Please read this section first
Introduction
Since we wrote the first edition of this Guide Book to OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN in 2001 no other guide book covering the entire Corridor from Leopoldsburg to Arnhem-Oosterbeek and the full compass of the Operation has been published. Indeed this Guide remains the only one that does provide that coverage.
At the time of the Guide’s publication The Guards Magazine was kind enough to describe it as, ‘Absolutely indispensable for those who visit the areas to study the battles of 1944’.
Since its publication, however, there have been major changes along the five itineraries and the ‘on the ground’ contributions of some of our knowledgeable and enthusiastic Dutch friends have been invaluable in compiling this Update (they are listed under ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS below). They epitomise the generous spirit in which Dutch men, women and - especially pleasing – children, welcome the sadly dwindling band of Market-Garden Veterans who still come to attend the September commemorations of the Operation. They work hard to keep the memory alive of those who fought here for all our freedoms.
Tonie and Valmai Holt
Woodnesborough, Autumn 2013
The Aim of this Update
This new section of 40 pages updates the last edition of this guide with details of changes in roads, in memorials and museums and indicates where new memorials have been erected. It includes descriptions, photos and sketch maps where required. We have also taken account of the development of personal electronic communications and provide GPS references where changes have occurred and also QR codes for all museums.
Using a GPS/SatNav is strongly recommended.
How to Use This Update
The new section updates the original guide and should be read before using the main book.
The major road changes are all in Itinerary Two and concern the new A50 motorway between Eindhoven and Uden (Book Pages 84–117). Its construction has altered some directions needed to get from one place to another so much that it is easier sometimes to use the motorway rather than try to follow the original Corridor route. If you are following Itinerary Two we strongly suggest that you become familiar with the information under the ‘New or Changed Roads’ section and consult the simple sketch map on page x.
There are some 50 pictures of new memorials which are grouped on ‘GROUP PICTURE PAGES’ and a list of their captions appears immediately before or after each picture page, with the reference that appears in their relevant text, shown thus: GPP1-A etc.
We have updated the book under the following headings:
QR Codes – instant within-book links to Internet Information Page viii
GPS References – we have given all updated sites GPS references Page viii
Selected Websites – to save readers from endless searching we have recommended sites for further information Page vii
The Liberation Route – the gradual route-signing from the UK to Berlin Page ix
New or Changed Roads – primarily in Itinerary Two Page ix
New Memorials – most are at the northern end of the battlefield Page xxviii
New or Changed Museums – all museums have QR codes Page xxxii
Re-enactment Organisations – we have selected carefully here to ensure that those featured have a genuine and respectful attitude towards the events of 1944 Page xxxii
Local Battlefield Guides – we recommend only those that we know personally Page xxxiii
Dutch Recognition for General Sosabowski Page xxxv
The Exodus and a family story Page xxxvi
Commemorative Organisations amendments Page xxxvii
New Tourist Information Page xxxvii
Acknowledgements Page xxxiii
Photo Credits Page xxxx
QR Codes:
instant in-text links to MUSEUM Information
Instant links to Museums websites are available in this book by scanning with a smart phone the nearby symbol (it looks like this – QR – and is known as a QR Code, i.e. ‘Quick Response’. Consult your manufacturer’s User Guide for details. The phone will then be connected to the appropriate website. Thus visitor information etc will be constantly updated and available wherever there is an Internet Connection.
GPS References
The advent of in-car and portable Satellite Navigation Systems has made it possible for visitors to go directly to the place they wish to visit, particularly if time is short so that a full Itinerary cannot be followed. Therefore we have included digital GPS references for all Museums and all new Memorials, thus enabling direct visits. In Itinerary Two, where considerable road changes have occurred, we have listed all visits with GPS references in order to simplify navigation.
Selected Websites
In the period since the first publication of this guide the Internet has evolved into a source of information derived not just from old ‘academic’ or recorded contemporary sources, but also as a gateway into a treasure trove of detail uncovered and recorded by modern enthusiastic amateurs. It also can provide details of planned developments. However, it can also offer so much information that it becomes overwhelming, confusing and time-wasting in clicking from one site to another to find information. Therefore we have given, where appropriate, sites that we feel can add most to the reader’s experience. They all have a QR Code for immediate access.
This official site is maintained by the Dutch National Committee for Remembrance which was set up by Royal Decree after the war. It offers many facilities both for citizens and for visitors and is our recommended first stop when searching the web for information about visiting the Netherlands to tour the Market-Garden battlefields. It has excellent search options by place name and memorial name.
If you do not have automatic translation facilities on your computer you can access information by starting at the top row and clicking as follows: Monumentum – Monumentum Zoeken – then, under ‘Zoek een Monument’, enter the town name in the ‘Plaats’ box where you wish to find a memorial and then click ‘Zoeken’. Good luck!
This is the oldest established (1995) website of substance and was created and is maintained by Andries Hoekstra assisted from 1998 by Frans Ammerlaan. It is in English and is truly the most comprehensive online authority on the Market-Garden Operation with over 4,000 KIA records and more than 5,000 photographs.
This is an extraordinary site which seemingly has set out to record all museums and memorials around the world. The information is provided by users. The search facility is excellent, certainly a good back up if the information you want cannot be found elsewhere. It is available in Dutch and in English.
This site, entirely run by volunteers, is titled, ‘A Living History of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces’. It is a remarkable source of detailed information and is part of the Airborne Assault Registered Charity.
The “Liberation Route”
The Liberation Route is the route taken by the Allies from Normandy to Berlin. In Normandy this is known as ‘Liberty Highway’ and is marked from the beaches by ‘Kilometer Stones’ beginning with Kilometer 00 on UTAH Beach (see our Normandy Guide Book 6th Edition pages 60 and 61 for details). The current Dutch marking involves some 50 or so sites across Holland where an information board and a ‘Listening Stone’ are installed. Using a mobile phone, an MP3 player or a smart phone, visitors can hear stories on the spot from people who lived in the area during the war. These stories can also be downloaded from the Liberation Route website at any time. www.liberationroute.com QR or, while in Holland, by phoning 0900 54 23 728.
Maps showing the current locations of the stones are available from tourist offices and the website suggests ‘mini tours’.
NEW OR CHANGED ROADS
1. THE A50 MOTORWAY AND ITINERARY TWO – BOOK PAGES 85-117
On Page 84 of the Guide Book we mentioned the then-current road works around the area south of Son up to Uden north of Veghel. These have now been completed in the form of the A50 which bypasses much of the lower Corridor route described in Itinerary Two. This is illustrated in the simple Diagram 1.
One particularly challenging change is the disappearance of any on-the-ground reference to the N265, a road we refer to often in Itinerary Two (Pages 88-117) as most of it was the original Corridor road. The areas around it are now considerably built up. It is sometimes identified by signs such as ‘Corridor’, but has often disappeared under the A50 or been cut in half by it. Therefore we suggest two ways in which Itinerary Two can be followed: 1. Using the A50 and exiting as described below OR 2. Avoiding the A50 and navigating by map and GPS. We give the appropriate GPS references.
USING THE A50 FOR ITINERARY TWO
It is assumed that the traveller is moving north on the A50. The places below are listed in geographical order. The directions take you to the first stop at that location as set out in Itinerary Two. Other stops at that location can be visited by using the original directions. After that the options are to try to navigate via ‘normal’ roads if you are willing to risk your relationship with the map reader, or alternatively to travel using the frequent invitations to use the A50. The box on the right lists in sequence all the recommended visits in the affected area, thus they can simply be taken by using a GPS.
Extra visits can be taken as described in the book
Getting to Son and beyond from the A50.
Continue around Eindhoven to the west and take Exit 6. At the roundabout turn left signed Ekkersrijt. Continue to the T junction and turn right (east). Continue under the A50 to the roundabout and turn left onto Kanaalstraat, the original Corridor road (though quite different in 1944!). This road (once the N265) leads to, and over, the bridge at Son, (Page 88) the itinerary starting with a stop just before the bridge if you can find a space! Note: if you are travelling from Eindhoven centre the original directions may be used from there. The 101st AB Div Memorial is at GPS 51.47605 5.48990.
Getting to Veghel from the A50. Come off the A50 at Exit 10. At the traffic lights turn right and at the next roundabout turn left onto the Corridor road following the signs to Veghel-Centrum. Cross the bridge and take the first Exit signed N279 Helmond then turn left towards Veghel as per Page 113. The 101st Airborne Memorial is at GPS 51.61557 5.53994.
Getting to Uden from the A50. Come off at Exit 14 and at the roundabout turn right signed to Uden. At the second roundabout also turn right signed to Uden. The scheduled visit here is to the CWGC Cemetery (Page 116) whose signing has been disturbed by all the road changes and it will pay to be on the lookout. However, the GPS is 51.66389 5.61245. To continue to Grave, return to the second roundabout and turn right, signed to Zeeland and follow the directions below for Grave.
Getting to Grave from the A50. In our view if you miss Grave you miss a lot of the story. Take Exit 14 and follow the signs to Zeeland (do not go into the village, though the original Corridor did). At the roundabout junction with the N277 go straight over and then at the roundabout with the N324 turn right following the signs to Grave. The route then continues as described in the book from Page 117. The bridge is at GPS 51.76815 5.73229. You are now on the original Corridor route.
2. A NEW BRIDGE FROM NIJMEGEN TO THE ISLAND
A new bridge is being constructed at the exact point where the Americans paddled over in 1944 and much building is underway on ‘The Island’ north of the River Waal around Lent (see Diagram 2). Thus the crossing point OP described on Book Page 168 no longer exists. The works will inevitably alter access routes to the area but the skein of roads that define OPERATION MARKET- GARDEN will remain as shown in our Holts’ Map (wrapped with this book) and it may be that viewpoints from the new bridge will offer a birds-eye view of the area of fighting around the river.
ITINERARY TWO VISITS IN SEQUENCE
101ST AB DIV MEM, SON –
PAGE 88, 51.47605 5.48990
SON BRIDGE BRIDGEHEAD MEM –
PAGE 88, 51.50495 5.49238
SCREAMING EAGLES MEM, SON –
PAGE 89, 51.50752 5.48832
AIRBORNE MEM, SON –
PAGE 91, 51.51366 5.48920
H. L. PIERCE MEM TREE, SON –
PAGE 92, 51.52497 5.47228
JOE MAN BRIDGE MEM, BEST –
PAGE 93, 51.50281 5.41928
WINGS OF LIBERATION MUS, BEST –
PAGE 95, 51.51535 5.43829
JOE MANN MEM THEATRE, BEST –
PAGE 96, 51.51388 5.43549
PARACHUTE MEM, PAULUSHOEVE –
PAGE 97, 51.52684 5.46339
101ST AB MEM, ST OEDENRODE –
PAGE 100, 51.56334 5.46512
CASTLE HENKENSHAGE, ST OED –
PAGE 100, 51.55939 5.45626
44TH R TANKS TROOPERS, ST OED –
PAGE 101, 51.56946 5.45250
437 SQN RCAF MEM (OFF ROUTE) -
PAGE 101, 51.58425 5.4981
OLD MILL DE KOEVERING –
PAGE 101, 51.58682 5.49237
44TH R TANKS GRAVES, EERDE –
PAGE 102, 51.60475 5.49649
501ST PIR GERONIMO MON, EERDE –
PAGE 102, 51.60555 5.49212
VEGHEL BRIDGE, VEGHEL –
PAGE 113, 51.60815 5.53268
101ST AB DIV MEM, VEGHEL –
PAGE 114, 51.61557 5.53994
UDEN CWGC CEMETERY, UDEN –
PAGE 116, 51.66389 5.61245
During the work, which has already begun, the memorials marking the route of the American’s crossing have been temporarily removed (see below).
A new island is being created in the Waal and both there and around Lent much building development is planned.
NEW MEMORIALS
(The Reference GPP?/? refers to the illustration of the Memorial on the relevant Group Picture Page)
Unlike in Normandy, or along the Western Front, there have been relatively few recent new memorials, though since the beginning of WW2 it is claimed over 3,500 have been put up in the Netherlands! The Dutch have been firm about controlling any recent proliferation of memorials that might lessen the relevance or importance of those already in place. Where something new and directly appropriate has been introduced on, or close to, our recommended routes, we have included it below. Some memorials, such as that to the 504th PIR Waal Crossing (Book Pages 183, 184) (Map 1/28) have ‘disappeared’ during construction works (Book Page 168) but will return in due course. The new memorials are listed by place name in alphabetical order with their Group Picture Page (GPP) references.
Arnhem. New B-25 Mitchell Memorial. GPS 51.97038 5.91435.
Address: Malburgse Bandijk, Arnhem. GPP1/A
This was unveiled on 21 June 2011. The memorial commemorates the 25 September crash of a Mitchell bomber of 98 Squadron RAF shot down by German aircraft. Three members of the crew were killed – Flying Officer Thomas Lennie and Flt Sgt Bruce Williams, both of the Royal Australian Air Force (who are buried in Oosterbeek CWGC Cemetery) and Flt Lt Charles Carter RAFVR who is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. It is believed that Williams parachuted from the aircraft but was shot by Germans as he descended. Local man Frits Baars buried him in a temporary grave whose position is now marked by a simple cross. The fourth member of the crew, Canadian Frank Bowmaster, survived and his son attended the ceremony, as did children from the village of Schaarsbergen. A remarkable record of the ceremony produced by the St Neptune Association is on U Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3r3Xi6TegQ
Arnhem. Exodus Memorial. GPS 51.97887 5.89902. Address: The Praet, 6841 HD, Arnhem. GPP1/B
This is one of three Exodus Memorials (they are not all the same) and is on the South Bank beside the new Nelson Mandela Bridge. The first marker was unveiled in April 2010 in Huissen local cemetery and this memorial was unveiled 12 June 2010. Following the fighting of September 1944 much of the area around Arnhem was on fire or destroyed and in October the Germans ordered the evacuation to the north of the river of all the civilians from Elden, Malburgen (south of Arnhem) and Huissen. The bridge (John Frost) was unusable and the ferries were out of order so old boats were used to ferry the people across at the point where the Nelson Mandela Bridge now is. The Exodus is commemorated each year by walking events along the dykes following the 1944 route. There are three routes – 10km, 15km and 25 km and a map of them can be seen on the website www.airbornemuseum.nl A third memorial was unveiled in Huissen on 25 June 2011. See also Huissen below
A website covering Exodus activities is being developed at http://www.exodushuissen.nl/ by the Exodus Committee.
Arnhem. Resistance Memorial. GPS 51.98220 5.914022. Address: Musis Sacrum, Arnhem. GPP1/C
This is a large picture of clouds on an aluminium plate on the back of the building once used by the German army. A rough free translation of the Dutch text across the image is,
‘If the majority are silent someone must speak out’.
Batenburg. Book Page 120 (Grave Bridge). Stirling crash memorial. GPS 51.82109 5.62930. Address: Ringdijk, Batenburg. GPP1/D. Flt Sgt Conry-Candler Headstone, Batenburg RC Cemetery. GPP1/E
The memorial consists of parts of the Stirling’s landing gear which were found in 2003. It is 6 miles north-west up the River Meuse from the Grave Bridge. On 21 September 1944 the plane was returning from a supply run to Arnhem and was shot down by German fighters. It crashed into the river, the pilot directing the aircraft away from the village, much as Flt Lt Jon Egging directed his Hawk T1 aircraft away from Throop village at the Bournemouth Air Festival in August 2011. In 1944 villagers rushed to help and three members of the crew were saved. Flt Sgt George Felix Conry-Candler, one of those who was killed and to whom this memorial is primarily dedicated, is buried in Batenburg Roman Catholic Cemetery under a Dutch headstone. The prime mover for the project was Sjaak Arts. Unveiled 21 September 2004.
CAPTIONS FOR GROUP PICTURE PAGE 1 |
|
GPPI/A |
Mitchell Memorial, Arnhem |
GPPI/B |
Exodus Memorial, The Praet, Arnhem |
GPPI/C |
Resistance Memorial, Musis Sacrum, Arnhem |
GPPI/D |
Stirling Crash Memorial, Batenburg |
GPPI/E |
Headstone of Flt Sgt Conry-Candler; Batenburg RC Cemetery |
GPPI/F |
Robert Cole Memorial, Best |
GPPI/G |
Civilian Refugees Memorial, Doornenburg |
GPPI/H |
RAF Memorial, Doorwerth |
GPPI/I |
Gen Sosabowski Memorial, Driel |
Best. Lt Col Robert Cole Memorial. GPS 51.51560 5.42659. Address: Schietbaanlaan 5681, Best. GPP1/F
The parachute-shaped memorial carries the emblem of the 101st AB Div and a picture of Lt Col Cole, whose bayonet charge in June 1944 won him the Medal of Honor (which we cover in our Normandy Guide-Book). Lt Col Cole was shot by a sniper on 18 September 1944 just a few yards from where the memorial stands.
His son, Bruce Cole, unveiled the memorial on 18 September 2009. Lt Col Cole is buried in the American Cemetery at Margraten.
Doornenburg. Civilian Refugees Memorial. GPS 51.89908 6.00264. Address: Rijndijk 6686 MR, Doornenburg. GPP1/G
Unveiled 15 September 2001. This depicts a mother and her four children and is near the site of the temporary pontoon ferry used both to evacuate refugees during the war and to carry German soldiers south to defend ‘The Island’. The memorial is known as ‘The Flight’.
It was at Doornenburg that a pre-fabricated Bailey Bridge was built by Royal Canadian Engineers in preparation for the April 1945 Operation Cannonshot, the crossing of the River Ijssel in order to take Arnhem.
Doorwerth. RAF Memorial. GPS 51.97798 5.80240. Address: Opposite 20 Bentinklaan, Doorwerth. GPP1/H
On 21 September 1944 Stirling LJ-928 of 196 Squadron of 38 Group Transport Command crashed here during a re-supply flight to Oosterbeek. All the crew and air despatchers were killed. The memorial, which was unveiled on 13 September 2004, is a quite small column and easily missed because its size is exaggerated by the angle of the photo. It stands in the grounds of the Reboth School, thanks to the school governors. The inspiration for the memorial was that of local man Philip Reinders and the Arnhem Battle Research Group who set out to commemorate not just the crew of the Stirling, but all those of the RAF who flew over this area between 17 and 25 September 1944. The memorial cost some 4,500 Euros.
Driel. Sosabowski Memorial. Book Page 268. GPS 51.96125 5.81406. Address: Poleinplein 665 CN, Driel. GPP1/I
Unveiled on 16 September 2006 by his great-grandson Hal Sosabowski, the black panels behind the main memorial carry the following message:
‘Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski and his first Polish Independent Parachute Brigade fought gallantly beside their British comrades at the battle of Arnhem in 1944. After the battle the General’s outstanding military career was ended in unfair dismissal.
[by General Browning in December 1944].
The British veterans of Arnhem have raised this memorial to record their enduring admiration for an inspiring Commander, a fearless fighter for freedom and a great Polish hero’.
The memorial was designed by Vivien Mallock (see our Normandy and Western Front-South books).
Readers may know that Sosabowski (qv) was not popular with the British Establishment (see Book Page 24) because he spoke his mind. He was badly treated after the war, virtually ostracised by those in power and ended up working for a weekly wage. He died in Hillingdon Hospital in 1967 and was buried with full military honours in Warsaw.
Elden. Book Pages 191, 264. Wiltshire Memorial (Battle of the Island). GPS 51.94653 5.84328. Address: Marasingel, Arnhem. GPP2/J
This commemorates the 4th and 5th Battalions who fought in the Netherlands between 22 September and 6 October 1944. Three days after Market-Garden began the Regiment moved north, having started in Normandy in June. The 4th Battalion took part in the 43rd (Wessex) Division’s capture of Elst (Book Page 191) while the 5th moved north across the Island towards Arnhem. Both Battalions were engaged in heavy fighting around the road and rail junction south west of Elden (GPS 51.94409 5.85282) (Book Page 264) until they were relieved on 5 October. Fierce fighting against German armour also took place around the De Laar Farm which once stood where the memorial now is. The wave shapes of the memorial, designed by TirzaVerrips, represent both the journey from Normandy made by the Regiment and the constant attacks by the Germans.
Elst. Book Page 177. Sgt Peter Robinson Viaduct. GPS. 51.86403 5.85949. Address: Griftdijk Noord, 6663 Lent. GPP2/K
In the 1980s we travelled often to Holland with Sergeant Peter Robinson and he would tell us his story of the crossing of the Nijmegen Bridge on the ground where it happened. It was clear to us that what took place in this area on the northern side of the Bridge after the Guards tanks had crossed was a major factor in the time taken to drive on towards Arnhem. Accordingly, we named the railway bridge here as ‘The Robinson Tunnel’. It is pleasing to see that Peter has now been formally acknowledged with the ‘Peter Robinson Viaduct’ sign.
Grave. Book Pages 121, 122. John S. Thompson Bridge. GPS. 51.76976 5.73798. Address: Rijksweg 6612, Nederasselt. GPP2/L
The bridge is now named the John S. Thompson Bridge and the name plaque was unveiled by his wife Phyllis Thompson on 17 September 2004. The plaque on the side of the memorial gives an account of the action in which the small force under Lt Thompson captured the bridge, having first taken the blockhouse.
Groesbeek. C47 (Billy Connelly) Memorials. GPS 51.80562 5.95863. Address: Waldgraaf 8, 6561KT, Groesbeek. GPP2/M/N
The main memorial is a bronze plaque to the crash of a C-47A of 100 Sqn, 441st Troop Carrier Group, 1Xth Troop Carrier Command on 17 September 1944, naming Texan 1st Lt Billy J. Connelly, the pilot, and four of his crew. The C47 was hit by flak on its way to Holland but continued and successfully released all 15 parachutists over Drop Zone T. Then the plane was hit again. Before it crashed the Flight Engineer managed to bail out but the rest of the crew were killed. There are two other plaques on plinths in the garden, one of which is shown here. The memorials were unveiled on 17 September 2006 by Major Richard D. Mudrow and 1st Lt Jean G. Crawford of 100 Sqn. The Group was involved in the Normandy landings, dropping paratroops of the 101st Airborne Division behind UTAH Beach on 6 June and towing in gliders the following day. On 17 September 1944 it dropped men of the 82nd and 101st AB Divisions and towed in gliders carrying re-inforcements on the 18th and 23rd. The main plaque is on the outside corner wall of the house. The plaques were organised by the Holland Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association.
Groesbeek. Sgt Clarence Prager DSC Plaque. GPS 51.76372 5.95946. Address: Ashorst 24, 6562 KV, Groesbeek. GPP2/O
Twenty six years old Sgt Prager of Coy I, 3rd Battalion 505 PIR, commanded a small weapons team charged with defending glider landing zones. Over 17-18 September Prager and his men came under intense fire, Prager sometimes fighting alone with his Thompson submachine gun. Wounded, he died of his injuries on 19 September 1944 and was buried in the meadow next to the house. In recognition of his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The memorial was unveiled on 10 December 2005 by US Veteran William Humphrey Tucker on behalf of the 82nd Airborne C47 Club. It is quite small and on the front right hand side of the house. The American Battle Monuments Commission does not list Prager.
Groesbeek. Book Page 144. GPS 51.77328 5.93364. Address: Zuid Molen, Herwendaalseweg 1, 6562 AG, Groesbeek.
There are now two plaques on the mill commemorating the Spring 1945 offensive by the British and Canadians when this area was used as an Army HQ and artillery park. The South Mill memorial that is pictured on Book Page 146 has been moved across the road to GPS 51.77364 5.93506. Address: De Meent 6562 CZ Groesbeek.
Groesbeek. Liberation Route Boulder No. 9. Book Pages 147/148. GPS 51.75877 5.92134. Address: Klein America Corner, Groesbeek. GPP2/P
This is one of the so-called ‘listening stones’ marking the Liberation Route (see below) where an audio account of what happened can be accessed via a phone call. There is another Klein America in Heelsum Book Page 205 and it is easy to confuse the two. The picture shows a typical boulder.
GPP2/J |
Wiltshire Memorial, Marasingel, Arnhem |
GPP2/K |
Sgt Peter Robinson Viaduct, Lent |
GPP2/L |
John S. Thompson Bridge, Grave |
GPP2/M |
C47 ‘Billy Connelly’ Memorial, Groesbeek |
GPP2/N |
C47 ‘Billy Connelly’ Plaque, Groesbeek |
GPP2/O |
Sgt Clarence Prager; DSC Plaque, Groesbeek |
GPP2/P |
Typical Liberation Route Boulder, Klein America, Groesbeek |
GPP2/Q |
Maj HEJ Lister Memorial, Hechtel-Eksell |
GPP2/R |
Band of Brothers, WH Dukeman Memorial, Heteren/Randwijk |
Hechtel. Major H. E. J. Lister Memorial. GPS 51.12616 5.36637. Address: Rhijnweg 2, 3940 Hechtel-Eksel. GPP2/Q
Major Lister joined the Welsh Guards as a soldier although he was an ordained priest with a Parish at Purley. He gained a reputation as a brave soldier and was awarded the MC. Bob Vranken (qv, pictured beside the memorial), who designed and built the memorial, determined that Lister should be remembered and in his researches found that Lister was killed when, trying to encourage some young SS soldiers to surrender, they shot him with a machine gun. The memorial is on the spot where he died. It was unveiled in September 2009 and was visited later that month by the Reverend William Pryor, Lister’s grandson.
Hechtel. Memorial Sherman. Book Page 54. Holts’ Map 1S/6. GPS 51.12574 5.36345.
This has been moved from its original position some 300 yards west along Kemperbaan and is on the left. The Plaques are on a new stone-filled wall behind it.
Heeswijk-Dinther. Book Page 112. Holts’ Map 1S/85. GPS 51.64886 5.46675
The small Paratrooper statuette in the Liberation Chapel was missing in 2012.
Heteren/Randwijk. Band of Brothers. William Heister Dukeman Mem. GPS 51.9586 5.7313. Address: Dyke road crossroads between Heteren and Randwijk. GPP2/R
The memorial here to W. H. Dukeman of Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101st AB Div, remembers him as the only casualty in an action which is depicted in Part 5, the ‘Crossroads’ episode, of the Band of Brothers television series. On this spot late in the evening of 5 October 1944 an American patrol was confronted by over 100 Germans and despite being outnumbered drove the enemy back towards the river. The only casualty was Dukeman. He is buried in Margraten US Cemetery (Book Page 272). Jos Bex (qv) traced Dukeman’s family and the following May invited them to Margraten to visit the grave and to be presented by the American Ambassador with the US flag that had covered Dukeman’s coffin. A memorial was put up by Mr Bernie Van Doorn in May 2005 but was later accidentally damaged beyond repair. The present memorial (pictured) was also envisaged by Van Doorn but the funds were raised by Martin Veggelers and Jos Bex, both of the ‘Never Forget Them Association’ (qv) http://www.never-forget-them.nl/
It was placed in the same position as the original on 7 August 2011 and inaugurated on the 19th by the NFT. Jos Bex is standing by the memorial in the picture.
The text explains that,
‘This monument is dedicated to those who gave the highest price for us to live in freedom.’
Hoogeloon. Book Page 68. Eddie Jones Plaque. Holts’ Map 1S/26. GPS 51.39494 5.26713 GPP6/v
This has been moved to a metal post with three other Plaques: 1. to Jan Goossens, 2. To Jan Balduck, 3. to William Williams, Nick Pehote, John Burke and Jacob Faasse.
Huissen. Two Exodus Memorials. Book Page 177.
1. GPS 51.93000 5.94110. Address: Bloemstraat, 6851 VH, Huissen.
On 25 June 2011 an Exodus memorial (see under Arnhem above) was unveiled on Bloemenstraat in Huissen (Lingewaard) with great ceremony and with a piper. It is similar to GPP3/S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_QLTu5m3Vs
2. GPS 51.93589 5.94153. Address: Doelenstraat, 6851 GT, Huissen. GPP3/S
This is an earlier memorial which was unveiled in Huissen on 20 April 2010. In the form of a silver plaque on a brick stand, it names three local men who were drowned on 21 October 1944 while manning the boats taking the evacuees across the river. Earlier that day they had safely taken their own families across.
Joe’s Bridge. Irish Guards Memorial. Book Page 57. GPS 51.23807 5.37865. Address: Vaartstraat 3920, Lommel. GPP3/T
In 2011 the memorial was moved from the confined bridge area to an open space south of the bridge, presumably to make it more accessible. There is a Liberation Route boulder beside it. On approaching the canal from the south the small memorial area can be driven to by turning left at the last small road before the bridge and following it around and back under the bridge. The road is not suitable for coaches. There is a pedestrian entrance to the park on the right of the main road just before the bridge.
Leopoldsburg. ‘Splendid’ Cinema Plaque. Book Page 47. GPS 51.11654 5.25865. Address: N746, 3970, Leopoldsburg. GPP3/U
The old bombed site (the remains of the cinema were removed in 1976) has now been developed into a residential building on whose wall the plaque was placed on 22 April 2006.
Nijmegen. Book Page 183. 504th Crossing Memorial, North Bank.
The building work in the area has meant that the memorial has had to be moved. The original flat panel stone, which listed all the paratroopers killed in the crossing, was taken to the U.S. Army base at Heidelberg by the Royal Dutch Army and Johan van Asten of Oosterhout in October 2007. Then from there it went to the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Its replacement is currently held in a local school. The upright stones are now being repaired and will be installed when the new bridge is finished in 2013-2014.
Nijmegen. 504th Crossing Plaque, South Bank. Book Page 168. GPS 51.85589 5.84094. Address: Winselingsweg 12, 6541 AK Nijmegen. GPP3/V
The south bank memorial, designed by Thea van den Heuvel/DAPh, was unveiled on 20 September 2007 by the mayor of Nijmegen and carries the words:
From this spot paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, 504th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division fearlessly crossed the Waal in vulnerable boats on September 20th 1944. Many did not reach the other side. The survivors succeeded in securing the bridges on the north side. Nijmegen could now be liberated. We salute their heroism.
Nijmegen. New Road (‘Crossing’) Bridge. Book Page 168. GPP3/W
The bridge, which will span the line of the crossing made from the southern bank (Holts’ Map1N/8a) to the general area of the 504th Memorial on the north bank (Book Page 183) will be called the ‘Crossing’ Bridge, (see Sketch 2 above). In Dutch that is ‘de Oversteek’. On the 65th Anniversary, returning 504th veteran James ‘Maggie’ Megellas carried the new sign for the bridge at a ceremony arranged by the Never-Forget-Them Association (qv). The picture shows Megellas and behind him is veteran Walter Hughes also of the 504th. The uniformed line-up is of re-enactors of that Association.
Nijmegen. Allied Bombing Memorial. GPS 51.83144 5.83253. Address: Graafseweg Cemetery. 6,532 ZR, Nijmegen. GPP3/X
Designed by Remy Kruytzer, the memorial in the form of a split upright black stone, was unveiled on 19 February 2005. It commemorates the casualties from the Allied raid on 22 February 1944 when over 1,200 houses in Nijmegen were destroyed. The total number killed has never been established but it must have been close to 1,000. The bombing is generally believed to have been a mistake due to the pilots of the 446th Bomber Group of the US 8th Airforce, who unable to identify their planned targets due to bad weather, and believing that they were still over Germany, dropped their bombs at what they took to be opportunity targets.
Nijmegen. V1 Bombing Memorial. GPS 51.84930 5.8427. Address: Biezenstraat 149, 6,451 Z8, Nijmegen. GPP3/Y
On 18 February 1945 a V1 ram-jet flying bomb fell in this area destroying a number of houses and killing at least four people. The memorial was the initiative of Anton Ruijters who lived in the district as a boy, and it was funded by the Convent La Source. It was unveiled on 18 February 2010 by a number of relatives of those killed. It is quite small and very hard to see.
Oosterbeek. Hartenstein Museum. Book Page 213. RAF Aircrew Memorial. GPS 51.98800 5.83248. Address: Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ, Oosterbeek. GPP3/Z
This was the brainchild of the indefatigable Alan Hartley the founder of the RAF Down Ampney Association (qv). Alan set out to raise the thousands of pounds needed by contacting every likely source of funds. Sir John Bond, Chairman of HSBC, sponsored a £10,000 donation in recognition of a predecessor, a Mr Grayburn, the father of Lt Grayburn who won a VC at Arnhem. General Anthony Deane-Drummond (an Arnhem veteran who escaped from the Germans by hiding in a cupboard for 13 days) lent his support, the Dutch firm TNT volunteered to transport the bronze eagle to Holland free of charge. Lord Ashcroft donated £1,000. Originally the idea was to have the memorial in Renkum in the area of the drop and landing zones but the local authority felt that they had enough memorials and so it was unveiled in the grounds of the Hartenstein Museum on 15 September 2006. In Oosterbeek, the permissions required for the placing of the memorial and the work of the local tradesmen in erecting it as well as the arrangements for the unveiling of the memorial, were the work of Arie-Jan van Hees and Frans Ammerlaan. Later, for security, in view of the growth of metal theft, the memorial was moved further back in the museum grounds. The eagle, based upon one in our own collection, was cast by Morris Singer, the company that produced our memorial plaque to Bruce Bairnsfather in St Yvon in Belgium, and the black granite column of the memorial was made in Oosterbeek. Alan told us that the memorial cost £18,000 and that the annual ‘protection’ insurance is £500 – donations are welcome! p.hartley@tesco.net
CAPTIONS FOR GROUP PICTURE PAGE 3 |
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GPP3/S |
Three Local Men Exodus Memorial, Huissen |
GPP3/T |
Irish Guards Memorial, Joe’s Bridge, Lommel |
GPP3/U |
Cinema ‘Splendid’ Plaque, Leopoldsburg |
GPP3/V |
504th Crossing Plaque, Nijmegen |
GPP3/W |
New Road (Crossing) Bridge Sign, Nijmegen |
GPP3/X |
Allied Bombing Memorial, Nijmegen |
GPP3/Y |
VI Bombing Memorial, Nijmegen |
GPP3/Z |
RAF Crew Memorial with Alan Hartley, Hartenstein, Oosterbeek |
GPP3/a |
Soldier and Flower Girl Memorial, Hartenstein, Oosterbeek |
Oosterbeek. Hartenstein Museum. Book Page 213. Soldier with a Flower Girl Memorial. Location see above. GPP4/a
This is in front of the museum and was unveiled on 3 September 2011 by veteran Johnny Peters to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the airborne marches. On that day over 30,000 people took part. The figures were sculpted by Frankie Povel-Speleers. The little girl bronze represents all those children who annually place flowers on the graves in the Airborne Cemetery and have done so since 1945. The actual girl portrayed had just completed the walk with her parents. The funds for the memorial were contributed by the Airborne Wandeltocht Organisation, who always welcome donations. http://www.airbornewandeltocht.nl
The Childrens Freedom Monument. Location see above. GPP4/b
This semi-circular wall, with a plaque at one end, is a memorial raised by the Oosterbeek Orange Organisation together with four of the local primary schools who also take part in the annual flowers ceremony at the Airborne Cemetery. Orange Organisations exist all over the Netherlands and organise activities to commemorate 5 May, the date of Liberation, and it was unveiled on that date in 1995. Every May children from local schools gather at the memorial and a new glass plate is put into the grass inside the circle. The wall carries ‘self portraits’ on both sides by the children involved in constructing the memorial.
Oosterbeek. Hartenstein Museum. Book Page 213. ‘We’ll Meet Again’ Statue. Location see above. GPP4/c
This bronze paratrooper with a skeletal parachute was created free of charge by the well known artist Jits Bakker who was born in Renkum (qv) and was seven years old during the battle of Arnhem. His father was executed by the Nazis in Vught Camp (qv) Book Page 108. Bakkers’ idea was to contrast the difference between freedom and oppression by remembering all those who fought for freedom during the battle. The figure represents a paratrooper descending to be welcomed by a joyous population.
It was finally completed on 14 September 2011 and a more complex replica with stained glass inserts, which is also in the grounds, has been placed here temporarily as the artist wishes to put it up in London. There is a smaller replica in Arnhem town hall.
