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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Utrechtseweg 232 6862 AZ Oosterbeek The Netherlands
Newsletter No. 60, October 1995
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

Theme day, Saturday 9 December 1995
Every year in the Autumn our Society organises a ’theme afternoon’. From this year the event is to be extended to last the whole day following a request from a number of our members. This means that those living far away will find making the trip to Oosterbeek much more worthwhile.
This year’s theme day will be held on Saturday 9 December next.
The morning programme is as follows: 09.30-10.30: reception of members in the Schoonoord Restaurant, Pietersbergseweg 4, Oosterbeek (tel. 026- 3333150). There one can obtain refreshments at one’s own expense. The restaurant is open from 9.30 am (and not before)! 10.00-12.00: walk to and through the area of the Pietersberg and Hemelse Berg estates in Oosterbeek. There the military actions which took place in September 1944 around the two sequential headquarters locations of the 1st
Airlanding Brigade will be looked into. The Airlanding Brigade was commanded at the time by Brigadier Ph. ‘Pip’ H.W. Hicks.
This part of the theme day is being organised by our members Philip Reinders and Peter Vrolijk from Vlaardingen and Rotterdam respectively, both members of the ‘Arnhem Battle Research Group’.
12.00-13.30: break for lunch in Oosterbeek, again at one’s own expense.
The afternoon programme will be held in the Concert Hall, Rozensteeg 3, Oosterbeek (tel. 026-3332046).
The programme contains the following: 13.30-14.00: reception of members. 14.00-15.15: lecture by Eug&ne Wijnhoud from Arnhem on ‘The role of the 1st and 2nd Airlanding Anti-Tank Batteries Royal Artillery during the Battle of Arnhem’.
15.15-15.45: intermission.
15.45-16.45: showing of the British video documentary ‘The Battle for Arnhem’ The film has Dutch subtitles.
17.00 approx.: end of Theme afternoon.

A new ‘Who was Who’
The book ‘Who was Who during the Battle of Arnhem – The Order of Battle of Airborne Officers who fought at Arnhem in 1944’ which was published by our Society in 1992 is sold out and will not be reprinted in its current form. It has been decided to prepare a new, enlarged edition which, in addition to tire existing data, will include all manner of new information.
The intention is to set up a workgroup of people with a good working knowledge of the subject. The group will be led by Chris van Roekel.
Any member wishing to assist in the project can contact Chris at Benedendorpsweg 119, 6862 WE Oosterbeek, telephone 026-3333261.

Saturday 16 September 1995. This year’s Pilgrimage Leader Colonel John L. Waddy congratulates veteran Ted Shaw on his successful parachute jump al the Ginkelse Heide near Ede. Ted Shaw is the Friends Society’s representative in Creat Britain.
(photo: Berry de Reus)

Correction
To the editors’ great chagrin the Ministory accompanying the August issue of the Newsletter was given the number 48 in error. This should have been 47 and, so as to ensure continuity in the numbering system, the Ministory accompanying this Newsletter will be: ‘No. 47’.
Compilation of 50 Ministories?
Since 1983 the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s Newsletter has consisted of a ‘newspaper’ of announcements and a ‘Ministory’ in which a specific aspect of the Battle of Arnhem is covered. The editorship hopes to publish the fiftieth Ministory in the Spring of 1996. There is a possibility of collating the first 50 Ministories in a book but before starting a project of this nature the Society’s management would wish to know if there is sufficient interest in such a publication.
Drop a line to the Society if you are interested in a book of collected Ministories.

The Reverend R.F. Bowers holds his congregation spellbound with an impressive, emotional and often humorous sermon during the memorial service at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek on 17 September 1995. (photo: Berry de Reus)

5-day Spring excursion to England?
If financially and organisationally feasible, the Society’s management is considering arranging an excursion to England in the Spring of 1996. Visits to various museums and places of historical interest relative to the 1st British Airborne Division are on the programme. The museums would include the Airborne Forces Museum at Aidershot, the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop and a number of military museums in London.
Also under consideration for a visit are the British ‘Parachute Training Schoo! and associated museum at Brize Norton, plus one or two former airfields from which units of the 1st British Airborne Division left for the Netherlands in September 1944.
The trip will be by touring coach and will last five days. We want to make the excursion as inexpensive as possible and for this reason we are trying to arrange accommodation in one or other military barracks. During the last Airborne commemoration our friends among the British authorities agreed to look into this possibility.
In any case the excursion would have to take place in April or May 1996 and we must emphasise that this is just a preliminary announcement. The excursion is by no means certain to go ahead and it is therefore too early to put your name forward for a place at this stage. We’ll keep you posted.

Message from your UK representative
Thank you for your support of the Friends and for your generosity.
A kindly reminder that subscriptions are due on the 1st of January 1996. Donations are always welcome. Signed: Ted Shaw, UK representative.
(298 Totiies Road, Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD. Telephone: 0803-553616)

Unusual gift for the Airborne Museum
Last August one of our English members, Mr. Ken Greenough, presented the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ with three unusual objects from the Battle of Arnhem.
They are German in origin and are: a large swastika flag, an armband and a leave pass. Ken was given these souvenirs in 1988 by Arnhem veteran Sid Davies who in turn had been given them in 1945 by Michael Fitzgerald, HQ Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.
Fitzgerald became separated from his unit during the landings on 17 September 1944 and therefore never got to the bridge.
He eventually reached divisional headquarters at the Hartenstein Hotel in Oosterbeek where he took up a foxhole position close to the tennis courts where German prisoners-of-war were housed. There he relieved a German POW of the armband and leave pass, with a Military Policeman’s blessing it has to be said.
The swastika flag probably originates from the Hartenstein or De Tafelberg. When operation Market Garden began both hotels were being used by German Field Marshal Walter Model’s staff. Model was commander of German Army Group B.
A special detail of the flag worth mentioning is that a large piece of material has been removed from its lower edge. Apparently Sid Davies’ mum cut the strip from the bottom of the flag and mended her red curtains with it!

In Memoriam: Jan Lourens
Jan Lourens, inhabitant of Oosterbeek, passed away on 6 September 1995 at the age of 89.
During the Second World War he was an active member of the Resistance where his knowledge of transmitters and receivers was of tremendous value. Airborne troops also made use of his expertise during the Battle of Arnhem.
Every year from 1945 onwards he looked after the sound equipment for the memorial service at the Airborne Cemetery. This equipment also did sterling service during the so-called Battlefield Tours. Jan was to be found wherever sound had to be recorded and amplified.
As time went by the company name ‘ATOOM’ became a synonym for the owner himself.
His tale of the war years is included in the book ‘Zes Dorpen in Oorlog en Verzet’ (Six Villages in Wartime and Resistance) which was published in 1984.

Large gift of money for the Airborne Museum
Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ has received a cheque for 7,000 guilders from ‘Woningbeheer Renkum’ (a local housing association).
The motivation behind the gift of this princely sum (collected during the opening of its new office in Renkum) is the housing association’s belief in the value of the museum in the Renkum municipality and the importance of its continued-existence.
Veterans parachute jump a great success
On Saturday 16 September 1995, again watched by a huge crowd, the annual parachute drop took place on the Ginkelse Heide at Ede.

The unveiling of a plaque at ‘de Hazehof farm in Kesteren on 3 May last. The plaque commemorates the 16 British parachutists and one American airman who were hidden there by the Resistance from 18 to 23 Septembei 1944. From left to right: Sergeant A.E. Spring, Private ]. Westbury and the American, 2nd Lieutenant E. Fulmer, (photo: Patrick Pronk)

The dropping of around 300 men of the British 10th Parachute Battalion was followed by the long- awaited jump by a number of Arnhem veterans. Unfortunately the jump had to be cancelled last year, the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem, due to bad weather, but luckily this year the weather behaved itself. Fifty-one years after the events of September 1944 almost thirty ex-servicemen jumped once more from an aircraft above the former dropping zone.
They had practised for this day for 2 years and the drop was a great success. One of the veterans to make this historic jump was our Great Britain representative Mr. Ted Shaw.

