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Utrechtseweg 232 6862 AZ Oosterbeek The Netherlands
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

50 years ago: the first commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem
The 25th of September 1995 will see the 50th anniversary of the first Memorial Service which took place at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek, then still in the course of construction. The organisation of this commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem was in British/Dutch hands and its origins lay in a chance conversation between the (acting) burgomaster of Renkum, Mr. J. ter Horst, and the commander of the 1st British Airborne Division, Major-General R.E. Urquhart. They decided that a service should be held at the cemetery on the 17th of September of every subsequent year. Up to now that has been the case, with the excep¬tion that the date has changed with the passage of time. It remains 17 September when that date happens to fall on a Sunday, otherwise the service is held on the first Sunday following the 17th of that month.
From the very first commemo-ration, the ‘Pilgrimages’ to Arnhem and Oosterbeek by British and Polish guests were photographed by the Arnhem photo¬grapher Herman Truin. One of his photographs from 1945 accompanies this article. The book ‘We Will Remember Them’, available in two languages and containing Truin’s photographs of the first 25 anniversaries (1945-1969), can still be obtained from the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ in Oosterbeek and from the Airborne Forces Museum in Aidershot. The book comprises 126 pages of A4 format.

Hamminkeln excursion a great success
On Saturday May 27 1995, 50 members of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum made an excursion to the area around Hamminkeln in Germany where, on 24 March 1945, the last great airborne operation of the Second World War took place. This operation, code-named ‘Operation Varsity’, was a success, due in part to the lessons learned from ‘Operation Market Garden’ in September 1944.
The bus left Oosterbeek at 9 a.m. for Hamminkeln, where we were received an hour later in the ‘Friedeshalle’. During the break for coffee our local guide, Mr. Johann Nitrowski, showed a 1945 film documentary of ‘Operation Varsity’ which gave an idea of the preparations for and the progress of the operation. After this we got under way on our ‘battlefield tour’.
With the aid of photographs and maps Mr. Nitrowski explained the actions which had taken place at seven different locations. Among the places where the excursion paused were the dropping and landing zones, Hamminkeln railway station, the bridges over the Issel, the Rhine at
Wesel plus a number of command posts, such as the Stallmannshof and Kopenhof farms.
Lunch was taken at Gasthuis Constance near the Diersfordter Wald. During the trip our driver, Rob Grotendorst, was given plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his driving skills when negotiating the narrow, winding lanes.

Apart from a few places around villages where building has taken place, the operational area has changed little in 50 years. This enabled the ’then and now enthusiasts’ to follow the events of 24 and 25 March 1945 with ease, using the maps and photos they had brought along.
There is insufficient space in this Newsletter to allow a thorough appraisal of all the facets of ‘Operation Varsity’ but, I can say to those who are interested, our magnificent guide Mr. Nitrowski will be publishing an extremely detailed book on the subject at the beginning of next year. More information will be provided in the Newsletter nearer the time. Tired but happy, the travellers arrived back in Oosterbeek at about 17.30.
Misters Nitrowski, Gerritsen, Voskuil, Van Roekel and Fennema; on behalf of all the participants, thank you for this fascinating excursion!
(Arie-Jan van Hees)

‘De Polen van Driel’ action raises 1,610 guilders
Two years ago Geert Maassen began ‘De Polen van Driel’ action. This meant that part of the sale price of the similarly titled book by the American/Polish author George F. Cholewczynski, sales of which were coordinated by Mr. Maassen, would go towards the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ renovation. The cooperation of the sellers of the book, the Oosterbeek book dealers Romijn and Meijer & Siegers, plus that of our association, was vital to this action.
The final amount raised was 1,610 guilders. This money went towards the purchase of a thermo-hygrograph, an instrument for constantly monitoring the temperature and relative humidity in the museum. Geert Maassen handed this useful piece of equipment over to the Airborne Museum Foundation management during an informal get-together on 8

June 1995. In his capacity as chairman, and on behalf of the management, Mr. J.W.A.M. Verlinden thanked all those who had participated in this action. Contrary to earlier reports, the price of the aforementioned book about the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group has not since been increased; it remains at 25 guilders.

Gift of unusual film-camera
The Airborne Museum received yet another very unusual gift, namely a ‘Cine-Kodak 8’ camera, during the same meeting at which the thermo-hygrograph was presented. This very camera was used by Mrs. Clous and her husband to film events in the vicinity of their house at the corner of Lebretweg/Utrechtseweg in Oosterbeek in September 1944.
This resulted in a unique piece of 8 mm film showing British and German soldiers as well as civilians, a piece of film which has since been used in various documentaries about the Battle of Arnhem. Use has also been made of the Clous film in the videos which are to be seen at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’. Accompanied by her son, Mrs. I.E. Clous-Veen came to the ‘Hartenstein’ in order to present this unusual camera herself. She also used the opportunity to put on record, and once again to emphasise, that she too had played an important part in the making of what is known to many as ’the film of Clous the dentist’. Duly noted!

‘Light Warning Set’ now almost complete
Since the 1994 renovation the Airborne Museum’s attention has been focused on the two British ‘Light Warning Units’ used by the 1st Airborne Division in September 1944. Last year the Oosterbeek museum obtained the loan of an almost complete ‘A.M.E.S., type 6’ radar set from the Royal Netherlands Army and Weapons Museum in Delft. Following thorough refurbishment it is now on display in one of the upper rooms. The previously missing section of the ‘YAGl TV Type’ aerial has now been added. This three-part item was recently discovered by Mr. W. Boersma in the store-room of the Army museum. Mr. Boekhorst assisted in its restoration. The Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ also managed to get hold of the appropriate frequency meter. The only items now missing are a number of connector cables.

Gift of equipment
For 50 years they lay stored in the attic of a house on the Utrechtseweg in Oosterbeek; a large quantity of original pieces of equipment belonging to British Airborne troops. The Van der Hoop brothers found them in 1945 in the area of Valkenburglaan and Sonnenberg. They reappeared during attic clearing operations, and have since been handed over to the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’.

Great interest in ‘De Bevrijders’ (The Liberators) exhibition
The ’De Bevrijders’ exhibition which opened on April 5 1995 is attracting a lot of visitors. A large number of mannequins wearing the uniforms of the various army units which took part in the liberation of the Netherlands have been set up in the Airborne Museum’s new display room. The uniforms are in perfect condition, as are the associated items of equipment.
Virtually all of this authentic material comes from the private collection of Mr. W. Boersma, who is also responsible for arranging the exhibition. ‘The Liberators’ continues until 1 October 1995.

New conditions for those wishing to consult the archives and library
The conditions laid down by the Airborne Museum management concerning people wishing to consult the library or archives have, in practice, led to the need for further regulations. The somewhat supple wording of the original conditions has been the cause of disappointment and annoyance to some interested parties in the past. The modified regulations are as follows:
1. The library and archives are accessible on working days after first making an appointment with Mr. A.
—Groeneweg.-This.appointment must.be.made at least-
one week before the proposed visit (tel. 085-337710).
2. Archive material and books may be consulted under supervision. Material cannot be taken out on loan. Copies of documents and photographs subject to copyright cannot be provided. Copies of material which, in the view of the management, is not subject to copyright can be supplied within a reasonable timespan at cost price plus postage and packing costs.
3. Authors of a book or article in which use has been made of material lodged at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ are obliged to provide the museum archive with one copy of said book or article, as a gift, on publication. Furthermore, the museum must be mentioned in the list of sources.
(A. Groeneweg)

Monument to the evacuation of Arnhem
Exactly fifty years after the liberation of Arnhem on 14 April 1945, a monument to the evacuation in September 1944 was unveiled in the capital of the province of Gelderland. It is a bronze plaque affixed to the wall of a building on the corner of Jansbuitensingel and Apeldoornseweg. This spot was chosen because many of the 93,000 Arnhem evacuees, forced to flee in the days following 23 September 1944, passed along this way.
The unveiling was carried out by four members of the ‘Comite Gedenkteken Evacues’ (Evacuees Memorial Committee) on 14 April 1995. The money for the monument was raised from private sources, companies and institutions in the Arnhem region. The publication of the book ‘Arnhem Spookstad’ (Arnhem Ghost Town) coincided with the unveiling of the monument. The book contains recollections and photographs of the evacuees, host families and those who stayed behind after the Battle of Arnhem, 1944-’45. It was compiled by Andre Horlings, was published by ELMAR b.v. in Rijswijk and costs 24,95 guilders.

German Order of Battle
During my recent visit to the Imperial War Museum in London my gaze happened to fall on the book ‘German Order of Battle 1944 – The Directory prepared by Allied Intelligence, of Regiments, Formations and Units of German Armed Forces. Originally published, London, British War Office, 1944, Reprint 1994′.
At last the British authorities have given permission for a reprint of this secret book on the order of battle of German forces at the time of the landings in Normandy. To my knowledge this is the only reference work that provides a detailed resume of the German forces up to regimental level. It was also used as a reference by all allied commanders.
It contains details about the organisation, concise information on the divisions and their commanders, the basic structure, identification codes, numbers and nature of the formations and units (divisions, higher formations and lower units). Also included are the ranks and make-up of the Waffen SS up to and including brigade level, help and semi-military organisations, foreign units, information about the higher officer echelons, lists of all regiments and divisions with codename, and an explanation of all abbreviations and codenames.
In short, an extremely useful reference work for those wishing to make a sensible contribution on the German army. It is not a war report but an absolute must for background information.
The book is published by Greenhill Books, Lionel Leventhal Ltd., Parkhouse 1, Russell Gardens, London NW11 9NN, London, the ISBN no. is ISBN 1-85367-170-3 and it costs 15,95 pounds sterling. (Chris van Roekel)

Airborne Museum’s cooperation in the ’50 Jaar Bevrijding’ (50 Years Liberation) event
The great ’50 Jaar Bevrijding’ event took place at the Soesterberg air base between 28 April and 8 May 1995. Various Dutch military museums took part, including the Oosterbeek museum. Mr. Boersma advised on the special exhibition at Soesterberg and the ‘Hartenstein’ provided a large number of uniforms, objects and material for display. Together with the Liberation Museum from

Groesbeek, the Airborne Museum had a large stand at the information market.
The Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s sales stall was also present, manned (or ‘ladyed’) by Mrs. De Langen and Mrs. Sandbrink.
Mr. Boersma was also present in a PR role for the museum, and was available to answer questions and provide information.
The event attracted more than 470,000 visitors, due in part to the good weather.

Presentation of the first volume of the book ‘Blik Omhoog’ (Glance Upwards)
The first volume of the book ‘Blik Omhoog 1940- 1945’, by our member Cor Janse, was presented on 14 July 1995 during a well-attended meeting in the ‘Neder Veluwe’ building in the grounds of the Wolfheze Psychiatric Hospital. It is sub-titled ‘Wolfheze en de Zuid-Veluwe in oorlogstijd’ (Wolfheze and the South Veluwe in wartime).
This first book describes in great detail the lot of the inhabitants of the village of Wolfheze during the period 1939 up to and including 16 September 1944. In addition great attention is given to the events in the south western Veluwe area, with Wolfheze as the centre point for the author’s compass.
Volume 2, due out in the autumn of 1995, begins with the preliminary bombardments of Operation Market Garden and deals with the history of the area between Arnhem, Ede and Wageningen up to and including the liberation and rebuilding.
Volume 1 of ‘Blik Omhoog’ contains 400 pages of A4 format.

