Hanö (3)

At the north end of the island, about, oh, 10 minutes walk from anywhere else, is an English Church Garden. So there is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England. It is actually a graveyard for sailors of the British Navy.

“Here rest English seamen, died while in service at Hanö 1810, 1811 and 1812”. Sweden was a Napoleonic fiefdom and thus exasperating to the British, who established a naval base here. Fifteen sailors lie buried here, in unmarked graves; they died of disease rather than enemy action; only two of their names are known. British warships still visit the site, and in 1973 set up a cross, made of oak from the mast of a British ship. Will readers please stand for “God Save the Queen”.

Crikey, look at that gut. I forgot to pull it in for the camera … woops. Actually, and amazingly, I am the SAME WEIGHT at this time as when I arrived in Sweden. Maybe the springs in the bathroom scales are becoming weakened with all the strain.

The inhabitants of Hanö still respect this site, and conduct outdoor church sevices here. “Inhabitants”, eh – 60 people live on the island, plus 300,000 tourists every summer. There are 240 species of flowers, and some hundreds of fallow deer.

Also marking this site, nearby there is a Work of Art, and a grave of a woman and two children who tragically died of cholera.

Following this substantial naval history, Hanö of course has coastal defences. Here they are: