Gallery
Cemetery gate with name, the sign stating that cemetery is closed and under re-construction.
Swiss Club contact numbers indicated .. Inside to the left is a small office/storage building.
Annelotte Appenzeller 31.05.1940 - 16.08.2014.
She is last the person resting in the cemetery aged 74; she has two tomb stones.
"Time passes remembrance persists .."
One year earlier - 2013 - three names are found
Peter Eggimann 14.03.1942 - 12.06.2013 aged 71
Ulrich salzmann 15.04.1958 -15.06.2013 aged 55
and Marget Lewerenz aged 73.
André Bircher, the young man who came to Egypt aged 23 and lead a very successful life, was the first to rest in this piece of Swiss soil; next to him we find Henriette Stucki the wife of Henri Stucki one of the founders of the cemetery together with her one year old baby.
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Henriette (born Geisvillier) passed away 1918 at the young age of 36; it was her departure that triggered her husband Henri to be the first to donate for the Swiss cemetery project; her remains along with her baby were transferred to the cemetery 1927, two years after cemetery was opened.
There are three other cases of remains being transferred after opening the cemetery:
Ruckstuhl Carl (1897-1922) who passed away at the young age of 25, Bangerter Jean (1872-1924) both transferred 1926 and Cachin Jules François Louis (1924) transferred 1927; also four other cases of two sharing the same grave (# 1c, 68,129 &180) .
It is nice to read the words of remembrance chosen by the departed loved ones ..
Here they come in three languages ..
Impressive red granite grave maintained in very good shape.
It belongs to Jean Jacques Hug (18xx-1929) who established La Banque Hug & Co. in Cairo 1890; he lived in an impressive villa in Zamalek that still exist till today behind Baehler twin mansions.
Jean Bangerter who passed away 1924 is the second to join the cemetery after it was opened.
The Bless family counted over 20 persons spread over three generations all living in Egypt at the same time.
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Fridolin Afred Bless-Hossli (1868 - 1935) is the brother who chose to move to Cairo while his brother Paul remained in Alexandria, actually there is still a beach called after their name in Agami to this day: Bless beach.
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the first name on the tomb stone is spelled "Alfrid", is this a mistake?
In a few cases a whole family can be found, the father Adrien Veillon followed by the mother Josephine and ending with the daughter Marguerite (or Margo), one of the best 100 painters in the twentieth century.
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Dear Mr. Yehia Shalash,
Mabruk!
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My wife and I appreciate very much your outstanding support for the Swiss Cultural Heritage in Egypt, especially the Swiss Cemetery.
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As Swiss citizens, we feel ashamed about the unacceptable neglect of our cemetery since several years.
Please allow me a few words concerning its history:
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The Swiss cemetery was managed at the beginning by the Société Suisse de Secours du Caire. After the Suez crisis in 1956, many Swiss left the country. At the same time, the Egyptian authorities issued new, strict and time consuming regulations for any society in Egypt. For these reasons, the Swiss in Cairo decided to register only one holding association including all previous Swiss organisations as branches, called the Association de la Maison Suisse (AMS). It comprises different branches as for example the Swiss Club, the former Swiss School and the Swiss Cemetery.
I myself administered the Swiss Cemetery for 27 years (1982-2009) on behalf of the AMS. The financing was mainly secured by voluntary donations. A family of gardeners lived in its compound providing therefore security. They took care of the cleanliness and operated as well a nursery. They received a very low salary from the AMS / branch Swiss Club. It seems that around 2012 (?) the AMS refused to raise their salary. The gardener family left after decades of satisfactory work.
In 2015 I noticed a serious deterioration of the cemetery. I contacted the committee of the AMS. I was shocked that the president of the AMS considered himself only as president of the Swiss Club, ignoring that the cemetery is also under its responsibility. I delivered 4 times within 2 years a documentation proving that the cemetery is under the responsibility of the AMS / branch Swiss Club.
In 2016 the Swiss cemetery turned into a heap of rubbles. We felt deep sadness to pray for the Dead in the middle of garbage. We noticed yesterday (25th April 2017) a slight improvement.