‘Victory in Europe’
During the year of the 50th anniversary of the liberation many new books appeared, focused on the ending of the Second World War. One of these is ‘The Imperial War Museum book of Victory in Europe’ by Julian Thompson, whose earlier works include ‘Ready for Anything – The Parachute Regiment at War, 1940-1982’.
In ‘Victory in Europe’ Thompson describes the eleven months needed following D-Day for the conquering of Western Europe, seen through the eyes of servicemen in the British land, sea and air forces. He has made use of diaries, letters and taped interviews, all of which are to be found in the Imperial War Museum. The book also includes a chapter on Operation Market Garden.
This well-prepared publication contains over a hundred photographs and colour reproductions of paintings. ‘Victory in Europe’ was published in London by the Imperial War Museum in conjunction with Sidgwick & Jackson, and costs 25 pounds sterling.

Appeal
For some time one of our members, Philip Reinders, has been engaged in compiling a list of names of all British and Polish servicemen who were involved on the ground in the Battle of Arnhem.
Each soldier will be listed with: name, initial(s), rank and unit (platoon, company, battalion). Philip would also like his survey to include the eventual fate of each individual, i.e. whether or not he returned across the Rhine or was made prisoner-of-war. As the reader will be aware, those soldiers who lost their lives are listed in Jan Hey’s ‘Roll of Honour’ (as far as these are known).
Unfortunately no complete, official list of names per unit exists and the summary now being worked on still contains many blanks. Anyone who thinks he can contribute to this work is asked to contact Philip Reinders, Delftseveerweg 37d, 3134 JG, Vlaardingen, telephone 010-4356704. Heartily recommended!

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Utrechtseweg 232 6862 AZ Oosterbeek The Netherlands
NEWSLETTER No. 54, May 1994
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

From the editors

With the 50th commemoration of operation Market Garden still fresh in our memories, preparations are already under way for the next great anniversary, that of the liberation of the Netherlands in May 1945. Following the failure of the Battle of Arnhem, the Germans forced the inhabitants of the southern Veluwe region to leave their homes. There then followed the construction by the Germans of a formidable defensive line, which included trenchsystems and underground command posts, and the area was systematically plundered. Allied bombardments from the south caused even greater damage than the fighting in September 1944.
When Allied troops entered Arnhem and surroundings in April 1945 they found a destroyed and empty town. The former inhabitants, who had no other choice but to celebrate the liberation elsewhere in the Netherlands, were only able to return to their homes over the next few months.
Our society’s programme of activities for this year will also devote attention to the liberation.

15th General Members Meeting
You are invited to attend the 15th General Members Meeting of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek. The meeting, which will include the Annual Meeting, will be held in the ZALENCENTRUM LEBRET (Lebretweg 51 in Oosterbeek, tel. 085-333168) on Saturday 1 April next, starting at 2 pm.
The agenda is as follows:
1. Opening
2. Minutes of the General Members Meeting of 9 April 1994
3. General Report 1994
4. Financial Report 1994
5. Audit Committee Report
6. Budget for 1995
7. Election of Officials
8. Appointment of reserve member to the Audit Committee
9. Questions
10. Closure of the meeting.

Information on agenda point 7. Messrs Chr. van Roekel and A.
-Hofman have come to the end of their term of office but both have declared themselves available for re-election. Article 8 of the statute allows for the proposal of alternative candidates. In this event, a written nomination should reach the secretary (C/O Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ Oosterbeek) at least 10 days before the meeting, signed by a minimum of 10 members and accompanied by a declaration of availability from the candidate. The candidate must be a Society member and an adult.
Papers relating to financial matters will be sent to you separately. The Audit Commission report will be available for perusal half an hour before the meeting begins. After the meeting the film “De Bevrijding van Nederland’ (The Liberation of the Netherlands) will be shown. This documentary, dating from 1945, was made by the Canadian Army Film Service.

General Report 1994
We began the year with 1127 members. During 1994 15 people cancelled their membership, 20 people had their membership withdrawn through non-payment of subscriptions, and eight members died.
Membership was increased by 152, including two British and six Dutch ‘life members’. We ended the year with 1236 members.
Those who passed away were the ladies Mrs. H. van der Vlist, Mrs. J. Klaassen-Opendorp, Mrs. G.H.A. Gouda Quint and Mrs. J.F. van Hasselt, and the gentlemen Mr. H.P. Veenhuysen, Mr. H. van Drumpt, Mr. J. W. Regtering and Mr. H.
Blankenstijn Jr.

The Newsletter’s new design exceeded all expectations and four issues with associated Ministories were published. To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem the 56th edition was given a front page in colour, and contained twice the normal number of pages. The schools project, organised by our society for many years, had to be adapted due to the renovation of the Airborne Museum. Dutch and English versions of the new folder appeared with an exceptional photograph of the Rhine bridge in Arnhem, taken after the Battle of Arnhem, on its cover. The 4,000 photo sheets – each pupil receives a copy with his/her folder – were provided free of charge by our printer, Linders-Adremo of Oosterbeek. Great Dutch and British interest was shown in our schools project in 1994. It appears to be an important tool in informing today’s youth of the events of September 1944.
By far the greatest gift from our society to the Airborne Museum last year was undoubtedly the financing of the new diorama depicting the artillery positions near the Old Church in Oosterbeek. The official hand-over took place on 18 May during the re-opening of the renovated and modernised museum.
Other gifts to the Airborne Museum included a portable overhead projector, protective covers for transportable dioramas, a Royal Enfield motorcycle and a set of original wheels for the Airborne handcart, itself presented by the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.
The society was promised 5,000 guilders for the schools project from the SEMO (Stichting Fondsenwerving Militaire Oorlogs- en Dienstslachtoffers – a trust which acquires funds for military war and service victims). A sum of 10,000 guilders from the profits from the sale of telephone cards will be presented to the museum by the ‘VW Arnhem, de Zuid-Veluwe and de Liemers’ (regional tourist board). This money will also be used for the schools project.
Last year many more propaganda/sales stands were present at various events, partly in conjunction with the 50th anniversary. They were to be seen at such events as the Netherlands Royal Air Force Open Days at Leeuwarden, the Heideweek at Ede, the Airborne Cycle tour at Doorwerth, the ‘Resistance day at Nunspeet, the Airborne Walk at Oosterbeek, the Societies market at Oosterbeek, the gathering of the veterans in Arnhem, the parachute drop on the Ginkelse Heide at Ede, the Polish commemoration at Driel, the veterans march in Arnhem, the Pegasus walk at Lunteren and the commemoration of the liberation of Vucht. Profit for the society and for the museum amounted to more than 25,000 guilders. Every year the society provides a fitting gift for the schoolchildren who place flowers on the graves during the memorial service at the Airborne Cemetery. This year they were given a copy of the booklet ‘De Tommies Komen’ (The Tommies are Coming), a society publication. The British and Polish children who took part each received a Pegasus badge.
Thanks to the sponsorship of R.Z.R. Zorgverzekeraar from Doorwerth (an insurance company), the society was able to present all the participating schools with a copy of the video ‘We’ll See You In September’. Last year the society made a fervent plea for the protection of the allied trenches from 1944 that are still to be found in the Hemelse Berg park and at the Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, and at Papendal in Arnhem. The Arnhem and Renkum municipalities were requested to place these items on the protected list. Renkum municipality reacted positively and took measures to ensure their continued existence; Arnhem municipality thought it sufficient to refer us to the owners of the areas in question.
An excursion was held on 18 June with the role of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment Royal Artillery as its subject. The fighting that took place at Paasberg in Oosterbeek was also dealt with during the excursion. A theme afternoon was held in the Concert Hall in Oosterbeek on 17 December. Marcel Anker, one of our members, gave a lecture on the fate of C company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, after which the video film ‘We’ll See You in September’ was shown. On reflection one could say that 1994 was a very busy year, but it was also an extremely successful year.
(J.M. de Langen, secretary)