Plaque in Brummen
On 23 September 1944, after the battle around the Rhine bridge at Arnhem was over, a number of British prisoners-of-war were driven off in open lorries towards Zutphen.
At Brummen Major Tony Hibbert and Major Dennis Munford managed to escape by leaping from one of the trucks. During the ensuing mayhem an SS trooper fired his machine pistol into the group of prisoners crammed into the back of the truck. Six British soldiers died.
During an emotional gathering on 15 April this year, Tony Hibbert unveiled a memorial plaque to the six murdered servicemen. The plaque is attached to the walLof the-PosL Office in Brummen, close to the spot where the drama was played out.
The idea for the plaque came initially from one of our members, Piet Willemsens, who describes the shooting incident in one of the chapters of his book ‘Oorlog in een dorp aan de IJssel, Brummen – Eerbeek 1940 -1945’ (War in a village on the IJssel, Brummen – Eerbeek 1940 -1945). Another chapter in the book deals with the time Tony Hibbert spent in hiding in Brum men.
The book is available from the author, Stationsweg 6, 6971 BX Brummen.

Fulbeck Hall
In 1944 the headquarters of the 1st British Airborne Division in England was located at Fulbeck Hall, a country house in Lincolnshire.
The house was built in 1733 and has remained in the hands of the Fane family since that time. After the war the house, which had suffered considerably at the hands of the military, was completely refurbished, with the exception of the map room. In 1994 the present owner Mary Fry (ne<5 Fane) restored this room to how it was in 1944. The Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek provided advise in this venture as well as the loan of certain material. Last 15 and 16 July a weekend was organised in the grounds of Fulbeck Hall with ‘The Forties’ as its theme. There were a number of old army vehicles on display, arms dealers were present exhibiting their wares and various bands played tunes from the forties. There was also a fly-past of veteran aircraft, including a Dakota. Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ was present in the form of a stand manned by Wybo and Nanna Boersma.
Fulbeck Hall receives regular visits from Arnhem veterans who often present the collection with interesting objects and documents. The Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek has been given copies of a number of these archive documents.
Fulbeck Hall will be open to the public again in 1996 and it is well worth a visit. It is situated 3 miles south of the A17 and about 9 miles east of the Al and can be reached via the A607. House and gardens are open to the public from 30 June to 28 July between the hours of 2 pm and 5 pm. They are also open during the Whitsun break and on the May and August Bank holidays.
The exhibition can be visited daily by appointment. Arnhem veterans are admitted free of charge.

Plaque unveiled in Kesteren
On 18 September 1944 a Dakota on its way to Arnhem with men of the 10th Parachute Battalion on board crashed near Opheusden.
Most of the occupants were able to escape from the aircraft by parachute but three did not survive the crash: two men of the American 43 Troop Carrier Squadron and one British parachutist.
The survivors were hidden from the Germans for five days by members of the Resistance in ‘de Hazehof farm in Opheusden before being escorted to the Allied lines.
A plaque attached to the wall of ‘de Hazehof farm recalling this event was unveiled on 3 May 1995. The unveiling ceremony was carried out by a former member of the American crew and two ex-parachutists.

Decorations for Dutch people
A number of Dutch people recently received decorations in recognition of their efforts for the annual Airborne commemorations.
Mr. T. Pieterse received the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for the tremendous amount of work he has done over the past 20 years for and on behalf of the Lest We Forget Foundation. Mr. P. Meulendijk, chairman of the Airborne Commemorations Foundation, was awarded an OBE for the organisation of the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem (he becomes an Officer in this order).
Mr. A. Baltussen from the Driel-Poland Committee acquired the ‘Officierskruis in de Orde van Verdienste van Polen’ (Officers Cross in the Polish Order of Merit). In addition a number of people were presented with a brooch bearing the Polish Parachute Brigade emblem by the leader of the Polish pilgrims Mr. Z. Gasowski.
As a ‘thank you’ for his work in organising the annual service at the Airborne Cemetery, Mr. J.Rudolphie was presented with a small silver Pegasus figure by the Arnhem Veterans Club.

Lectures on Oosterbeek in 1945
As part of the events marking 50 Years Liberation, the Renkum Municipality ‘Stichting voor Heemkunde’ (Local History Foundation) is organising two lectures on ‘Oosterbeek in 1945’. Both lectures, accompanied by many photographic slides, will give an idea of the damage suffered by the village during, and particularly after, the hostilities of September 1944. Other topics covered will include the left behind military material, ammunition, field graves, trench systems and other matters characteristic of Oosterbeek in the first year of liberation.
The first lecture will be given by Mr. G.H. Maassen jr. on Friday 27 October 1995 and will deal with the ‘Bovendorp’ (Lipper village). The second, covering the ‘Benedendorp’ (Lower village), will be on Wednesday 22 November 1995 when the lecturer will be Mr. R.P.G.A. Voskuil.
The TJ October lecture will be held in ‘Zalencentrum Lebret’ and the 22 November lecture will be in the Concert Hall, both commencing at 8 pm.
Admission is free for ‘Heemkunde’ members and 5 guilders for non-members.

Fulbeck Hall in Lincolnshire, 1st British Airborne Division headquarters in 1944, photographed during ‘The Forties’ weekend held on 15 and 16 July 1995.
(photo: Wybo Boersma)

British G.P.O telephone box back in place
Last year an original red G.P.O. telephone box was placed at the corner of Utrechtseweg and Weverstraat in Oosterbeek, a gift from the Arnhem Veterans Club.
Unfortunately within a few weeks it was hit by a skidding car and so badly damaged that it had to be removed. Shortly before the 51st commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, on 23 August to be exact, a British telephone box was once more back in position.

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 62, June 1996
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

The England trip
The recent excursion to England organised by the Friends’ Society took place from 17 to 21 April. Thanks to the co-operation of Colonel B. Middleton, Controller of the Airborne Forces Security Fund, the 50 strong party of excursionists was accommodated in one of the army buildings at Browning Barracks in Aidershot.
Visits to two operational airfields were included in the programme. At Brize Norton the group was given a guided tour of No. 1 Parachute Training School by Squadron Leaders R.E.A. Wadley and G.E. Sizeland. The visit to Fairford was possible thanks to the permission given by Squadron Leader l.S. Pollitt and his staff. At Fairford, now used by the American air force, an explanatory talk by former Glider Pilots Mike Dauncey and Peter Clark was included in the tour. In Aidershot the group was honoured by a visit from Arnhem veteran Bob Peatling.
A report on the excursion by Eef and Nelie Vellinga is given below. Their trip to England was a gift from the Airborne Museum Foundation and the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum to mark Eef’s retirement from his work at the museum.
The England excursion was ’rounded off with a reunion held in the Airborne Museum on Friday 24 May. During the reunion videos were viewed and recollections and photographs exchanged.

Excursion Report
17 April 1996.
At last the ‘Big Journey’ began. We left in the morning by bus, destination England. Following a visit to Ypres in Belgium, known from the First World War, the journey was continued on to Calais. The French customs were particularly irritating and gave us a thorough going-over, looking for ‘hash’ perhaps! Luckily none was found and we were finally allowed to board ‘le Shuttle’.
25 minutes later we were in England. What an experience! From France to Great Britain without a glimpse of water. From Folkstone we travelled to Aidershot where we arrived at our ‘hotel’ around 7 o’clock in the evening.
Unpack suitcases and then dinner in the Mess. Everyone was ready for a good meal. After one or two nightcaps in the bar, all retired to bed at 11 pm. This took a bit of getting used to in such varied company, but in the end everyone got a good night’s sleep, in spite of the odd snorer.
18 April.
Up at seven o’clock, breakfast, and then to the Airborne Forces Museum, where the history of British airborne troops is shown. After lunch our journey continued on to Middle Wallop where we visited the interesting Museum of Army Flying. Back at Aidershot it seemed that the chef had again excelled himself. We took a short stroll after a splendid dinner, and then once again spent a pleasant hour or so in the bar until eleven o’clock.

April 19 1996, during the excursion to England.

