Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2013
Contact: Suzanne Jalot
(252) 728-7317
suzanne.jalot@ncdcr.gov
CEREMONIES TO HONOR WORLD WAR II BRITISH AND CANADIAN
SAILORS BURIED ON FOREIGN SOIL
HATTERAS – Two ceremonies will be held in May to honor the sacrifices of foreign sailors who gave
their lives during World War II protecting the coast of the United States.
The British War Grave ceremonies will take place on May 9, at 11 a.m. at the British Cemetery in
Buxton and on May 10, at 11 a.m. at the British Cemetery in Ocracoke. The ceremonies honor the 63
foreign sailors who lost their lives just off the coast of the Outer Banks.
During World War II, German U-boats hunted along the Eastern Seaboard. Unprepared for the
attacks, the U.S. accepted assistance from the British Royal Navy, who helped patrol coastal waters. In
April 1942, British armed tanker San Delfino was sunk by the U-203 just off Pea Island. Two bodies
washed up on the shore of Hatteras Island about a month after the attack and are buried in Buxton.
In May 1942, HMS Bedfordshire was destroyed by German submarine U-558 near Ocracoke
Island. The bodies of Sub-Lieutenant Cunningham and Ordinary Telegraphist Second Class Craig were
found in the surf off Ocracoke Island on May 14 and buried with appropriate military honors in Ocracoke.
A week later, two more bodies were found in the ocean north of Ocracoke. These men, although never
identified, were assumed to have come from the Bedfordshire, and were interred alongside their shipmates
in what would become the Ocracoke British Cemetery.
The ceremonies are organized by the Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the
Ocracoke community, the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary 16-04, the National Park Service, the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission, students from the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal
Studies, students from the Ocracoke School and the Ocracoke Boy Scout troop.
The ceremonies are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Graveyard of the
Atlantic Museum at (252) 986-2995.
About the Museum
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located at 59200 Museum Drive in Hatteras, N.C Museum
hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and admission is free. The North Carolina Maritime
Museum system is comprised of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, the North Carolina
Maritime Museum at Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. All three museums
are part of the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
About the Department of Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27
historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony
Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. The N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources serves as a champion for North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly
300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more,
visit www.ncdcr.gov.
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PHOTO 1: An official salutes the fallen soldiers during the 2012 British War Graves ceremony.
PHOTO 2: Wreaths are placed upon each grave during the ceremony.