A reminder from the Treasurer
Members who have not paid their 1995 annual subscriptions are now asked to do so as soon as possible. Individual membership costs 20 guilders per year, family membership 30 guilders.
Airborne Museum receives 95,000 visitors
The Airborne Museum received 95,000 visitors during 1994, the year of the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem. Of these, 92,000 were paying visitors, while 2,000 veterans and 1,000 members of the Society of Friends visited the museum free of charge.
The wide publicity given to the anniversary ensured that 1994 was a top year for the museum. September alone saw 22,500 paying visitors, making this the busiest month in the museuni’s history.
Shop and store rebuilt
The total renovation of the Airborne Museum was rounded off in November and December last year when the shop and store underwent extensive rebuilding. The shop, which was housed for a time in the new exposition room in the cellar, has now been given its permanent spot next to the cloakroom on the ground floor.
The Hartenstein’s former wine cellar is now a store. Provisions for ensuring good ventilation and humidity control have been installed.

Exhibition
The Airborne Museum will be exhibiting the paintings and-drawings it received as gifts during the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem in September 1994 from 16 February until 19 March. The museum is also organising an exhibition entitled ‘De Bevrijders’ (The Liberators); it will run from 6 April until 1 October 1995. The exhibition, which is being held in connection with the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, will show Allied uniforms and equipment dating from the 1945 period.

Book Fair
The annual Book Fair will be held in the Airborne Museum on 22 April next, where secondhand books about World War II will be on sale. The experiences of previous years lead us to believe that this too will be a very busy day.

Gift of an extremely rare book
The Airborne Museum recently received a number books on World War II from a private donor. The collection contained one of the rarest books ever written about the Battle of Arnhem, the paperback

‘Five Days in Hell’ by Jack Smyth.
The author, a Reuter correspondent at the time, landed on the Ginkelse Heide with the 4th Parachute Brigade on 18 September 1944. He was wounded during the subsequent fighting and taken prisoner. The book, which incidentally doesn’t always adhere to the historical facts, was published in London in 1956.

‘ARNHEM, The Battle Remembered’
The 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem led to the publication of a number of new books to do with

the battle. One such is the book ‘ARNHEM, The Battle Remembered’, by Robert Jackson. This book not only deals with ‘Arnhem’, it also covers the complete Market Garden operation.
The author begins with an analysis of the military situation in the period prior to 17 September 1944. There then follows a summary of the history of the various British Airborne operations and the lessons learned from them. He goes on to describe the Market Garden operational plan, the German military situation and the preparatory bombardments.
The day to day military operations, both Allied and German, are described in the next nine chapters. Ample attention is given to the daily air operations, including those of the Luftwaffe. Besides the general military story there are a number of eye-witness accounts.
Despite the complicated nature of the operation the author has succeeded in producing a clear and easy to read summary. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and maps, although it has to be said that more care could have been paid to some of the captions. The book comprises 184 pages and contains a list of notes and a literature list.
‘ARNHEM, The Battle Remembered1 was published in 1994 by Airlife Publishing Ltd., Shrewsbury, and costs £ 19.95.

Special edition of ‘Arnhem de Genoeglijkste’ (Arnhem the Most Pleasant)
Last September the Arnhem Historical Society ‘Prodesse Conamur’ published a special edition of its magazine, ‘Arnhem de Genoeglijkste’, containing articles about the September 1944 period.
In it, W.H. Tiemens has written about Tex Banwell and Hendrika van der Vlist, A.S. Stempher about ‘Een bijzonder weekeinde in September 1944’ (An extraordinary weekend in September 1944), G.H. Maassen about the ‘Poolse para’s op de Johannahoeve, dinsdag 19 September 1944′ (Polish paras at Johannahoeve, Tuesday 19 September 1944), F.R. Ranft about ‘Contacten in oorlogstijd’ (Contacts in wartime), P.R.A. van Iddekinge about the Arnhem bridge and A.S. Stempher about the evacuation of Arnhem.
Copies of this special edition are still available, price 5 guilders.