Squadron Leader R.E.A. Wadley provides explanations in the large hangar of No. 1 Parachute Training School at Brize Norton, where would-be parachutists receive their ground training.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

19 April.
A nine o’clock departure for Brize Norton, where we arrived at eleven for a visit to No. 1 Parachute Training School (P.T.S.).
After the showing of a film about the training we were split up into two groups and shown around a huge hangar containing all manner of equipment for the training of parachutists. This was followed by a visit to the small No. 1 P.T.S. museum.
After lunch it was on to Fairford. Here too a wonderful reception, with coffee and biscuits and a meeting with two veterans, followed by a tour of this enormous airfield. Another marvellous experience! Then, later in the afternoon, back to Aidershot.
20 April.
Today to London. First to the Imperial War Museum; so huge and so much to see. In the afternoon we, together with others from the group, visited the ‘City’ of London, with Wybo Boersma as guide. At the end of the afternoon we headed once more for Aidershot. After dinner a last, enjoyable get-together in the bar.
21 April.
Back to the Netherlands after a few fantastic days. The return journey was trouble-free and we arrived back in Oosterbeek at 7 o’clock in the evening.
Once again, many, many thanks to the organisers, Chris, Robert and Berry. Truly, they could easily set up their own travel agency because everything was organised down to the finest detail and nothing was overlooked.
When Eef celebrated his retirement on 12 January 1996, we could not have imagined being given such a wonderful farewell. Our thanks to the employees, management and Friends of the Airborne Museum for this marvellous gift!!
(Eef and Nelie Vellinga)

A second trip to England?
You will have gathered from the above article that the first excursion to England was a great success. It is a shame, of course, that so many who had applied to go had to be turned down because accommodation in Aidershot was limited to 50 people.
As promised, the excursion commission discussed the chances of a possible second trip with our British friends. However, the problem is that, since recently, Browning Barracks in Aidershot is no longer in the hands of The Parachute Regiment. All activities with the exception of the Airborne Forces Museum and a few offices have been re-located. Thus, no arrangements could be made regarding local accommodation.
It was agreed that they will contact us if accommodation becomes available. Hopefully, the possible second trip could take place some time in August or October, with our provisional preference being for the latter.
Those members whom we had to disappoint with the first excursion will now of course be considered for the second. There may also be people who didn’t apply for the first trip because the time was unsuitable and who now would like to go in the autumn. They can apply by postcard and their names will be placed on a secondary list which will be used if there are places over.
At the moment payment is not required.
In the meantime, those members who applied but in the end couldn t make the trip have received a letter explaining the state of play. Every disappointed applicant, (including those who didn’t phone in about it), have had their excursion money refunded. The excursion commission will contact these people first as soon as we receive definite information from England.
(Chris van Roekel)

Request for information about photo
The front page of this Newsletter carries a photograph from the Battle of Arnhem and we would like to know where it was taken.
We do know that Sergeant Dennis Smith of the Army Film and Photographic Unit was the photographer and that it may have been taken in Oosterbeek on 18 September 1944.
The original caption states: ‘Heavy machine gun trained on houses holding snipers.’
If anyone has any idea where this photograph was taken, could they please contact Geert Maassen via the Renkum Municipal archives, Postbox 9100, 6860 HA, Oosterbeek, tel. 026 3348303.

Volunteers needed for Society work
Members regularly offer to carry out various jobs for the Friends’ Society, and in most cases these offers are gratefully accepted.
Management would now like to introduce a bit more structure into the situation and, based partly on a proposal put forward by some members, have decided to set up a number of working groups:
1. ‘Events’ working group (organisation of theme days and excursions);
2. ‘Publications’ working group (supervision of books and brochures intended for publication by the Society);
3. ‘Fund raising’ working group (including assistance on sales stands at large events).
If you have the time and inclination to join one of these working groups, drop a line to the Friends’ Society management. Your help is vital!

Glider Pilot Regiment exhibition
An exhibition on The Glider Pilot Regiment during the Battle of Arnhem, entitled ‘No Engines!’, will be held in the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ until 3 November next.
Items for this exhibition have been provided from the museum’s collection plus material and documents from the large private collection of our member Luuk Buist from Oosterbeek.

Airborne Museum gets new storage space
Two years after the completion of the ‘Facelift’ project in which the Airborne Museum underwent a thorough modernisation, a new building project has begun. The earth underneath the front, ground-floor terrace of the ‘Hartenstein’ has been excavated.
The huge space thus provided has been lined (with concrete, brickwork etc) and will be used for the storage of items which, up to now, had to be stored here and there in the museum.

IS April 1996. On behalf of the excursionists, Jan Altink hands over a 1994 Arnhem commemoration flag to assistant curator Diana Andrews in the Airborne Forces Museum, Aidershot.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

Eugene Wijnhoud new management member
During the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s AGM on 27 April 1996, Eugene Wijnhoud from Arnhem joined the management team. He replaces Arie Hofman who was obliged to step down for personal reasons.

‘Perimeter; 17-25 September 1944’, a booklet
One of our members, Mr Henk van Zoest, has independently published a beautifully prepared booklet on the Battle of Arnhem.
Henk was 13 years old in September 1944 and lived in Cronj£weg in Oosterbeek with his parents and little sister. Fifty years later he has put his recollections down on paper. The result is a 48-page diary of events as he saw them, described day by day.
The Van Zoest family lived through the first days of the struggle in Cronj£weg, but on 21 September they were forced to leave their home. They ended up in a house on the corner of Paul Krugerstraat and Steijnweg where they endured the rest of the battle up until Monday 25 September 1944.
The story is not a detailed historical report but describes the war as seen through the eyes of a 13 year-old Oosterbeek boy. The street fighting in particular, when one minute the houses were held by the British and the next by the Germans, is vividly recounted.Initially Henk van Zoest wrote the book for his children and grandchildren, but when other people began to show interest he had a number of extra copies printed. The author has made it known that any profits from the publication will be donated to the Airborne Forces Security Fund in England. The ‘Perimeter’, which is in Dutch, costs 15 guilders.

Obituary:Charles Douw van der Krap
News has reached us of the death at his home in Wassenaar towards the end of last year of Charles Douw van der Krap, Knight in the Military Order of William. He was 87 years of age.
Naval Commander Douw van der Krap took part in the fighting in Rotterdam in 1940. He was made prisoner-of-war and incarcerated in the notorious Colditz Castle, from where he made several escape attempts. He finally succeeded in escaping and after many wanderings ended up in Arnhem, just before September 1944. When the allied airborne landings took place he offered his services to the British. He became commander of the ‘Oranjebataljon’ (Orange Battalion), a group of civilians who had offered to help the airborne troops.
After the Battle of Arnhem he managed to escape across the Rhine on the night of 22/23 October 1944 as part of Operation Pegasus 1. On reaching England he reported to the Royal Navy.
Douw van der Krap has described his experiences in the book ‘Contra de Swastika’ (Against the Swastika) which appeared in 1981.

Obituary: Jacob Maris, sculptor
Sculptor Jacob Maris passed away on 5 April 1996 in Nijmegen at the age of 96. Maris became famous as the artist responsible for various war and resistance monuments in the Netherlands.
One of his most well known works is the Airborne Monument in Oosterbeek (the ‘Needle’ opposite the Hartenstein), which was unveiled on 17 September 1946 by Queen Wilhelmina (see Ministory No. 24 of July 1989).