Oosterbeek. Hartenstein Museum. Book Page 213. ‘The Guardian’ Statue. Location see above. GPP4/d
This shows an angel protecting a man as he is being taken to heaven. It is also by Jits Bakker (qv). The artist made it ‘for all the fallen’.
Oosterbeek. Hartenstein Museum. Book Page 213. REME 1ST AB Workshop Plaque. Location see above. In 2012 a bench was placed near the new entrance to the museum on which is a plaque saying,
Dedicated to 1st Airborne Division Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 1942 – 1945. This bench was built and presented by 10 Airborne Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 18 September 1999.
The REME Workshop sub-unit that took part in MARKET-GARDEN was known as an Advanced Workshop Detachment and flew in on four Horsa gliders and was completely mobile with jeeps, motorcycles and bicycles. One of the authors served in REME.
Oosterbeek Old (Lonsdale) Church. Book Page 231. Tynesiders’ Plaque. GPS. 51.97828 5.83832. Address: 134 Benedendorpseweg, 6,862 WN, Oosterbeek. GPP4/e
This is on a seat given by the Tyneside Branch of the Parachute Regimental Association on 17 September 2009.
Oosterbeek Old (Lonsdale) Church. Book Page 231. Mark Leaver Plaque. Location see above. GPP4/f
The text on the plaque is,
September 1944. The Battle of Arnhem
In the thick of the fighting when a patrol of five Airborne warriors was standing by this lime tree a mortar shell hit the place and killed four of them.
Only Mark Leaver survived. Staff Sgt G Squadron, Glider Pilot Regiment.
Leaver had arrived on the first day of the Operation and was involved in various fights with the Germans including the one in which Major Cain (Book Page 237) won the VC. Though wounded he escaped across the river. He died in 2000. The plaque was unveiled on 20 September 2001 by his widow.
Oosterbeek. Private Evacuation Memorials on the bank of the River Rhine behind the Lonsdale Church. Location see above. GPP4/g
These memorials are placed behind the church on the bank of the river where the evacuation took place and young people swim the river each year in commemoration. You have to cross a couple of fields and climb over some barbed wire! The plaque reads,
This memorial has been erected in the year 2003 and unveiled by Sgt M. J. Potter, one of the 2,200 who withdrew across the River Rhine from this spot, in the night of 25-26 September after fierce battle. Today’s youth swim across again to honor and commemorate this act.
May this be a sign of everlasting friendship.
The flower-shaped memorial, GPP4/h, also carries the date 2003 and presumably was unveiled at the same time as the plaque. It shows the line of the river and the position of the bridge as well as a central text that reads,
From the sky they came, on land they fought, then over water under deathly threat, The ones we’ll never forget.
Oosterbeek. Book Page 210 - see map on that page. Gronert Brothers Historical Railway bridge. GPS 51.97910 5.85984. Address: Klingelbeekseweg 68, 6862, Oosterbeek. GPP4/i
The Prins Bernhardweg railway viaduct is now an historical site recalling the Gronert brothers who served together in B Company of 2nd Para. On 17 September the battalion moved from the landing-zone towards Arnhem on this ‘lower route’. Nearby this tunnel there was heavy fighting in which Thomas was fatally injured. When Claude tried to save his twin he was killed.
Both brothers, 21 years old, died on the same day, time and place and are buried next to each other in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery. Book Page 227.
Oosterbeek. Lower road Tank Turret Memorial/S Staffs Plaque. GPS 51.981024 5.870200. Address: 134 Klingelbeekseweg, Arnhem. GPP4/j & GPP5/k
This is one of around 20 Sherman tank turrets north of the river. It has nothing to do with the battle of Arnhem. Tanks were buried whole in the 1950s to form part of a river diversion wall which would enable large areas around Arnhem to be flooded in the event of invasion – presumably from Russia. The turrets are now seen as historical monuments.
This one is opposite the South Staffordshire plaque which is on house No. 134 which is seen across the road in the picture of the turret. The plaque is beside the door and names four soldiers of 18 Platoon, C Coy, 2nd Bn The South Staffordshire Regiment who were taken POW by German SS troops in September 1944. The plaque was erected by the soldiers themselves.
Oosterbeek (Westerbouwing) Book Page 207. Dorset and Border Regiments Memorials. GPS 51.975153 5.822212 . Address: Westerbouwing 1, 6862, Oosterbeek. GPP5/l & GPP5/m
A new memorial stone carrying the Dorsets’ Regimental badge has been put up in the garden of the Westerbouwing Restaurant. It was unveiled on 20 September 2001 by Wally Smith of the 4th Battalion. The new 1st Battalion Border Regiment plaque is on the wall of the Restaurant and was unveiled on 17 September 2004. The 1st Borders, part of the 1st Airlanding Brigade in Horsas, came in on the first lift and were at the head of it so they were probably the first airlanding troops down. Their task was to secure the landing and drop zones. Their losses of over 120 killed exceeded those of any other battalion and the memorial commemorates those who were killed in this area. Today ‘Arnhem’ is a treasured battle honour of what is now The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment. On 23 March 2005 Private Arthur Foster of B Company of the Borders was buried in the Oosterbeek CWGC Cemetery. His body had been found in the area of what had been company HQ and identified by the Dutch Army Recovery Team. He was the fourth Borders soldier to have been found since 1993.
CAPTIONS FOR GROUP PICTURE PAGE 4 |
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GPP4/b |
Childrens’ Freedom Memorial, Hartenstein, Oosterbeek |
GPP4/c |
‘We’ll Meet Again’ Statue, Hartenstein, Oosterbeek |
GPP4/d |
‘The Guardian’ Statue, Hartenstein, Oosterbeek |
GPP4/e |
Tynesiders’ Plaque, Old (Lonsdale) Church |
GPP4/f |
Mark Leaver Plaque, Old (Lonsdale) Church |
GPP4/g |
Private ‘Withdrawal’ Memorial, Old (Lonsdale) Church |
GPP4/h |
Private ‘Withdrawal’ Memorial, Old (Lonsdale) Church |
GPP4/i |
Gronert Bros Historical Railway Bridge, Oosterbeek |
GPP4/j |
Tank Turret Memorial, Oosterbeek |
Stiphout. Book Page 76. 11th Armd Div Memorial. Holts’ Map 1S/33. GPS 51.57044 5.95296
Due to new buildings the Memorial has been moved some 300 yards to corner of Klooserstraat & Wevestraat.
UK. Double Hills. Arnhem Commemoration Memorial. GPS. 51.30379 -2.50575. Address:Tenniscourt Road, Paulton, Somerset. GPP5/n
In 1944 at the age of 7, Peter Yeates, who lived near Bristol, witnessed the crash of a glider which was on the way to Arnhem. He never forgot it or the 21 Airborne Sappers of No.1 Platoon, 9th Airborne Field Company who died. In 1979, the former sailor established a memorial near Poulton with support from the Royal Engineers and donations from veterans and local people. It was unveiled on 23 September that year by General Urquhart, complete with the names of the sappers and the two pilots who died. In September 2008 two resin statues were added to the memorial sculpted by former sapper, Roy Cleeves, from Nailsea. They stand on individual plinths with their regimental motto underneath. Every September a commemoration ceremony is held which on occasion has attracted up to 500 people. A booklet, Arnhem in Lincolnshire, by Dennis Burt, describes and locates over 30 British, Polish and American memorials in the UK, all associated with the airborne operation. The Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, www.thorpecamp.org.uk has many more details.
Veldhoven (south east of Eindhoven) Humber Scout Car Plaque on Notre Dame Bridge. Book Page 65. GPS 51.40254 5.42697. Address: Our Lady Dijk, 5581 Veldhoven. GPP5/o
This commemorates the Liberation ofVeldhoven on 18 September 1944. Lt Palmer’s scout cars crossed this bridge over the Dommel and then motored via Oerle, Wintelre and then past the airport to the Eindhoven suburb of Acht, where they met the Americans.
The monument was the idea of Jacques Bijnen (qv) of theVeldhoven Historical Heritage Foundation and commemorates 65 years of liberation. It was unveiled on September 18, 2009 by the Mayor of Waalre and other local dignitaries plus some young people from Waalre and Veldhoven. Jacques says in his book that around 1300 hours tanks arrived at the bridge (presumably of the Irish Guards) where the second tank fell into the river making the bridge unusable. At 1600 ‘British soldiers’ (presumably part of Palmer’s troop) found their way into Veldhoven via an alternative route where amid cheering locals they handed out cigarettes and chocolates. Full liberation came the following day when at 1100 soldiers of the 53rd (Welsh) Division arrived.
Overloon. Memorial to US 7th Armd Div. Book Page 80. Holts’ Map 15/41. GPP6/x GPS 51.56994 5.95348
In the Square outside Liberty Park, Overloon, is a Memorial to the US 7th Armd Div. who took part in the liberation of Overloon in October 1944. A Sherman tank is pictured on the reverse of the memorial which was unveiled on 27 Sept 2008.
Vught. Jewish Memorial. Book Page 107. Holts’ Map 11/5.
In 2012 Vught Station was closed so the Jewish Mem Plaque was not visitable or has been moved elsewhere and the memorial to the prisoners to Camp Vught was in a very poor state.
Vught Memorial Urn to Women Prisoners died in Sachsenhauen. Page 107. Map 11/2. GPS 51. 65355 5.30075. GPP6/w
This has been replaced by a Memorial Disc.
Wolfheze. Horsa Glider Memorial. GPS 52.0086276 5.79531. Address: Wolfhezerweg 6874, Wolfheze (Renkum). GPP5/p
This is on the eastern edge of LZS (Sketch map Book Page 210) used for the 1st Airlanding Bde landings of 17 September. It was unveiled on 17 September 2009 and in part stands as a marker to the exhibition of airborne miscellanea in the caravan park.
Wolfswinkel. Book Page 99. (Holts’ Map 1S/65). US Temporary Cemetery Marker. GPS 51.52750 5.49081 Address: Rooyseweg, Wolfswinkel. GPP5/q
Further local research has established that the temporary burials consisted of 411 Americans, 48 British and 1 Canadian and that the cemetery was begun on the 19 September 1944. The British were reburied in the CWGC Cemeteries at Mierlo (Book Page 74) and Bergen Op Zoom in 1947 and the Americans were either repatriated or taken to Margraten (Book Page 272). A large number of Germans were also buried nearby. The memorial was the inspiration of local people including O. van Rulo, C. Dijkhuizen and M. T. Thunnissen and was unveiled on 8 December 2006. Sadly it is now the ‘wrong’ side of the A50.
Zevenaar. The Ferguson Memorial Bridge. GPS 51.917335 6.090339. Address: N336 Babberichseweg 48, 6905, Zevenaar. GPP5/r
The bridge, which is 9 miles south east of Arnhem, was the scene of an action on 2 April 1945 involving the 12th Manitoba Dragoons during which Zevenaar was liberated. At the then nearby level crossing, 19 years old L/Cpl Kenneth Scott Ferguson and Lt Maurice Gordon Farr in a military vehicle were hit by a German anti-tank shell. Scott was killed and Farr survived and was awarded the MC. Scott is buried in the CWGC Canadian Cemetery at Groesbeek (qv). The memorial sign was unveiled on 2 April 2004 with a ceremony attended by the Canadian Ambassador.
New or Changed Museums
The Old Airborne Assault Museum, Aldershot (Book Page 41). GPP6/s
Now entitled ‘AIRBORNE ASSAULT’, the Museum has moved to Duxford and has the benefit of the IWM Duxford site’s restaurants, shop and parking facilities. It was opened by HRH the Prince of Wales on 8 December 2008.
The Museum, now truly state of the art, tells the story of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces and their operations from their inception in 1940 to the present day and also chronicles the development of military parachuting throughout history. The Museum’s Heritage Collection includes briefing models, documents, uniforms, equipment and weaponry.
There is a superb Medal Display (1,500 medals, including the VC and George Cross awards to Paras).
As well as the human story of the men involved, items relating to Operation Market-Garden include a Horsa Glider nose, Airborne Jeep and heavy drop guns (including a 75mm Howitzer recovered and restored from the battlefield itself) are dramatically mounted and interpreted by vintage film.
Address: Airborne Assault, Building 213, North Base, Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridge CB22 4QR. (Take junction 10 from the M11, then well signed).
Open daily (except 24-26 December). Winter (24 Oct-18 March) 1000-1600. Summer (18 March-23 October) 1000-1800.
Tel: 01223 839 909 (Airborne Assault) or 01233 835 000 (IWM) for current exhibitions, building work restrictions etc
E-mail: airborne.enquiries@gmail.com Website: www.paradata.org.uk QR
This unique, non-profit-making site is the official web-based multimedia, digital archive and history of the Parachute Regiment and the Airborne Assault Museum. The site won the Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2008 Interactive Media Awards. It can be accessed through touch screens at the Museum.
Arnhem.
1. Arnhem 40-45 Museum. (Book Page 260). (Holts’ Map 2/31). GPS 52.02678 5.87190. www.arnhemsoorlogsmuseum.com QR
2. Arnhem. Battle of Arnhem Information Centre. GPS 51.97592 5.91213.
This is alongside the John Frost Bridge at the river level and visitors can hear the recollections of British and German soldiers about September 1944 in presentations called ‘Witnesses Tell their Stories’. www.airbornefeelings.nl QR
Arnhem. Tourist Office. The Freedom Trail (not to be confused with the Liberation Route.). GPS 51.98341 5.90109. Address: Stationsplein 13.
Leaflets may be obtained from here that suggest a walking tour to 35 places of interest. One of these is Number 2 above. Details of the many commemorative events are available including the famous Marches (Book Pages 277 & 278).
http://en.vvvarnhemnijmegen.nl/ QR for the tourist office and for the Marches www.airbornewandeltocht.nl QR
GPP5/k |
S Staffs Plaque, Lower Road, Oosterbeek |
GPP5/l |
Dorset Regt Memorial, Westerbouwing |
GPP5/m |
Border Regiment Plaque, Westerbouwing |
GPP5/n |
Arnhem Commemoration Memorial, Double Hills, UK |
GPP5/o |
Humber Scout Car Plaque, Veldhover |
GPP5/p |
Horsa Glider Memorial, Wolfheze |
GPP5/q |
US Temporary Cemetery Marker, Wolfswinkel |
GPP5/r |
Ferguson Memorial Bridge, Zevenaar |
Best. Wings of Liberation Museum. Book Page 95. (Holts’ Map 1/61). GPS 51.51535 5.43829. Address: Sonseweg 39 5681, Best QR
The museum has had a programme of renovation since 2006 but its main thrust is unchanged. However, we understand that there are worries that the museum may not survive. In July 2010 the founder, Jan Driessen, (Book Page 95) died. www.wingsofliberation.nl
Deelen. Air Warfare Museum (Book Page 262) (Holts’ Map 1N/58). (The Luchtoorlog 1939-1945 Museum). GPS 52.06195 5.89712.
This is now known as Deelen Airbase Museum. The museum has been greatly expanded and is manned entirely by volunteers. Some 30 enthusiasts work on the exhibits and the restoration projects, full details of which are given on the well-constructed website. www.museumvlbdeelen.nl
Groesbeek. National Liberation Museum 1944 – 1945. (Book Page 143). (Holts’ Map 6/38.). GPS 51.78564 5.93605.
There are now major and imaginative programmes for schoolchildren with films and lectures and a number of ‘experience’ exhibits such as the ‘Secret Closet’ for listening to Radio Orange. Battlefield tours using bus or bicycles can be arranged. www.bevrijdingsmuseum.nl QR
Heteren. The Island Museum. (Book Page 191, 193). (Holts’ Map2/8.). GPS
51.96063 5.75332. www.betuwsoorlogsmuseum.nl QR
Leopoldsburg. (Book Page 50).
1. MKOK New Military Museum. GPS 51.10963 5.25571. Address: Burkelstraat 131, 3970, Leopoldsburg.
This is known as the MKOK Museum after the names of the buildings in which it is housed. It was set up under the initiative of Ray Verpoorten and relies upon the efforts of many volunteers. The history of the camp is told and film presentations and permanent exhibitions are held in an old bunker. During the year a number of Living History events take place. It closes in winter and it is best to contact the museum before planning a visit. www.museum-mkok-leopoldsburg.be QR
2. Museum Camp Beverlo. (Book Page 50). (Holts’ Map9/5.) GPS 51.11817 5.26772. Address: Reigervlietstraat, 3870, Leopoldsburg.
www.toerismeleopoldsburg.be QR
Oosterbeek. The Hartenstein Airborne Museum. (Book Pages 213-217). (Holts’ Map 3/4). GPS 51.98800 5.83248. Address:Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ, Oosterbeek.
This has been completely renovated, modernised and greatly extended underground, undergoing the transformation from artefact-orientated displays and personal accounts to presentational effects, much like the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres did some years ago. Interestingly, in the new museum that Ypres is creating for the 100th Anniversaries, artefacts are being rehabilitated. Guided tours, including walking ones, can be booked at, and taken from, the museum. www.airbornemuseum.nl QR
Overloon. National War and Resistance Museum. (Book Pages 80-82). (Holts’ Map 1S/41). GPS 51.56956 5.95254.
The exhibits in the museum have been considerably added to and many assembled under the title of ‘The Marshall Museum’. Much emphasis is now laid upon the Liberty Park (in autumn 1944 this area was the scene of a major tank battle) outdoors element of the museum with regular activities including an annual ‘Liberty Base Camp’ display of military equipment akin to the ‘War and Peace Show’ held annually in Kent.
www.libertybasecamp.nl QR and www.libertypark.nl QR
Vught. (Book Pages 107, 108). Engineers Museum. www.geniemuseum.nl QR (Holts’ Map 1S/81). SS Concentration Camp. National Monument Camp Vught. (Holts’ Map 11/6) GPS 51.66521 5.25859. www.nmkampvught.nl QR
Wolfheze. GPS 52.00671 5.79836. Address: Camping Park De Lindenhof, Wolfhezerweg 111-113. Glider Exhibition.