Disappointing ‘Setback’
It is actually with great reluctance that I do this, but as one of the Newsletter’s editors I feel it my duty to make the readership aware of yet another new book about the Battle of Arnhem.
Some time has passed since Bert Kerkhoffs from Arnhem took it into his head to pick up his pen again and write something about September 1944. He even managed to get hold of a publisher as well, and the book duly appeared under the title ‘ARNHEM 1944 – Slag van de TEGENslag’ (ARNHEM 1944 – Battle of the Setback).
Kerkhoffs is one of those who is not exactly buckling under the burden of an excess of knowledge on the events of 50 years ago, and because of this the book is full of nonsense, flights of fancy, irrelevant facts and, worst of all, he doesn’t always tell the truth. I’ll give a few examples.
The author claims to have spoken to the former ‘Hohere SS-und Polizeifuhrer’ Hanns Albin Rauter after the war, and as proof of this he has published part of the text written by the war criminal himself. This text, however, is lifted direct from the Boeree collection, which is housed in the Arnhem Municipal Archives. It was in fact Boeree who spoke to Rauter, not Kerkhoffs!
According to the author himself he also interviewed the Polish General Sosabowski in 1949: ‘A soldier with dark eyes and a bristling moustache’. The General did indeed wear a moustache in September 1944, but this was not the case five years later. Did Kerkhoffs really talk to Sosabowski? Well of course not, no more than he spoke to Rauter and Eisenhower (Yes, Kerkhoffs even claims to have spoken to the last named as well).
About the Poles who landed at Driel on 21 September 1944, Kerkhoffs writes: ‘at Driel…the Polish parachutists were fired on by the British’… ‘because they wore different uniforms and berets’. There were no British at Driel, neither Airborne nor any other British unit. Besides this the Polish and British uniforms were identical, and at the time in question the Poles were, quite understandably, wearing helmets, NOT their grey berets.
Kerkhoffs’ finest piece of codswallop concerns the ‘American operators of the 1st British Airborne Division’s radio equipment’ who, after 50 years of research and despite assistance from ‘Colleagues in America, England, Canada and Poland’ are, and remain, untraceable. The retired Arnhem journalist obviously smelt an interesting tale somewhere in the far distance, but didn’t have the foggiest idea of where to go looking for the facts. American radio teams were indeed involved in the fighting, but they had nothing to do with the regular British signals troops. Why they were unable to carry out their specific tasks is clearly explained in the brochure “Calling ‘Sunray’! – de verbindingen tijdens de Slag om Arnhem, September 1944” (“Calling ‘Sunray’! – communications during the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944”), which was produced for the like- named exhibition held at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ (1991). The names of these Americans are known.
I could go on like this forever and ever.
In view of all this I, as Renkum municipal archivist, would have liked to discuss this book with Kerkhoffs, but he refuses any discussion on the grounds that I was born after the war . . . Likewise, the inhabitant of Arnhem has no desire to be grilled about his publication by the Arnhem municipal archivist. The reasons are perfectly clear. Let me end by saying that not one of the photographs in the book is accredited. That in itself says enough about the standard of what is written, about the author and about the publisher.
In short, don’t buy the book, but if you do, don’t bother reading it, just consign it to the bookshelf. Should you, however, despite all warnings, still be tempted to acquaint yourself with the contents, then simply take everything you read with a big pinch of salt!
(Geert Maassen)

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Utrechtseweg 232 6862 AZ Oosterbeek The Netherlands
NEWSLETTER No. 54, May 1994
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

From the editors
The 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem is already some way behind us. The days between 14 and 18 September were characterised by a kaleidoscope of happenings. The programme folder listed dozens of events, both big and small.
The official commemoration began on Thursday 15 September with a meeting in the Rijnhal in Arnhem during which the veterans were presented with a special commemorative medal. At the same time a service was held at the Eusebius Church with Prince Willem Alexander as guest of honour. On Friday 16 September some 5,000 British, Poles and local inhabitants sat down together for a veterans/civilians lunch which was laid on for them by 60 catering establishments in Arnhem. The traditional Silent Procession to the Airborne Monument at the Rhine bridge took place later that afternoon.

Despite the bad weather on Saturday 17 September, 700 mainly British parachutists made a parachute descent onto Ginkel Heath watched by tens of thousands of spectators, including Prince Bernhard and Prince Charles. Unfortunately, the memorial jump by 70 veterans had to be postponed to the following day, when it went ahead at Teuge airfield. A huge parade along Onderlangs in Arnhem took place on Saturday afternoon. This attracted many onlookers.
The high point was undoubtedly the emotional service of remembrance at the Airborne Cemetery at which Queen Beatrix and Prince Charles were the guests of honour.
This exceptional commemoration not only attracted enormous interest from veterans and civilians but also from the world press. ‘Arnhem’ made the front pages of many newspapers and it received extensive coverage on television.

In this Newsletter we have made a selection from the news surrounding the 50th commemoration and we shall be returning to the subject in the next issue.
‘Theme afternoon’, Saturday 17 December next
The annual Theme afternoon organised by our association will be held on Saturday 17 December next in the Concert Hall, Rozensteeg 3, Oosterbeek (tel. 085-332046).
The programme is as follows:
13.30- 14.00: Reception of the members;
14.00-15.00: Lecture by Marcel Anker from Duiven about ‘The fate of C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion during the Battle of Arnhem’;
15.00-15.30: Intermission;
15.30- 16.45: Showing of the video documentary ‘We’ll See You In September’ (see elsewhere in this Newsletter);
Approx. 17.00: End of the Theme afternoon.

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 1995. Donations are always welcome. Signed: Ted Shaw, UK representative.

Information morning on 17 December
For a number of years now many of our members have been engaged in historical research into various aspects of the Battle of Arnhem. A number of these have now taken the initiative for organising an information morning on Saturday morning the 17th of December. This will be held in the Concert Hall in Oosterbeek.
The members in question will be there, with part of their collections, to explain about their research and to exchange ideas with other members; Okko Luursema will also be on hand with his bookstall. Subjects under the spotlight will include the Glider Pilot Regiment, the 7th Battalion The King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the Reconnaissance Squadron, the battle around Wolfheze, the 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment, the Dorsetshire Regiment, C Company of the 2nd Parachute Battalion etc. The Concert Hall will be open from 10 am for all those interested. Admission is free.

21st Independent Parachute Company again ‘first in’
In September 1944,180 men of the 21st Independent Parachute Company jumped onto landing zones ‘S’ and ‘Z’ and dropping zone ‘X’ half an hour before the main force in order to indicate the zones with marker panels, smoke canisters and Eureka beacons. Now, fifty years later, they were again ‘first in’. They arrived in Oosterbeek in a group on 1 September last. During their stay they visited the Airborne Cemetery, laid a wreath at ’their’ monument at the comer of Utrechtseweg and Stationsweg, took part in a battlefield tour and visited the individual places where they had fought during the Battle of Arnhem. David Eastwood, one of the former platoon commanders, was interviewed on one of the landing zones for the new video documentary ‘We’ll See You In September’. With the aid of an original marker panel from 1944 he demonstrated how the dropping and landing zones were indicated for the main force.

Tunnel under the railway embankment excavated in historical reconstruction
A few hundred metres east of Wolfheze station is a small tunnel under the railway embankment. The people of Oosterbeek refer to it as ‘de derde duiker’ (the third culvert), since it is one of three intended for the drainage of excessive rainwater. Cyclists and walkers also make extensive use of it for getting from one side of the Arnhem-Utrecht railway to the other. Few people know that this culvert played an important role during the Battle of Arnhem.
When, on 19 September 1944, the attack by the 10th and 156th Parachute Battalions foundered on the strong German defensive line along the Dreijenseweg, Major-General Urquhart ordered these troops to withdraw from Johannahoeve to the area south of the railway line. According to the War Diary of the 4th Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and to various other personal accounts, some troops in jeeps made use of this culvert under the railway embankment.
However, doubts arose as to whether this could have actually been possible because the tunnel appeared to be far too narrow and low for jeeps to pass through. Besides this, over the years earth had piled up at both entrances, making access appear even more tight. The only real way to prove if the jeeps could indeed have driven through was to restore the tunnel to its original state.
On Saturday 27 August 1994 a number of volunteers assembled at the culvert, bent on clearing the entrances. With the aid of a digger and driver, provided by the Bouwman company of Arnhem, and the muscle power of members from our association and the Keep Them Rolling group, the entrances at both sides of the embankment were opened up. After two hours labour, accompanied now and then by a miserable, drizzly rain, the work was finished and the engines of the six original jeeps that were on hand were started. The first vehicle drove gingerly into the tunnel, followed closely by the others. The culvert did indeed appear to be big enough. With the windscreen laid flat the jeeps could get through. The initiators of the test were satisfied. It had been proved empirically that the reports from 1944 were correct.Thanks are due to Netherlands Railways for their generous cooperation in this investigation.

Monument to the people of Gelderland
On 14 September 1994, in pouring rain, General Sir John Hackett unveiled a monument alongside the eastern driveway of the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’. With this monument the British wish to express their everlasting gratitude to the people of Gelderland for all the help they gave to the 1st British Airborne Division and the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group in September 1944. The inscription reads:
‘To the people of Gelderland.
50 years ago British & Polish Airborne soldiers fought here against overwhelming odds to open the way into Germany and bring the war to an end. Instead we brought death and destruction, for which you never blamed us.
This stone marks our admiration for your courage, remembering especially the women who tended our wounded. In the long winter that followed your families risked death by hiding Allied soldiers and airmen, while members of the Resistance helped many to safety.
You took us into your homes as fugitives and friends, we took you forever into our hearts. This strong bond will continue long after we are all gone.’ The Queen’s Commissioner for Gelderland, Mr. J. Terlouw, thanked General Hackett for this emotive monument. ‘

Restored Airborne Monument in Heelsum unveiled
In the previous Newsletter we mentioned that an action had been started to collect funds for the restoration of the Airborne Monument in Heelsum. On Wednesday 14 September 1994, almost 49 years after the original unveiling, the completely restored monument was once again unveiled. Major AJ. Hibbert, Brigade Major of the 1st Parachute Brigade in 1944, made a speech after which Mrs. Van de Poll, widow of the Heelsum blacksmith who put the monument together in 1945, carried out the unveiling ceremony assisted by a number of children. The 6 pounder gun, the centre piece of the monument, is once more as new; even the wheels are back on. The area around the monument has also been given a complete tidy-up.
The fine end result can be attributed to excellent cooperation between private individuals, the business community and the local government.

Plaque and bench seat for the Dorsets
In the morning of Friday 16 September 1994 a group of soldiers from the 4th Battalion The Devon and Dorset Regiment crossed the Rhine near the Westerbouwing in four small boats. The group included a number of veterans from the original 4th Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment.

It was men from this battalion who, under covering fire from the 5th Battalion of the same regiment, crossed the Rhine during the night of 24-25 September 1944 to provide reinforcement to the beleaguered Airborne Division at Oosterbeek. The crossing that night was carried out under murderous German fire, resulting in many dead and wounded. After the 1994 crossing a small parade took place in the grounds of the Westerbouwing restaurant. There then followed a short service during which Lieutenant-Colonel A. Thorburn presented a wooden bench seat to the Renkum municipality. The bench has been given a place on the western side of the restaurant where it looks out over the crossing point of 50 years ago. A plaque was then unveiled on the south wall of the Westerbouwing in memory of the 4th and 5th Battalions The Dorsetshire Regiment.

New monument at Airborne Square in Arnhem
A new monument in the wall around the sunken part of the Airborne Square (‘de Berekuil’ = the Bear pit) was unveiled on 16 September last on the occasion of the 50th commemoration. It consists of two long stone blocks bearing, as text, the motto of the fiftieth anniversary, ‘Battle of Arnhem, Bridge to the Future’. The monument was made by the Oosterbeek artist Marius van Beek.