Special offer to Society members
The Airborne Museum is offering two videos to members of the Friends’ Society at a huge discount. These are ‘D-Day; de bres in de vesting Europe’ (D- Day; the breach in fortress Europe) of approx 60 minutes duration, and ‘The True Glory; van D-Day tot VE-Day’ (The True Glory; from D-Day to VE- Day), which is about 85 minutes long. Both films are in English with Dutch sub-titles.
The normal price for these documentaries is 40 guilders each, but members in the Netherlands can obtain the pair for 30 guilders plus 7,50 post and package.
Stock is limited.
Acquisitions by the Airborne Museum
The alert observer (and connoisseur) will have noticed that the figure of the RAF airman in the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ wore the wrong type of oxygen mask. The mask worn in September 1944 was the type ‘G’, whereas the one on display was the type ‘H’.
After 15 years of searching and with financial assistance from the Society of Friends, we have succeeded in obtaining a type ‘G’ mask, so this detail error has at last been rectified.
The glider pilot mannequin’s helmet earphones have also been replaced with the correct ‘AM’ type.
(Wybo Boersma)

Correction
Members have pointed out to us that the logo caption on the Newsletter envelopes contains an annoying mistake. The Dutch text states ‘Afbeelding van Pegasus 725 v. Chr’ (Picture of Pegasus 725 BC). This should read 725 na Christas’ (725 AD).
Our apologies for this historical ‘clanger’. The English text is however correct.
(Chris van Roekel)

Exhibition
Each year the Renkum municipal archivist Mr Geert Maassen organises a theme-exhibition in the town hall in Oosterbeek. This year the subject will again be the Battle of Arnhem.
Besides material from the archives the exhibition will include documents and photographs from the private collections of various amateur historians.
Further information about this exhibition – scheduled to run from 21 August to 25 September 1996 – will appear in the next Newsletter.

Henry McAnelly retires as ‘Airborne Battle Guide1
For more than twenty years Henry McAnelly has guided interested parties over the former battlefields in and around Oosterbeek.
As a veteran of the Battle of Arnhem he came to live in the Netherlands after the war, and on 3 March 1975 began his activities as a guide in his Landrover.
Now 73 years of age he has decided to call it a day and give up the job for which he became well known both here and abroad. He and his wife have left Oosterbeek for a new life in the ‘het Gooi’ area.

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 64, November 1996
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

Ted Shaw does it again
As in previous years, parachutists from the 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, carried out a parachute drop onto Ginkel Heath near Ede during the 52nd commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem. Once these 200 servicemen were on the ground there followed a parachute descent by a number of Arnhem veterans. Among these men daring once more to take up the challenge, whose ages vary from 70 to 82 and who made the jump linked to a ‘tandem¬master’, was again our British representative Mr Ted Shaw, MC. We extend our hearty congratulation to Ted on this magnificent achievement!
Ted laid a wreath at the ‘Cross of Sacrifice’ during the memorial service at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek on Sunday morning, 22 September 1996. He was accompanied by two schoolchildren from the Renkum municipality. For the last few years the wreathlaying has been carried out by George Gatland, but unfortunately ill health prevented George from attending this year’s commemoration.

Theme day on Sunday 15 December
The traditional theme day for society members will be held again this autumn. This year it will be on a Sunday so that those who have to work on Saturdays have a chance to attend; the date, 15 December next.
The programme is as follows:
11.00 hours: reception with coffee in the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, after which the new storage space beneath the Hartenstein terrace will be open for inspection. The storage room was partially financed by our society. At the same time the museum’s library and archives will be open (opened especially for the occasion no less!) to visitors.
Around midday lunch may be taken at one’s own expense.
13.30-14.00 hours: reception of members for the afternoon programme in Zalencentrum ‘Lebret’, Lebretweg 51 in Oosterbeek. This programme centres entirely on the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’, made in the summer of 1976.
14.00-15.00 hours: lecture by Robert Voskuil, with slides, on the making of the film. The speaker was given a special pass by the staff of producer Joseph Levine, which allowed him free movement around the film sets and the freedom to take photographs. This resulted in a large collection of slides, a selection of which has been chosen for tliis presentation. Among the slides to be seen will be those taken in Deventer and Zutphen, at Huize’t Schol (where the Hartenstein headquarters was reconstructed), at the Nijmegen road bridge, at Ginkel Heath, in Bronkhorst (where Oosterbeek church and the Ter Horst family home was ‘built’) and on the Garderense Heide.
15.00-15.45 hours: break.
15.45-16.45 hours: a showing of the British documentary film ‘The Arnhem Report, the making of ‘A Bridge Too Far’.
17.00 hours: end of the theme day.
The video ‘A Bridge Too Far’ is still widely available and it is perhaps a nice idea to do a bit of homework and watch the film again as preparation for the theme day!

21 September 1996. This year’s ‘Leader of the Pilgrimage’, Major T.l.J. Toler, congratulates a number of veterans on their successful parachute jump at Ginkel Heath.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

Message from your UK representative
Thank you for your support of tire Friends and for your generosity.
A kindly reminder that subscriptions are due on the 1st of January 1997. Donations are always welcome. Signed
Ted Shaw, UK representative.

Second excursion to England, 2 to 6 April 1997
We have received news from Colonel Middleton, controller of the Airborne Forces Security Fund, that an army building in Aidershot will be available from the 2nd to the 6th of April 1997 as accommodation for the second excursion to England. All members who had written-in for the first excursion, but were unlucky, will be asked if they are interested in going on the second trip.
Members who did not previously apply for a place can now do so by letter. If there are seats over in the bus, participants will be chosen by lottery.
Further information will be included in the next Newsletter.

General Hackett presents his wristwatch to the museum
General Hackett recently presented the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ with the wristwatch that he has owned for 55 years and which he wore during the Battle of Arnhem. Hackett obtained the timepiece in 1942 while stationed in Palestine. It was still in use until a short time ago.

Airborne Museum commemorative envelope
The Airborne Museum has begun issuing a new series of commemorative envelopes with ‘Monumenten van de Slag om Arnhem’ (Monuments of the Battle of Arnhem) as their theme. The first edition shows the Airborne Monument in Oosterbeek, designed by the Oosterbeek architect H.W. Wesselink. The monument was made by sculptor Jacob Maris and was unveiled on 17 September 1946 by Queen Wilhelmina.
The first 400 from the 1,000 numbered envelopes have been franked with a 90 cent Operation Market Garden commemorative stamp from 1994. The rest bear the 100 cent stamp that was issued this summer. They are for sale in the Airborne Museum at 6 guilders each.

Plaque for Baskeyfield, VC
On Friday 20 September 1996, a plaque was unveiled at the corner of Benedendorpsweg and Acacialaan in Oosterbeek in memory of John Daniel Baskeyfield (2nd Bn, The South Staffordshire Regiment). Baskeyfield died here on 21 September 1944. He was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. The initiative for this memorial was taken by Mr Th. Peelen from Rheden, one of our members. During his speech he recalled the dramatic events that took place 52 years ago at this spot, which is now marked by a beautiful tree. After the speech a veteran from the above mentioned battalion unveiled the plaque, which carries the regimental emblem and the text ‘Jack Baskeyfield Tree, 20 September 1996’.

Sadly, the weather left a little to be desired during the memorial service at the Airborne Cemetery on 22 September Inst. Girls from the Koninklijke Harnionie use plastic bags to protect their clarinets from the rain. (Photo: Berry de Reus)

50th Airborne Walk
The 50th Airborne Walk took place on 7 September 1996 in ideal weather conditions. Among the 35,000 plus participants were 22 people who have taken part in every walk since 1947, including our Board member Chris van Roekel.
A video has been made to mark the occasion of this jubilee walk documenting its history. After looking back at the Battle of Arnhem, the video goes on to show how the first walk of 49 years ago, in which 1,700 people took part, has grown into the biggest day walking event in the world. With the aid of unique historical film the makers give a picture of the event over the years, and include interviews with people who have been closely involved. It closes with an impression of the 50th walk.
The first copy of ’50 Jaar Airborne Wandeltocht, een hele afstand’ (50 years Airborne Walk, quite a distance) was presented to Mr P. Vos, chairman of the Police Sports Association ‘Renkum’, on 11 October last.
The video is on sale in the Airborne Museum, price 30 guilders.

Can anyone help?
The editors have received a letter from England from George Barton, ex-Sergeant in No. 2 Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 7 KOSB. George recently became a member of the Society of Friends and, while looking through some back numbers of the Newsletter, came across a photo on page 3 of Ministory No. 42.
It shows a Signa! Sergeant whom the author of the Ministory believed belonged to the Recce Squadron. However, George has identified the man as being Lance Sergeant Frank Hooper from Birmingham, who served in the Signal Platoon, 7 KOSB. In his letter George writes that the pair became good friends while prisoners-of-war, and on return to England remained in contact until 1953. After that contact was lost.
George would like to know what became of Frank Hooper. Can anyone help?

German anti-aircraft gun unearthed
The spectacular ‘exhumation’ of a German anti-aircraft gun took place on Friday 30 August 1996 in the Meinerswijk polder, south of the Rhine near Arnhem. In September 1944 this gun, together with other German artillery, fired on British Airborne troops on Onderlangs and Bovenover in Arnhem in an attempt to stop the advance to the bridge, namely on 19 September.
After the war the gun was not broken up for scrap, probably because it was too heavy to move. Instead the 4,5 ton monster, which had been dug in and rendered unserviceable by the Germans, was covered with earth.
For years aficionados knew that there was an anti-aircraft gun buried at that spot, then, some two months ago, members of the Dutch Aircraft Examination Group (DAEG) decided it was high time they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. After locating the exact place with a metal detector, excavation began. This was done with the aid of a crane supplied free of charge by the owners of the land, the Bruil company from Arnhem.
On excavation the weapon appeared to have been reasonably well preserved by the heavy clay in which it had been buried. The damaged barrel lay loose nearby and the nine black rings on it indicated how many aircraft it had shot down. On some places the German camouflage paint was also still visible. First inspection clearly revealed that it was a French 75 mm gun which the Germans had captured during the fall of France in 1940. It was modified and given the name ‘7,5 cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone M 36(f). Once above ground the artillery piece was placed on a low-loader supplied by the J. Bouwman Jr. company from Oosterbeek and taken to Deelen airfield, where it was set up in the DAEG museum. The members of the group that runs the museum will look after the preservation and restoration, which will be sponsored by the Pas painting company from Apeldoorn.
An investigation will also be made into the history of the gun and into the precise role it played in the Battle of Arnhem. Wybo Boersma is trying to get in touch with any members of the gun’s crew still living. When the story is complete we, aided by the DAEG, hope to publish it in the form of a Ministory.

A delegation from the 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, place flowers at the monument in the garden of Utrechtseweg 192 in Oosterbeek during an informal meeting on 21 September 1996. In September 1944 the houses in this area were defended by men of the above- mentioned battalion.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

Recent Airborne Museum acquisitions
1. We have been given a sleeve emblem by a veteran from the former German ‘Reichs Arbeits Dienst’ (RAD), bearing the number 212/6. Two years ago the foundation obtained a complete RAD uniform, but the sleeve emblem was incorrect.
RAD unit 212/6 was stationed in Westervoort and Oosterbeek Laag in 1944. It consisted of 16 and 17 year-old German youths who operated the anti-aircraft guns in Westervoort, Arnhem and Oosterbeek. Some of them also operated as infantry with the 10th SS Panzer Division.
2. Corporal W. (Bill) Turner of the 21st Independent Parachute Company presented his battledress blouse to the ‘Hartenstein’ museum during the recentcommemoration period. Turner served in North Africa, Sicily, at Arnhem, in Norway and in Palestine. He was made prisoner-of-war during the Battle of Arnhem. In 1945 he was given a new battledress, made in South Africa. The shoulder flash he wore in 1945 was light blue in colour with ‘PARACHUTE REGIMENT’ on it instead of the maroon version with ‘PARACHUTE’ and ‘XXI’ (see Ministory No. 42, appendix to Newsletter No. 54).
3. A complete battledress, pocket book and a number of documents belonging to Private Jim Longson have been purchased from a dealer with the aid of money from the Friends’ Society. Longson was with the 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, and was made prisoner-of-war on 25 September 1944. In 1991 he wrote the book ‘An Arnhem Odyssey” in collaboration with Christine Taylor, a book which dealt with the efforts of the Border Regiment during the Battle of Arnhem.
4. The Army Catering Corps Association has sent along a set of AAC emblems, missing until now from the ’emblem board’ in the large room at the Airborne Museum.
(W. Boersma)

Appeal
Oosterbeek has long been a favourite spot with holiday-makers. Even before the Second World War it possessed many hotels and boarding houses. During the Battle of Arnhem a number of these establishments played a vital role. Some were used as hospitals by the British, hotels like the Vreewijk, Schoonoord and De Tafelberg. Others, by contrast, were in German hands or served as shelter for the civilian population. The Airborne Museum intends to devote next year’s spring exhibition to the part played by these buildings during the fighting in September 1944. The search is on for members who are willing to assist in bringing this exhibition to fruition, as well as people who are actually prepared to provide muscle power!
Anyone interested can contact W. Boersma, Binnenhof 38, 6715 DP, Ede, telephone (0318) 639933. He can also be reached at the ‘Hartenstein’ museum, (026) 3337710.
(W. Boersma)
house of God before its destruction in 1944/1945. Tire text gives a potted version of the building’s history. For the benefit of the many visitors who come from abroad there is also a text in English, concentrated mainly on the events during the Battle of Arnhem.

With the aid of a heavy crane, a German anti-aircraft gun is excavated from Meinerswijk polder near Arnhem on 30 August 1996. The barrel, which the retreating Germans had blown off, is lying alongside and is not visible in the photo.
(Photo: Bart Leyten)

Booklet ‘Gestrand in Brabant’ (Stranded in Brabant) reprinted
The booklet ‘Gestrand in Brabant, Market-Garden – September 1944. Voortijdige zweefvliegtuiglandingen’ (Stranded in Brabant, Market Garden – September 1944. Premature glider landings) has been reprinted and is therefore once more available. Among other subjects, this publication, put together by Jacq. van Eekelen and Jos Korsten, deals with gliders that were on their way to the Arnhem area but never made it.
The Market Garden Comite Den Dungen published the book which is of A4 format and comprises 49 pages (with photographs).

Information panel at the Old Church
On Saturday 14 September 1996, Renkum burgomaster Verlinden unveiled an information panel on the wall of the Old Church in the Lower Village, Oosterbeek, on the occasion of the annual Open Monuments day. The panel is alongside the main entrance on the north side, and shows the development scheme and building history of the church since the 10th century, in various colours on a brown background. There is also a picture of this

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 66, April 1997
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

Walking excursion on Saturday 7 June 1997
A walking excursion is to be held on Saturday 7 June next which will follow a route along the western edge of the former allied 1944 ‘Perimeter’. Explanations will be given at various spots along the way.
The Perimeter covered the area in west Oosterbeek that was defended by British and Polish airborne troops against the Germans until the end of the battle.
The programme is as follows:
09.30 -10.00: reception of participants, with coffee, in the Airborne Museum, Oosterbeek.
10.00 -12.30: walk to various locations in
Utrechtseweg, Sonnenberg, Valkenburglaan, Van Borsselenweg and Westerbouwing. All participants need to be at ‘De Westerbouwing’ restaurant by 12.30 at the latest.
12.30 -13.30: lunch at ‘De Westerbouwing’.
13.30 -15.30: walk to various locations at Hemelse Berg, Pietersberg and Park Hartenstein.
There will still be time to visit the Airborne Museum on returning to the Hartenstein.
The ‘Events’ work group under the direction of Eugene Wijnhoud, ably assisted by a number of other members, is organising the walking excursion.
The cost of the excursion is 22.50 guilders, which includes coffee on arrival for the start, lunch at ‘De Westerbouwing’ and an extensive tour guide. Closing date for applications to take part is 24 May. The number of participants is limited to 100 and, as usual, applications will be handled on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

Treasurer Fennema retires
At the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s recent AGM, Mr R. Fennema announced that he was stepping down as treasurer.
He has occupied this post for more than 15 years, since 20 March 1982 to be precise, and carried out the task with great care and in his own particular style. He will be succeeded by Eric van der Meiden from Oosterbeek.
We shall return to this ‘changing of the guard’ in the next Newsletter.

Reconstruction of a meeting between a British patrol and inhabitants of Oosterbeek during the Battle of Arnhem, for the poster for the ‘Onverwachte Gasten’ exhibition in the Airborne Museum ’Hartenstein’. In the background is De Tafelberg, one of the hotels used as an emergency hospital in September 1944.
(Photo: Berry de Reus, 13 March 1997)

Work Groups
Besides the Newsletter and Ministory editing team there are now two new Friends’ Society work groups.
They came into being on 1 January 1997 and are the ‘Events’ and ‘Publications’ work groups.
The first-named organises theme days and excursions, and consists of Eugene Wijnhoud (management member), plus Society members P. Stolte and M. van der Laan.
The second group looks after the production of all books and brochures planned for publication by the Society. This group comprises C. van Roekel (management representative), and Society members F. Miedema, J. Oorthuys, E. Eskes and M. Peters.

Opening of ‘Onverwachte Gasten’ (Unexpected Guests) exhibition
This year’s annual ‘temporary’ exhibition in the Airborne Museum is entitled ‘Onverwachte Gasten’ and highlights the role of Oosterbeek hotels and boarding houses during the Battle of Arnhem. The exhibition opened on 25 April 1997
A pre-investigation, carried out with the help of the Renkum municipal archivist, showed that Oosterbeek possessed more than 100 hotels and boarding houses before the Second World War. It is impossible to tell the story of all these buildings in the space available, besides which there is nothing known about many of the hotels and, in particular, the boarding houses. Therefore a selection has been made.
In the exhibition the subject is brought to life through photographs, extracts from military and civilian diaries and via an extremely detailed and realistic diorama. Various Society members assisted in the organisation of this exhibition, or by the provision of material. The exhibition runs until 2 November 1997 and to mark it the Airborne Museum has produced a poster depicting an event that must have taken place time and time again during September 1944. It shows civilians giving information to an allied airborne patrol. See the photo on page 1 of this Newsletter.

‘Onbekend Herkend’ (The Unknown Identified)
The Airborne Museum is organising a special day on Saturday 21 June 1997 under the name ‘Onbekend Herkend’. On the day, museum visitors can bring along, for them, unknown military and civilian objects and documents that have a (possible) connection with the Second World War.
A team of experts will be on hand between 11.00 and 16.00 to attempt to identify the objects. They will also provide as much background information as possible. No value will be placed on the items and documents as this is only relative.
(W. Boersma)

Slit trenches protected
For some time the Friends’ Society has been making great efforts to ensure the protection of several groups of slit trenches from September 1944 that are still to be found in the woods in and around Oosterbeek.
Last February the society management received a letter from the Forestry Commission stating that the slit trenches in the northeast corner of Johannehoeve are now on the protected list. The trenches will be borne in mind during any possible future work in the wooded areas concerned.

Oosterbeek, 19 February 1997. Author Cor Janse (centre) presents the first copies of his second book, ‘Blik Omhoog’, to Philip Reinders and Peter Vrolijk in the Airborne Museum, in appreciation of their valuable help.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

Presentation of ‘Blik Omhoog’ (Glance Skywards)
It was long awaited and now at last it’s here; the second part of Cor Janse’s book on the history of Wolfheze village during the Second World War, ‘Blik Omhoog’. This second book in the proposed three- book series deals entirely with the Battle of Arnhem in so far as it involved the village and its surroundings.
‘Blik Omhoog II’ received its baptism at a well- attended meeting in the Airborne Museum on 19 February 1997. Following an introduction by the author the first two copies of the book were presented to Philip Reinders from Vlaardingen and Peter Vrolijk from Rotterdam. These two, members of the ‘Arnhem Battle Research Group’, freely provided the author with information relating to the fighting in Wolfheze during September 1944 from their vast collection.
One of the least known aspects of the Battle of Arnhem is the series of bombing raids on Wolfheze, Oosterbeek, Arnhem, Ede and Wageningen which preceded the airborne landings on 17 September 1944. Through the study of previously unpublished documents from American archives, and correspondence with former Flying Fortress aircrews, Cor Janse has succeeded in being the first to paint a clear picture of these air raids. Besides reports, the book contains unique aerial photographs taken from the American bombers during the raids. The attacks had disastrous consequences for Wolfheze; dozens of civilians fell victim and material damage was tremendous.
Over the years Cor Janse has managed to track down hundreds of old Wolfheze inhabitants, both in the Netherlands and abroad. His new book presents many of the stories told to him about the bombardments and subsequent fighting, and these personal recollections form the basis of the book.
The third book in the trilogy will deal with the period of the evacuation of the civilian population after the Battle of Arnhem, the liberation and the return of the population in 1945. When this will be published is not yet known, but it is intended to round-off the project in 1997.
Blik Omhoog II’ comprises 428 pages, approximately 200 illustrations, and is available from bookshops in the municipalities of Arnhem and Renkum as well as from the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’. It costs 44 guilders.

From the Airborne Museum 1996 Annual Report
* The Airborne Museum received 54,060 visitors in 1996. Of these 52,676
were paying visitors while 397 Arnhem veterans and 987 Friends’ Society members visited free of charge.
* A visitors poll was held during the months of July and August. The results, which are compared with those of polls held in 1992 and 1993, will help form the basis of future policy.
* A steel filing cabinet in which the items are separated from one another by sheets of acid-free paper is now being used for the storage of the newspaper and magazine collection. The newspaper archive for the period September 1944 to June 1945 contains 376 items.
* By means of an exchange action (copies of) unusual archive material and photographs have been obtained from Fulbeck Hall, the former headquarters of the 1st Airborne Division in Lincolnshire, England.

Diploma for Roland Boekhorst
Roland Boekhorst, a full-time Airborne Museum employee, recently, and successfully, completed the course for museum conservators. He obtained his diploma after following a two-year course at the Gelders Opleidingscentrum (Gelderland Education Centre) in Veenendaal.
The course included a number of working visits to various museums throughout the Netherlands. Some of those taking the course also visited the ‘Hartenstein’ museum as part of their studies.
The managements of the Airborne Museum Foundation and the Friends’ Society would hereby like to congratulate Roland on the award of his diploma!

Airborne Museum, 27 March 1997. Curator Berry de Reus receives Dr Frazer’s medal set and medical instruments from the hands of John Buis from Canada. On the right is Mr A. Groeneweg, member of the museum foundation management team.
(Photo: Robert Sigmond)

Book Fair
The annual book fair will be held in the Airborne Museum on Saturday 31 May next between 11 am and 4 pm. Stands selling second-hand books on World War II will be set up at various places in the building. The Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum will also be present with a stand selling books about the Battle of Arnhem. Many older books on this subject have been out of print for many years and are difficult to find, but rare titles do often come to light at the book fair.
Members of the Documentation Group ’40 – ’45 will be there as well with a number of sales stands. During the fair it will also be possible to register titles for which one may have been searching a long time. The museum will pass such titles on to the various societies having expertise in the subject in question. Last year more than 300 people visited the fair; there were around two thousand books on offer.
(W. Boersma)

Gift of ‘Pilots Flying Log Book’
Mr G. Raymond McLaren recently presented the Airborne Museum with a number of newspapers, photographs and the ‘Pilots Flying Log Book’ of his brother, Staff Sergeant W.C. McLaren.
William C. McLaren was a glider pilot with ‘F’ Squadron, 2nd Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment. He was killed on 19 September 1944 in Lower Oosterbeek, close to tire Arnhem/Nijmegen railway line. He was buried in a temporary field grave to the south of Hotel de Tafelberg in Oosterbeek. He now rests in the Airborne Cemetery, grave number 3 D 9.
(W. Boersma)

Unique acquisition
On 27 March 1997, the medical instruments and medal set belonging to Doctor S.M. Frazer were presented to the Airborne Museum. Major Frazer was the deputy commander of the 181st Airlanding Field Ambulance in September 1944. In the years before his death he was registered as a resident of the Bermudas, where his widow still lives.
While on a visit to the Bermudan islands, Canadian John Buis heard that Dr Frazer’s widow still had her husband’s medal set as well as the medical instruments used during the Battle of Arnhem. He contacted the curator of the Airborne Museum, Mr Berry de Reus, whose enthusiasm for the plan to get these items to Oosterbeek was immediate and unbounded!
Thanks to the co-operation of Dr Frazer’s widow and the efforts of Berry de Reus and John Buis, these unique objects now have a new home in the museum.
There will be more on this gift in the next Newsletter, (see photo on page 3).

Museum obtains ‘Phantom’ emblem
The Airborne Museum has recently obtained an extremely rare sleeve emblem of the allied ‘Phantom’ unit, sections of which were involved in Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Their task was to report the progress of the operation directly to allied headquarters. During the Battle of Arnhem this was only partially successful.
(W. Boersma)

Reaction to Ministory No. 51
In Ministory No. 51, Tom Henney described, among other things, the withdrawal across the Rhine during the night of 25/26 September 1944. He described the boats used in the withdrawal as ‘…canvas boats manned by Canadian Engineers..’
The editors have received a letter from Mr F.J. Petrie M.M. from Cirencester in England with the following interesting comments:
‘This description reveals an understandable confusion in the memories of many veterans whose eye-witness accounts variously describe the boats as “powerboats – collapsible wood and canvas affairs with motors – small rowing boats – boats paddled like Red Indians – canoes – amphibious vehicles – DUKWs.”
As I was the British sapper who took the first boat across the river at the most westerly ferrying point that night, may I be allowed to describe the two types of boat actually used, and to name the British and Canadian sapper (Engineer) units which participated.
In the case of my own unit, 553 Field Company Royal Engineers (43rd Wessex Infantry Division),two platoons were detailed for the operation with a third platoon being kept in reserve. I expect that the other Wessex Division sappers involved, namely 260 Field Company Royal Engineers, had the same platoon strength, and also that the manpower of the two Independent Canadian Companies, the 20th and 23rd Field Companies of the Royal Canadian Engineers, was similar. This gave a comparable British and Canadian sapper involvement at their four respective ferrying points.
The two Canadian Companies operated stormboats, which were of wooden construction and powered by outboard motors. A stormboat was 20 feet long and six and a half feet in width. It’s operating capacity was 13 fully armed men with a crew of two. The speed of the boat was 20 knots empty and 6 knots fully laden.
The two British Companies operated assault boats, as these were the boats normally carried by an Infantry Division. An assault boat was of collapsible canvas construction with a timber gunwale and wooden frame and floor. The sides when raised were supported by wooden struts. This craft was almost 17 feet in length and five and a half feet wide. It’s operational capacity was 12 fully armed men with a crew of 2 using paddles, not oars.
I would add that during the night and early morning of the operation, because of the difficult river conditions, the British crews paddling the assault boats had first to be increased to three men, then to four and finally to eight men.’

The Arnhem Library ‘Market Garden’ collection
The Arnhem Library possesses a huge and valuable collection of literature on Operation ‘Market Garden’. For this collection, which at the moment comprises 1730 titles, only material related to tire fighting in the province of Gelderland has been selected, not, therefore, on the airborne landings and advance of the allied ground forces in the North Brabant newspaper and magazine articles, photographs regimental histories, OS maps, reports, ‘ commemoration programmes and so on.

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM

Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 68, November 1997
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-S53616

Obituary: General Sir John Hackett
On 9 September 1997, a week or so before the 53rd commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, General Sir John Hackett passed away at his country home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Sir John was 86 years of age.

General John Hackett stands lost in thought between the graves after the service of remembrance at the Airborne Cemetery on Friday 77 September 1965.
(photo: Henk Vreman)

He commanded the 4th Parachute Brigade which landed on the Ginkelse Heide near Ede on 18 September 1944. Nearly a week later, on Sunday the 24th, he received serious shrapnel wounds to the stomach and legs. He was taken to St. Elisabeths Gasthuis in Arnhem where his life was saved by the British surgeon Lipmann Kessel. Hackett was registered as a corporal at the hospital, so the Germans never knew that such an important man lay within their grasp.
Ten days later he was ‘transported’ to Ede by Piet Kruyff, one of Arnhem’s most important Resistance leaders who operated under the codename ‘Piet van Arnhem’.
In Ede he went into hiding in the house of the ladies De Nooij. Fie was given false Dutch identification papers bearing the name ‘Johan van Dalen’. Four months later, aided by the Resistance, he managed to reach the liberated part of the Netherlands via the Biesbosch.
After the war he held many high military posts, including that of commander of the British Army of the Rhine. He remained on active service until 1968. He recorded his experiences during and after the Battle of Arnhem in his 1977 book ‘I Was a Stranger’, the Dutch version of which, entitled ‘Ik ben een vreemdeling geweest’, appeared two years later.
The general was ‘leader of the (September) pilgrimage’ on many occasions, the last time being the 50th commemoration in 1994.
Sir John Hackett will be the subject of a Ministory some time in the future.

In Memoriam: Ken Greenough
One of our members, Ken Greenough, passed away on 19 October 1997 at the far too young age of 29. His death came at the end of a short illness with fatal complications. He was last in Oosterbeek in September this year for the commemoration. Ken, who lived in St. Helens near Liverpool, had been intensively involved with the history of the Battle of Arnhem for more than ten years, and his knowledge of the subject was encyclopedic. He corresponded with many veterans and had an extensive archive of personal stories and reports. This information was available to one and all, and any questions were always answered with the greatest of care.
He acted as a guide during the theme day on 7 June 1997. Participants will certainly remember his detailed explanation and unbounded enthusiasm.
It is difficult to imagine that Ken is no longer with us. He was buried in St. Helens, his home town, on 28 October. Among the many people who accompanied him on the journey to his final resting place were a delegation of Arnhem veterans and a number of his Dutch friends.
We shall miss Ken tremendously, and our thoughts are with Iris family at this tragic time.
(Robert Voskuil)

Theme day
The society is organising a theme day to be held on 13 December 1997 in the Lebret conference centre at Lebretweg 51 in Oosterbeek. This time the subject will be the German side of the Battle of Arnhem.
The programme is as follows:
1.30 pm – 2 pm: reception of the members.
2 pm – 3 pm: lecture by society member Mr Peter Berends from Leidschendam, entitled ‘The 9th SS Panzer Division “Hohenstaufen” and other German units during the Battle of Arnhem and shortly after, September-October 1944’.
Mr Berends has been studying the subject for a number of years and hopes eventually to round off this study with a book.
3 pm – 3.30 pm: intermission.
3.30 pm – 4 pm: the second part of Mr Berends lecture and the opportunity to ask questions.
4.15 pm – 4.30 pm: showing of the cinema newsreel ‘Die Deutsche Wochenschau’ (The German Newsweek), dating from 5 October 1944, which includes German film of the Battle of Arnhem.
4.45 pm (approx): end of the theme day.

John Frost’s hunting horn ‘found’ after 53 years
The Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ was unexpectedly enriched on 16 September 1997 by a unique acquisition: John Frost’s original hunting horn, often used by him during the war to pass on orders and signals to his men of the 2nd Parachute Battalion.

Frost was given the 25 cm long copper horn with its silver mouthpiece by the hunt of which he was at Oosterbeek, 16 September 1997. Mr E.R. Oosterwijk from Meppel poses at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ with John Frost’s hunting horn, found by him at the Rijnbrug in Arnhem in July 1945.
(photo: Berry de Reus)

member. It is engraved; ‘Capt. J.D. Frost, with best wishes from the members of the Royal Exodus Hunt’. When Frost, who had by then been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, was taken prisoner at the end of the battle at the Rijnbrug in Arnhem in September 1944, the musical instrument was taken from him by a German soldier. The hunt gave Frost a new horn after the war.
Now, 53 years after Frost’s original horn was ‘stolen’, it has resurfaced. It was offered to the Oosterbeek museum by Mr E.R. Oosterwijk from Meppel. Mr Oosterwijk found it in July 1945 close to the Arnhem road bridge. ‘I was there as a member of the Nijmegen air protection service, clearing rubble. I saw the hunting horn lying on the ground, completely blackened. I had it cleaned later’, says Mr Oosterwijk. The souvenir was taken home and stood for fifty years in a cabinet in his living room. The man from Meppel, now 76 years of age, decided it was high time that the instrument was given a new, good home. He was scarcely aware that he was in possession of a truly unique object.
On the advice of the local VW (tourist office), Mr Oosterwijk rang the Airborne Museum. There, the reaction of the staff was so enthusiastic that our prospective benefactor leapt aboard the first available train in order to take the hunting horn to Oosterbeek. John Frost’s widow has given the ‘Hartenstein’permission to include the horn in its collection. Needless to say the museum staff are absolutely delighted with this exceptional acquisition.

New commemorative envelope
A new Airborne Museum ’Hartenstein’ commemorative envelope made its appearance on 17 September 1997. It is the second in a series with ‘Monuments of the Battle of Arnhem’ as its theme. This envelope shows the Polish monument in Driel. The monument was designed by Jan Vlasblom from Rotterdam and was unveiled on 16 September 1961 by Major-General Stanislaw Sosabowski, commander of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group in 1944.
Two pillars were added in 1970 bearing the names of the 94 Polish servicemen who died during or as a result of the Battle of Arnhem.
750 numbered copies of the new envelope have been issued. The first 400 are franked with both 80 cent ’50 Years Marshall Aid’ commemorative stamps; the other 350 bear a single stamp. All were franked on 17 September 1997 with the philatelists stamp of the Oosterbeek Post Office.
As in previous years, envelope no. 001 was presented to the leader of the pilgrimage, this time Major- General A.J. Deane-Drummond.
The commemorative envelope with the two stamps costs 7 guilders, the example with one stamp, 6 guilders. They are available from the Airborne Museum.

Operation Market Garden on the Internet
The ‘Operation Market Garden’ website, set up by Andries Hoekstra from Arnhem, can now be found under http://www.pim.nl/mg/pegasus.htm. This shows the progress of the fighting in September 1944 with the Battle of Arnhem as the focal point.
The site also provides much more additional information. For instance, one can learn about the organisation of the Allied and German troops, their equipment, clothing and weapons. It also provides all manner of current information such as new publications on the subject, and one also has the opportunity to make comment.
At the moment the site consists of more than 300 pages and has been nominated one of the best in the world. Mr Hoekstra is supported by the Haarhuis Hotel in Arnhem and the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek.

A look-back at the excursion
Fifty-eight people took part in the ‘battlefield tour’ of the former Arnhem and Oosterbeek battlefields, announced in the previous Newsletter.
After an explanation of the route in the Airborne Museum by the four guides, aided by the scale model of the battle area and photographs, the company left for a walk through the Hartenstein park. There then followed a visit to the former hotel ‘De Tafelberg’. Thanks to the kind co-operation of the present inhabitants the ‘tourists’ were allowed to take a look inside the building.
After lunch at the Schoonoord restaurant a bus tour of the former battlefield was made. Dropping and landing zones ‘X’ and ‘S’ were visited in turn. A short walk was then made to the tunnel under the Utrecht/Arnhem railway line near Wolfheze where, on 17 September 1944, part of the Reconnaissance Squadron ran into an unexpected German defensive line.
Via the ‘hollow’ alongside the Valkenburglaan, the journey continued on to the John Frost Bridge, the St. Elisabeths Gasthuis and Zwarteweg in Arnhem. The tour ended at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. Guides gave explanations at all points with the aid of maps and aerial photos.
Next year it is planned to make one or more similar general excursions for members or other interested parties.
(W. Boersma)

The Rev. R.F. Bowers and an acquaintance enjoy a small glass of Dutch gin together during the parachute drop on the Ginkelse Heide on 20 September 1997.
(photo: Berry de Reus)

‘Off at last’
‘Off at Last’ is the title of the new book about the 7th (Galloway) Battalion The King’s Own Scottish Borderers (7 KOSB), written by society member Robert Sigmond from Renkum.
The battalion was raised in 1939 and was used for coastal defence in Britain during the first years of the war until becoming ‘airborne’ in 1943. Together with the 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment, it became part of the 1st Airlanding Brigade.
The battalion took part in the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Some 760 men under the command of Lt. Col. Robert Payton Reid left England by glider on 17 and 18 September 1944. Only 74 of them came back over the Rhine on the night of 25/26 September, eventually reaching Nijmegen. One hundred and twenty men of 7 KOSB lost their lives as a result of the Battle of Arnhem.
This nine-day period forms the main part of the book, although attention is also given to the Pegasus I and II escapes as well as to the prisoners-of-war. The battalion was re-constituted in 1945 and remained for a time in Norway as part of a liberation force. A chapter is also dedicated to this period.
The making of the 1945 film ‘Theirs is the Glory’ is given some attention as well, because a number of battalion members took part in the film.
Robert Sigmond has been studying the history of 7 KOSB since 1983 and has worked for three years on the production of ‘Off at Last’. More than 60 veterans made contributions in the form of personal accounts, documents and photos. Instead of (topographical) maps, the book contains aerial photographs taken at the time of the battle upon which the troop positions are indicated.
This book could be regarded as a sort of follow up to ‘When Dragons Flew, An Illustrated History of the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment 1939-1945’, published in 1994. The third part of what could be called a series on the 1st Airlanding Brigade is being worked on at the moment, the subject being the 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment. 1.250 copies of ‘Off at Last’ have been produced and it is written in English. This beautifully prepared publication consists of 224 pages with 298 illustrations, and has a dust jacket in colour. The ISBN number is 90-9010449, it costs 57.50 guilders and is available from the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ and the Oosterbeek bookshops.
‘Off at Last’ can also be obtained by post by sending a cheque for 24 pounds (includes 4 pounds p&p. Write your name and address on the back of the cheque) or a Eurocheque for 24 pounds (also giving your name and address) to R.N. Sigmond, Utrechtseweg 126-A, 6871 DV Renkum, The Netherlands.
Further information can be provided by the author by ringing 0317 313533.

Reunion in Fallingbostel
A reunion was held at the former German prisoner- of-war camp Stalag XI-B in Fallingbostel during the weekend of 11 and 12 October 1997. Former prisoners-of-war and camp liberators were invited to the reunion on the initiative of L/Cpl Andy Hone of the British Tank Transporter Regiment, stationed there at the moment. Of the total of 14 veterans present, nine had fought in the Battle of Arnhem. It was a busy and interesting gathering. High points were a lecture by the local historian Hinrich Baumann, a walk along the site of the former camp, a memorial service at the Becklingen War Cemetery and a visit to the Tank Regiment Museum with its collection of excavated objects.
Compared to the original number of allied soldiers

Saturday 20 September 1997. Vehicles of the ‘Airborne Battle Wheels Oosterbeek’ association drive in convoy along Telefoonweg, taking them across the middle of former landing zone ‘X’. The journey ended at the Airborne Museum.
(photo: Berry de Reus)

involved, the number of participants at the reunion was relatively small. Later on it seemed this became the reason why close friendships were formed between people who did not know one another at all or had not seen one another since April 1945.
Thanks to the help of Stan Brooks (C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion) I too was allowed to attend this reunion.
(Marcel Anker)

German Renault tanks in Oosterbeek
During a theme day in October 1992, society member Geert Maassen gave a lecture on the deployment of French Renault tanks by the Germans during the fighting in Oosterbeek in September 1944.
This talk prompted Philip Reinders of the ‘Arnhem Battle Research Group’ to delve deeper into the subject.
The results of Philip’s delving have now been put together in a brochure, published by himself, entitled ‘Panzer Kompagnie 224, De Char B2 in Nederland 1943-1945′. Besides a summary of this German company’s activities, the 40 pages also contain photographs of almost all the tanks that were put out of action in Oosterbeek as well as photos from the period before and after Arnhem’. The publication can be ordered by writing to Philip Reinders, Delftseveerweg 37d, 3134 JG Vlaardingen, The Netherlands, or telephoning/faxing 010 4356704.

Message from your UK representative
Thank you for your support of the Friends and for your generosity.
A kindly reminder that subscriptions are due on the 1st of January 1998. Donations are always welcome.
Signed
Ted Shaw, UK representative.

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