The small exhibition is contained in the reception building of the Camp. It shows parts of various gliders with explanations and a number of photographs connected with airborne warfare. The glider memorial at Wolfheze (see above) is opposite the Park. www.wolfheze.nl QR
Re-Enactment Organisations
www.band-of-brothers.nl Originally started as a Band of Brothers website, this has now burgeoned into ‘an information base on all allied paratroopers, their gear, uniforms, vehicles and heritage’. The organisation offers Living History and reenactments.
www.screamingducks.com This organisation describes itself as a ‘Living History Association’, and is dedicated to ‘preserving and using Military Uniforms, Vehicles and Gear from World War 2’. Started in the 1990s with a particular interest in the 101st Airborne, Screaming Ducks became an official registered Association and organises historical tours and Living History events.
www.lhgh.nl This is the ‘Living History Group Holland’ and, unlike the others, does not concentrate solely upon the American part in Operation MARKET-GARDEN. It was formally created on 31 January 2001, growing out of the ‘British Airborne Group Holland’. It takes part in commemorations and similar activities both in and outside Holland being concerned with the British 1st Airborne Division and the US 7th Armoured Division.
www.never-forget-them.nl/ The Never-Forget-Them Foundation is concerned with the commemoration of battles that took place in the Betuwe area of Holland during WW2. They attend in authentic uniforms and organise regular events such as that in September at the Hampshire’s and 101st Airborne Division memorials on the south bank of the Lower Rhine. Importantly, they visit schools and talk about the events of 1939 to 1945.
General Information
The Old (Lonsdale) Church. (Book Page 233). Jack Plummer Memorial Seat. GPS. 51.97828 5.83832.
In the late 1980s Henk Duinhoven (qv) met Jack Plummer and his five daughters at Westerbouwing and introduced them to the group that he was conducting around the Old Church. Their applause upon learning that Jack was a veteran overwhelmed both him and his daughters. Sadly he died 5 months later from cancer. His daughters then contacted Henk and with his help and the agreement of the church wardens the memorial seat was installed. Jack’s best friend was ‘Lucky’ Lockhurst (qv).
Overasselt. (Book Pages 122-123). Though no new memorial has been put up here, this is the village where we took the cover picture of the rusty parachutes of the US 325th Glider Infantry and 504th PIR memorial, GPS 51.768482 5.76998. It is also where Liberation Route Marker No 3 is placed with the story that in October 1944 Josephine Baker entertained the American troops in the-then Lin Café in the village. GPS 51.76123 5.78876. Miss Baker was born in America and became a famous singer and actress. Following her marriage to a Frenchman she took French nationality and during the war acted as a spy for the Resistance for which she was later awarded the Croix de Guerre and other awards. She died in 1975.
St (Sint) Oedenrode (Book Page 99.) GPS.51.56559 5.46207. There is now an Airborne Walking Trail with information panels which was unveiled on 17 Sept 2004. The 220 km long trail begins in Lommel, and follows the Corridor across the Brabant region (Son en Breugel, St. Oedenrode, Veghel, Uden, Grave and Zeeland) to the bridge at Arnhem.
Local Battlefield Guides (in alphabetical order)
Frans Ammerlaan. frans@marketgarden.com Frans lives in Arnhem near the bridge and works as a surveyor. As a boy he played a part in the flowers commemoration at the Airborne cemetery. He took the majority of the 3,500 photographs of headstones illustrated on the www.marketgarden.com website and was instrumental in the project to recognise the achievements of General Sosabowski (see below). See other references to Frans above. He specialises in the northern part of the battlefield.
Jos Bex. jomaresto@planet.nl Jos was born in Nijmegen and has an interest in all things connected with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Associations, though he has hosted British veterans for past ceremonies. In 2004 and 2005 he and colleagues (www.eto-tours.nl) conducted the Band of Brothers tour around The Island. He was a prime mover in establishing the Dukeman memorial (see Heteren/Randwijk above), is Secretary of the Never-Forget-Them Foundation (qv) and gives talks to local schools.
CAPTIONS FOR GROUP PICTURE PAGE 6 |
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GPP6/s |
Andries Hoekstra (l), Mike Sosabowski (c) and Frans Ammerlaan (r) |
GPP6/t |
Veldman Family Commemorative Plaque |
GPP6/u |
Airborne Assault Museum, Duxford: 6pdr anti-tank air portable gun & displays |
GPP6/v |
Eddie Jones & Others Plaque, Hoogeloon |
GPP6/w |
Sachsenhausen Women Prisoners Mem, Vught |
GPP6/x |
7th Armd Div Plaque, Overloon |
Wybo Boersma. info@vriendenairbornemuseum.nl Wybo is a very long-term friend of ours and a former Director of the old Hartenstein Museum, to which he dedicated many years. He is a member of the Society of the Friends of the Airborne Museum and also of the Guild of Battlefield Guides (qv).
Henk Duinhoven MBE Emdebe@planet.nl Tel: 00 31 481 465 069. Henk is one of the longest serving and most knowledgeable guides to the battlefield whom we have known for many years. His MBE was awarded for long and dedicated service to visiting veterans and others. The RE Memorial (Book Page 266) owes much to his efforts.
Arie-Jan van Hees. ariejan@marketgarden.com Arie is a well practised battlefield guide and a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides. With Frans Ammerlaan he was greatly involved in all of the arrangements for the erecting and unveiling of the Airborne (Aircrew) Memorial at the Hartenstein (qv).
Joris Nieuwint. info@hellshighwaytours.com Joris specialises in the 101st Airborne operations in the area from Eindhoven to Veghel and takes small groups along the Corridor in a WW2 Dodge.
Bob Vranken. netedal@telenet.be Bob we have known for a long time. Now retired, he was once the Information Officer at Camp Beverlo and he sponsored and erected the Memorial to Major Lister at Hechtel (see Hechtel above). Before the start of OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN there was much fighting around the area of Hechtel and Leopoldsburg as XXX Corps readied for the Operation. Bob covers all of that territory.
DUTCH RECOGNITION FOR GENERAL SOSABOWSKI
In 2004 the Market-Garden Foundation, a charitable foundation established by Andries Hoekstra and Frans Ammerlaan (qv), determined that steps should be taken to rehabilitate General Sosabowski (see Driel above) following many years of campaigning by Prince Bernhard to that same end. Accordingly, the two prime movers lobbied Dutch television, national and local press and Members of Parliament in both the Netherlands and in Poland to gain support for their cause.
One of the early steps was to publish a Polish Roll of Honour, ‘All Men are Brothers’, and at a ceremony on 16 September 2005 at the Westerbouwing heights, opposite where the Poles had landed in 1944, they presented a copy to every Polish veteran and family member present.
On 8 May 2006, following the efforts of Ammerlaan and Hoekstra, and a dying wish of the Prince, the Bronze Lion was posthumously awarded to General S. Sosabowski, being presented by Queen Beatrix to his grandsons Michael and Stan Sosabowski at the Hague. At the same ceremony the entire Polish Parachute Brigade (now named after its first Commander, Sosabowski) was awarded the highest award of the Netherlands, the Military Williamsorder. Ammerlaan and Hoekstra were awarded a Golden Pin by the Polish Veterans Association, its last act before disbandment. GPP6/s.
The Bronze Lion is the highest Dutch award for bravery in war that can be awarded posthumously. This particular insignia is on display at the Hartenstein Museum and the Market-Garden Foundation is its appointed keeper. Full details of the Foundation and how it can be supported are at http://www.marketgarden.com
THE EXODUS AND A REMARKABLE FAMILY STORY
As the Allies accelerated their advance from Normandy across Belgium towards the Dutch border, the Germans began to evacuate those living in the villages south of Arnhem. Many of the young men were sent to labour camps and the families forced to flee across the river to the northern bank. This is the ‘Exodus’ which is commemorated by the memorials listed in Arnhem and Huissen above.
Near the town of Didam, some 3.5 kilometres (2 miles) north east of the Ferguson Bridge at Zevenaar (see above), was the farm named Hees, owned by the Veldman family (there were 12 children) and from September 1944 to the end of the war some 50 people, both evacuees and those hiding from the Germans, lived there.
On occasion, Jews were hidden while en-route along an escape route. The penalty for the Veldmans, had the Jews been discovered, would have been for the whole family to be sent to a concentration camp. Therefore a secret place was constructed for such visitors and HenryVeldman (who was three years old at the time) recalled that, “a fairly large ‘room’ was dug out in the hayloft. Entrance to the hidden room was gained by standing on the back of the fourth cow, lifting up a bale of straw and climbing through the opening”! Sometimes as many as 50 German soldiers were billeted in the farm buildings and Henry records that the German commander was “a model soldier” who kept strict discipline with regard to the behaviour of his soldiers, yet “these same good soldiers were still the enemy”. In the 1950s, families that had stayed at the Veldman’s farm, including some from Huissen and Zevenaar, presented their wartime hosts with a beautiful stone memorial plaque which was mounted near the front door. It was inscribed, ‘You have sheltered us. 9 September 1944-5 May 1945’.