Monument to the Air Despatchers
One of the areas where large quantities of supplies were dropped to the British Airborne troops in September 1944 was the area to the north of the Airborne Cemetery. On Sunday afternoon 18 September 1994, a monument was unveiled on the southern edge of this area in memory of the Air

Despatchers of the Royal Army Service Corps who were killed 50 years ago. These were the men responsible for dropping the panniers and containers during the re-supply flights.
Many low-flying aircraft fell victim to German anti-aircraft artillery during these flights in the Arnhem area and many lives were lost. Seventy-nine Air Despatchers were among those who died on these re-supply missions.

General Sir John Hackett receives medal of honour from Ede
At a meeting held in Ede town hall on Thursday evening 15 September 1994, the Burgomaster of Ede, Mr. W. Blanken, presented General Sir John Hackett with a medal of honour on behalf of the municipality of Ede. With this presentation the Ede municipal officials wish to honour all Airborne troops who went into hiding in the area fifty years ago.
The badly wounded Brigadier Hackett was hidden for a good four months in the home of the De Nooij family in the Torenstraat, Ede. Early in 1945 he managed to return to the British lines in the south of the Netherlands via the Biesbosch (a watery area of small islands and reed beds to the east of Rotterdam).
Great interest in the photographic exhibition ‘Civilian Images’
This year the annual exhibition held in Oosterbeek town hall concentrated on photographs and films made by the civilian population during the Battle of Arnhem. The exhibition ran from 8 September to 27 October.
This is the first time in 50 years that these ‘civilian images’, as the exhibition is called, have been brought together, and this is thanks to the compilers Geert Maassen and Robert Voskuil.
The search for original pictures from September 1944 brought still more new photographs to light.
Eventually 27 of the photographers could be identified by name, but at the present time ten are still unknown. In total 167 photographs were unearthed, all of which were exhibited whatever their quality.
It was possible to put the original 8 mm film shot by four amateur cameramen onto video, and these were shown during the exhibition.
Many of the people who had wielded the camera in September 1944 were present at the opening of the exhibition on 7 September.
There have been requests from all sides regarding the possibility of putting all the photographs together in a book. As a result both compilers have decided to take a look at what can be done.

Parts of David Lord’s Dakota in the exhibition ‘Final Resting Place in Holland’
An exhibition was held in Oosterbeek public library during September and October to do with the air war over the Netherlands in the period 1939-1945. This exhibition was set up by the Dutch Aircraft Examination Group (DAEG) which has recovered various Allied and German aircraft over the past years.
The exhibits included some remnants of Dakota KG 374 from 271 Squadron. This aircraft, flown by Flight Lieutenant David S.A. Lord, was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire on 19 September 1944 while on a re-supply mission to Arnhem. With the aircraft already on fire and despite the heavy flak, Lord twice circled the supply dropping zone so that the despatches could get the supply panniers away. They managed to drop all the supplies but immediately afterwards a wing broke off and the aircraft crashed near Reijerskamp farm just to the north-west of Wolfheze.
Lord was posthumously awarded the highest British military honour, the Victoria Cross, for his courageous efforts.
The DAEG recovered the remains of the aircraft earlier this year. Parts of other aircraft shot down during the Battle of Arnhem were also on display during the exhibition.

‘The Remains of a Battle’ exhibition gives a view of ‘military archaeology’
Just as they did a few years ago, a number of our association members organised an exceptional exhibition to mark the anniversary in September. It was entitled ‘The Remains of a Battle’ and ran from 12 to 25 September 1994 inclusive at the Westerbouwing. Messrs H.A. Leydecker, M. Hofstede, N. Hulshof, H. van der Velden and M. Clemens exhibited a large part of their personal collections of items that have been found over the years on and under the former battlefield around Arnhem.
Besides pieces of equipment it was the personal belongings of the soldiers which attracted much attention. Everything was well documented and set up in an easy to view manner. Entrance was free but, thanks to the many donations from the visitors, a princely sum could be handed over to the Airborne Forces Security Fund.

Presentation of Middlebrook’s book at the Airborne Museum
Mention was made in the previous Newsletter of Martin Middlebrook’s new book ‘Arnhem, The Airborne Battle’.
The author came over to the Netherlands on the 25th of August 1994 to present both the English and Dutch editions at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’.
During this informative gathering Middlebrook explained to the assembled press how he had gone about writing the book. He began in 1989 by reading through all the official reports held by the Airborne Forces Museum archives at Aidershot.
He next interviewed, personally or by letter, some 500 veterans. Armed with this knowledge he then travelled to Arnhem in order to study the battlefield in detail and to interview a number of civilians who had been caught up in the fighting.
Finally Middlebrook began writing. Originally the publisher allowed him 120,000 words but this was eventually stretched to 160,000 words, resulting in a book of about 500 pages.
‘Arnhem, The Airborne Battle’ is Middlebrook’s last book; from now on he intends concentrating on guiding interested parties around the battlefields of Europe.
Author of ‘Arnhem Lift’ visits Oosterbeek
By January 1945 the first little book about the Battle of Arnhem was already in the bookshops. It was called ‘Arnhem Lift, Diary of a Glider Pilot’. The first edition appeared anonymously for security reasons. The Dutch version, which was published in 1946 under the title ‘Ik vocht om Arnhem, Dagboek van een zweevliegtuig-piloot’ (I fought at Arnhem, Diary of a glider pilot) did indeed carry the author’s name: Louis E. Hagen. Fifty years after the battle he was back in Oosterbeek.
In September 1944, when he fought in houses on the eastern side of the perimeter, he became acquainted with an Oosterbeek family. Mr. and Mrs. Kremer, their 11 year old son Sander and 12 year old daughter Ans, lived at the time in a large villa, no 8 Stationsweg. During the 50th anniversary Louis Hagen stayed at Ans Kremer’s house in Mariaweg, close to Stationsweg. On a walk past the old house, Louis Hagen, Ans and Sander reminisced about September 1944.
Hagen’s book ‘Arnhem Lift’ has been published far and wide and in many languages over the last 50 years, and recently a revised and expanded edition appeared. It includes the story of Major Winrich Behr, who in September 1944 was involved in the battle as Field-Marshall Model’s Adjutant. Winrich Behr and Louis Hagen met each other 45 years after the Battle of Arnhem during a dinner in Germany, and became friends. Hagen decided to include Behr’s story in his book so as to give the German view. This new edition of ‘Arnhem Lift’ is published by Leo Cooper, London, and costs £ 13.95

