, Johan Unt
Johan Unt (24 March 1876 Tarvastu Parish – 7 April 1930 Tallinn) was an Estonian military officer.Eesti entsüklopeedia 14: Eesti elulood. Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, 2000. Page 568
In 1901, he graduated from Vilnius Military School. He pa ...
and Ernst Põdder
Ernst-Johannes Põdder VR I/1 (10 February 1879 – 24 June 1932) was an Estonian military commander in the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence.
In 1900, Põdder graduated from the Vilnius Military Academy. In the Russo-Japanese war he a ...
, by keeping the burial sites covered with dirt. The monument for the generals, originally unveiled in 1933, was restored on 22 February 1998.
On 28 November 2012 the monument to those fallen in the Estonian War of Independence, originally unveiled in 1933, was restored. The registration book of people buried at this cemetery between years 1918–1944, with over 1,150 names, is maintained in Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
city central archives.
The only graves from 1918 to 1944 that survived the Soviet era in the graveyard was a dolomite statue in commemoration of the victims of Männiku explosion from 15 June 1936.
In mid-1990s a headstone which reads "To the Unknown Soldier: 1941–1945" in Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
and Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
was placed on the cemetery, financed by the Russian Embassy in Estonia.
A notable monument, "To those fallen in World War II", is the Bronze Soldier
The Bronze Soldier (, ) is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which were relocated to the nearby Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007. It was originall ...
, a two-meter statue of a soldier in Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
uniform with an accompanying stone structure. The statue was a part of a former Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
memorial by the sculptor Enn Roos
Enn Roos (20 September 1908 – 15 July 1990) was an Estonian sculptor. He was a member of the Pallas (society), Artists Society Pallas and a founding member of the Estonian Artists Association. Roos studied in the studios of Ants Laikmaa fro ...
and supervising architect Arnold Alas, and was moved from central Tallinn to the cemetery on 30 April 2007.
See also
* List of cemeteries in Estonia
* Bronze Soldier of Tallinn
The Bronze Soldier (, ) is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which were relocated to the nearby Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007. It was originall ...
* Military of Estonia
The Estonian Defence Forces () is the unified military force of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consists of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Estonian Defence League. T ...
References
External links
Military Cemetery
Estonia and the United Kingdom 1918–2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallinn, Defence Forces Cemetery Of
Cemeteries in Tallinn
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Monuments and memorials in Estonia
1916 establishments in the Russian Empire
Military history of Estonia
Soviet military memorials and cemeteries in Estonia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Estonia