By 1965 the whole Veldman family had emigrated to America and the stone, being large and heavy, was left behind. In 1988 Henry visited the farm and found that the stone had been covered over and with the owner’s permission had a local stone mason remove it and had it shipped to America. In 2007-2008 the family made 16 copies of the stone, sending three to Holland and sharing the others amongst themselves. One of the three stones sent to Holland is on display in the small WW2 museum in Didam. (GPP6/t).
The whole moving story is told on the Veldman family website
http://www.veldmanfamily.com/G0-Hees-P01-TheStone.htm
GUILD OF BATTLEFIELD GUIDES (GBG)
When we began our battlefield touring company over 30 years ago and then wrote our first guide books we were the only people running such tours.
Since then battlefield touring has proliferated into a major tourist industry with a wide variation in the quality of guiding. In 2002 Maj Graeme Cooper, a devotee and battlefield guide of the Napoleonic period, determined that a ‘kite standard’ should be created validating the capabilities of those who offered their services as guides. The Guild was duly launched on 28 November 2003 with Prof Richard Holmes as its Patron and the authors as Honorary Members. Sadly Richard died in April 2011.
The Guild’s aim is to analyse, develop and raise the understanding and practice of Battlefield Guiding. Its badge, awarded to successful validation applicants, is a mark of excellence and quality. The Guild holds regular events, the highlight being the Annual Dinner Weekend in November. There are several enthusiastic Dutch members.
Contact: Guild Secretary: Email: secretary@gbg-international.com
Website: www.gbg-international.com
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - HOLLAND BRANCH (Book Page 277).
Originally there existed only ‘The Royal British Legion in the Netherlands’ Branch. However, this was subsequently divided into three: Amsterdam, Arnhem/Nijmegen, and Eindhoven (1956) with whom we worked while running the RBL pilgrimages. In 2008, the Arnhem/Nijmegen and Eindhoven Branches closed down, prompting RBL HQ to reform one Holland Branch to serve the entire Netherlands. This was officially inaugurated on April 16th, 2010. It presently numbers close to 180 members, scattered over many of the provinces of the Netherlands, plus a few members in Belgium and the U.K.
Contact: Branch Secretary, Mr. A. Bright. Email: membership@trblhollandbranch.nl
SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM (Book Page 276).
The informative Newsletter is now edited by Wybo Boersma MBE (qv) and Drs Robert Voskuil (who on 19 March 2011 was appointed Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau for his 30 years of dedicated work in various Market-Garden Associations and Societies). Contact: VVAM, c/o Ivar Goedings, PO Box 8047, 6700 AA Ede, Netherlands.
E-mail: info@vriendenairbornemuseum.nl. Tel: 00 31 318 63933/w.boersma@wxs.nl
UK Contact: Niall Cherry. E-mail: niall.cherry@baesystems.com
NEW TOURIST INFORMATION
This information supercedes much of the specific information given on pp. 278-280
Book Page 278.
Netherlands Board of Tourism. New addresses/and or tel nos:
Canada. 25 Adelaide Street East, Suite 710, Toronto ONT M5C1Y2. Tel: +(1)416 363 1577
UK. PO Box 30783, Holborn, London WC2B 6DH. Tel: +(0)20 7539 7950
USA. 355 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: +(1)212 370 7360
By sea from the UK. New information/contacts:
P & O Ferries. Dover-Calais. Frequent daily crossings. 70+ minutes.
Hull-Rotterdam and Hull-Zeebrugge. Daily overnight service. 11/12 hours.
Tel: 08716 642020. www.poferries.com
StenaLine. Harwich-Hook of Holland. Daily day and overnight crossings. 6 hours 45 mins. Tel: 08447 707070. www.stenaline.co.uk
DFDSSeaways. Newcastle-Amsterdam. Daily overnight crossing. D 1730. A. 0900 Tel: 0871 882 0886. www.dfdsseaways.co.uk
Book Page 279.
By Rail from the UK
The Amsterdam Express is now known as The Dutch Flyer. Contact StenaLine (see above).
Book Page 281
Vander Valk Hotels. Main Tel: + (0)20 77 11 505 www.valk.com
Now include:
Hotel Arnhem & Restaurant West-End, Amsterdamsweg 505, 6816 VK Arnhem. Tel: + (0)26 482 11 00
Hotel Duiven bij Arnhem and fitness centre, A12, Impuls 2, 6921 RK Duiven. Tel: + (0)26 31 888 88
Hotel Cuijk-Nijmegen, Ramweg 10, 5431 NH Cuijk Tel: +(0)485 33 51 23
Hotel ‘s-Hertogenbosch-Vught, Bosscheweg 2, 5261 AAVught. Tel: +(0)73 658 7777
Acknowledgements (in alphabetical order)
Frans Ammerlaan. frans@marketgarden.com
This update would have been virtually impossible without the continuous support of our great friend Frans. He covered much territory and took many photos in pursuit of what has happened on the ground since we wrote the first edition. He also read our first draft and suggested many sensible changes and corrected a few errors. We are greatly indebted to him.
Sjaak Arts. s.arts@planet.nl Sjaak was one of the prime movers behind the Batenburg Stirling crash memorial and provided the photos and the details.
Frank van den Bergh. Sadly Frank died from complications following a stroke in 2011. This exceptional historian, a friend of long standing, with wide interests and a photographic memory, worked in the Liberation Museum, Groesbeek, and was a popular and active member of the GBG. Frank was instrumental in the erection of the Air Despatchers Memorial in Oosterbeek (Book Page 232). He had been working on providing us with essential updates in his area of speciality when he was taken ill. For a full obituary of this delightful eccentric, who will be sorely missed, see http://frankvandenbergh.blogspot.com/ See also the illustration on Book Page 278.
Jos Bex. jomaresto@planet.nl for information about the Never-Forget-Them Foundation, and for details and photograph of the W. H. Dukeman memorial.
Jacq Bijnen. Stichting Historisch Erfgoed Veldhoven. veldhoven.shev@kpnplanet.nl Jacques, author and Chairman of the Local Historical Society, supplied details of the Liberation of Veldhoven and the picture of the Humber scout car memorial.
Jon Baker, Curator Airborne Assault Museum, Duxford IWM, for checking our entry on the Museum. airborne.curator@gmail.com
Wybo Boersma. info@vriendenairbornemuseum.nl Wybo gave us much background to the Liberation Route project as well as answering a good few questions about the changed Hartenstein Museum and other things. He also brought us up to date on the moving of the Joe’s Bridge memorial and photographed it.
Henk Duinhoven. emdebe@planet.nl We owe a long overdue acknowledgement to Henk for telling us about Lucky Lockhurst’s wonderful poem, It Was Thus, which is on Book Page 31. He also told us the background to the private memorials behind the Old Church in Oosterbeek. See above.
Mike Hodgson. mjhodgson@lancfile.demon.co.uk Mike, a seasoned tour guide and author of several works on memorials in Lincolnshire, introduced us to the Double Hills Memorials.
Capt Alan Knut, US Navy (Retd), Adjunct Professor, Homeland Security/Homeland Defence, Naval War College & Captain Joan Knut, US Navy (Retd). SWOWarrior@aol.com Alan & Joan have painstakingly travelled the itineraries of the previous edition of this book on one of their many European battlefield tours and kindly sent us several important changes, photos and GPS locations.
Pim Nouwens. info@liberationroute.com for contacts and background on the Liberation Route.
Henry Veldman. Henry told us the story of the Veldman Family and their experiences during the Exodus, http://www.veldmanfamily.com/G0-Hees-P01-TheStone.htm and allowed us to use his photograph and to quote from his memories.
Sybren van der Velden & Joris Nieuwint, of the Screaming Ducks, who brought us up to date with road changes around Veghel, the museum at Best and with a photo of the memorial to Lt Col Cole. Joris read parts of the manuscript and provided route directions north from Son to Uden. www.screamingducks.com
Our thanks to the following who have supplied us with illustrations for this Update:
Frans Ammerlaan. Frans has taken the majority of pictures in this Update and we are in debt to him for his help. (Frontispiece of new Hartenstein Museum, GPP1/A, GPP1/B, GPP1/C, GPP1/G, GPP1/I, GPP2/J, GPP2/K, GPP2/L, GPP2/N, GPP2/P, GPP3/S, GPP3/Y, GPP3/a, GPP4/b, GPP4/c, GPP4/d, GPP4/e, GPP4/f, GPP4/g, GPP4/h, GPP4/i, GPP4/j, GPP5/k, GPP5/l, GPP5/m, GPP6/s)
Sjaak Arts. (GPP1/D, GPP1/E)
Jon Baker, Airborne Assault Museum. (GPP6/u)
Frank van den Berg. (GPP2/M, GPP2/O, GPP3/U, GPP5/r)
Jos Bex. (GPP2/R, GPP3/W)
Jacq Bijnen. (GPP5/o)
Wybo Boersma. (GPP3/T)
Rob Essons, City of Nijmegen. (GPP3/X)
Thea van der Henval. (GPP3/V)
Capts Alan & Joan Knut, US Navy (Retd). (GPP5/q, GPP6/v/w/x)
Joris Nieuwint. (GPP1/F)
Philip Reinders. (GPP1/H)
Henry Veldman. (GPP6/t)
Bob Vranken. (GPP2/Q)
Peter Yeates. (GPP5/n)