The fundamental priority for a garden is water, which still does not exist.
The AMS must immediately solve this water problem.
We wish as well a substantial support and commitment from Swiss Companies in Egypt, as it had been done in the early eighties in restoring the Villa Pax.
5000 years of Egyptian History taught us to believe in the eternal cycle of Life – Death – Resurrection.
Whoever does not respect Death disturbs the harmony of Life.
Dr. Edouard Lambelet and Roswitha Lambelet
President of the AMS 1975-1977
Administrator of the Swiss Cemetery 1982-2009.
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May 1, 2017
This is the best presentation I was able to provide using the little resources on hand.
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The grave numbers are clear and the names are in DOCX list.
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North is to the left.
1 - 55
56 - 107
108 - 201
About half the Swiss Egyptians lived in Alexandria, half of them were involved with cotton business and were extremely active within the Alexandria community as well as among their own Swiss community.
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The once cosmopolitan Alexandria has a number of cemeteries for all faiths; the Swiss Egyptians never needed to have their own cemetery to accommodate Swiss community needs as did those living in Cairo, the British cemetery of Alexandria in particular was the resting place for all Protestant Swiss Egyptians of Alexandria.
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Unfortunately the records do not show the nationality of those resting in its confinement but I estimate the numbers to be equal to those of Cairo Swiss cemetery if not more.
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The cemetery is found at the Chatby district of Alexandria, it is managed by the British Embassy but unlike other British cemeteries that are kept in good shape, this one seems to be neglected.
Alexandria British Protestant Cemetery
Rosa Hilty (27.07.1921- 29.08.2014) is the last Swiss Egyptian resting in this cemetery (I had to adjust the contrast to bring out the tomb head engraving); the caretakers remember her fondly as she often used to visit the cemetery.
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Rosa was 18 and asthmatic. Her father Jacob Alfred Hilty was advised to take her to Helwan south of Cairo where the weather is dry. Instead, he fell in love with the area of Marriot west of Alexandria where the weather is also dry. He built a motel with B. Koffer as architect, which they named Desert Home at Ikingi Marriot where they settled.
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Alfred (12.08.1890 - 27.09.1969) and his wife Ida Lydia Hilty (23.06.1890- 30.12 1958) are resting together in the same grave;
Rosi continued living in Alexandria; she was elected president of the Alexandria Swiss Club and was the dean of all Swiss in Alexandria.
Johannes Hefti (1880 - 1959).
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His son Walter Hefti (03.08.1924 - 05.01.1969) died at the young age of 45.
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His wife Emma Hefti (04.02.1888 - 11.09.1970) and mother of Walter remained in Alexandria and passed away at the age of 82 one year after her son.
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I was not able to find any information related to the Hilty family; may be someone could help me.
Meinem herzensguten Gatten
in lieben Gedanken
Alfred Christian Burckhardt a child of the Burckharhdt family who passed away aged only 13 months.
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(04.10.1963 - 11.11.1964)
Linus Gasche, I am sure there is lots of stories behind that name.
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(12.07.1888 - 03.07.1962)
Lucie Koblet, she wrote:
"To be or not to be, telle n'est plus la question"
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(1935 - 2009)
Ernest Fluckiger; any Alexandrian who loves good pastry knows the name Fluckiger very well.
I was unable to find any information about the family or the business while I wan working on my book, may be someone can help me tell the story.
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(23.05.1897 - 07.08.1986)
Last but not least, Dr. Johannes Schiess Pacha.
Dr. Schiess arrived to Alexandria 1869, he soon established the third hospital in the city which he directed until his retirement in 1906, training staff, installing laboratories; the hospital was later the nucleus for the faculty of medicine.
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Dr. Schiess was also a prominent member of the Alexandria society, president of the Alexandria Greco-Roman Museum, Vice President of the first City Municipality Council, President of the Alexandria Doctors Association.
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His funeral was a solemn event and sad day for Alexandria.
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(1837 - 1910)
Special thanks to Susi Gebril - Hofstetter for her valuable contribution, assistance and input in preparing this Alexandria Protestant cemetery section.
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Suzy is living in Alexandria Egypt since 1958.