‘Arnhem, A Tragedy of Errors’
Last September the book ‘Arnhem, A Tragedy of Errors’ appeared, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem. The author is Peter Harclerode.
In this book the author provides an objective analysis of operation Market Garden in which, as well as looking to existing publications, he makes extensive use of original sources such as the War Diaries from the Public Records Office in London.
He describes the preparations for this gigantic ground and air operation in a systematic manner, and points out where the most important evaluation faults were made.
One of the interesting aspects investigated by Harclerode is the part played by the decoded German messages, under the code name ‘Ultra’. The messages, which were decoded at Bletchley Park near London, provided the Allied high command with exact details of German troop movements, and therefore the movement and strength of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions in the Arnhem area as well. The author has consulted all these TJItra’ messages for his book.
In the chapters concerning the progress of the battle, the operations of the Airborne Divisions, 30 Corps and of the German units are looked at in turn. In particular, his analysis of 30 Corps’ operations provides an interesting and nuanced picture of the causes for the delays in this Corps’ advance. ‘Arnhem, A Tragedy of Errors’ is published in Britain by Arms and Armour Press, London. It is illustrated with photographs and maps and costs £ 16.99.

‘Nothing is Impossible’
At the beginning of September last a book bearing this title and written by ex-glider pilot Victor (Dusty) Miller made its appearance. In it the writer describes his experiences during the airborne landings on

Sicily in 1943, at Arnhem in 1944, and during the Rhine crossing in 1945. His story is based on diary notes which he began making at the start of his military service. After his demob in 1946 he expanded on his notes.
Now, fifty years after ‘Arnhem’, he and his son have reworked and published the manuscript. The result is an extremely interesting and readworthy book. One hundred and thirty of the 276 pages are devoted to Miller’s lot during the Battle of Arnhem.
He spent the greater part of the battle in the grounds surrounding the British headquarters at the Hartenstein Hotel, and he describes in great detail what happened to him in those days. Fie manages to recapture very vividly the atmosphere during the patrols, the shelling and the fighting around the Hartenstein. The locations where the various events took place are indicated on a map of the area. Miller was among the lucky ones who managed to escape across the Rhine during the night of 25-26 September 1944, and this episode is also dealt with extensively in the book.
Last 17 September Victor Miller was at the Airborne Museum together with his son to sell signed first editions of the book himself.
‘Nothing is Impossible’ is illustrated with photographs and maps. The book is published in England by Spellmount, Staplehurst, United Kingdom (ISBN 1-873376-30-8) priced £ 18.95. It is also available at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ for / 56,-.

‘Without Tradition, 2 Para 1941-1945’
The 2nd Parachute Battalion has without doubt become most well-known as the battalion which, in September 1944 under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel John Frost, defended the Rhine bridge in Arnhem against overwhelming German forces. However, the history of this battalion does not begin and end with ‘Arnhem’, and this history has recently been put together by Robert Peatling in the book ‘Without Tradition, 2 Para 1941-1945’.
The battalion was formed in 1941. Volunteers from all the various regiments of the then British army reported for service with the new airborne units. These units had no military tradition, hence the title of the book ‘Without Tradition’.
The first important operation carried out by this battalion after an intensive training period was the raid on Bruneval in northern France in February 1942. C Company, under Major John Frost, was successful in capturing parts of a German Wurzburg radar installation and returning them to England for examination.
Frost was given command of the entire battalion in October 1942, a command he would hold up to and including the ‘Arnhem’ operation. The battalion took part in operations in North Africa from November 1942 up until July 1943, after which it was sent to Sicily on 13 July 1943, and then to Italy. The 2nd Parachute Battalion returned to England at the beginning of December 1943 to prepare for the invasion of Europe.
On September 17 1944 the battalion, 31 officers and 487 other ranks strong, took off for Arnhem. At the roll-call in Nijmegen after the evacuation on 25 September just 17 men of the 2nd Parachute Battalion answered their name.
The book relates the history of the 2nd Parachute Battalion based on official reports but especially through a multitude of personal accounts from veterans of the battalion.
The book costs £ 16.95 and can be obtained in the UK by ordering direct from the author: Robert Peatling, 36 Park Lane, Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 1LD. The book is available in the Netherlands from Mrs. Pelster in Oosterbeek, tel. 085-333479, at/ 50,- including postage and packing.

‘Sprong in de Afgrond’ (Leap into the Abyss)
That is the title of a book written by the Dutch journalist Harry van Wijnen about the failure of Operation Market Garden. Following a study of the available literature, Van Wijnen has produced yet another list of the most important reasons for the failure of the operation.
The book is written in a racy style, but in his analysis of the historical facts the author quite often falls into the trap of making ‘cheap’ generalisations. He regularly makes extremely black/white assessments of people and situations. Field-Marshall Montgomery in particular, but Major-General Urquhart as well, bear the brunt of his criticism.
It would appear from a number of annoying mistakes here and there in the book that the author himself is not exactly infallible. Consequently brigades, landing zones and landing data are mixed up with one another in an irritating manner. Although the book provides a reasonable overall picture you will not find in it ’this tragedy shown in a surprising new light’ as the text on the back cover would have us believe.
‘Sprong in de Afgrond’ is only available in the Dutch language and is published by Uitgeverij Balans. It contains 161 pages, is illustrated with photographs, and costs f 27,50.
An overall look at 50 years of commemoration

The Open Air Museum in Arnhem organised an exceptional exhibition which ran from the beginning of September until mid-October last. The exhibition was called Van oorlogsherinnering naar monument, 50 jaar herdenken van de Slag om Arnhem’ (From memory of war to monument, 50 years of commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem).
The exhibition was opened on 1 September by Dr. L. de Jong, former director of the State Institute for War Documentation and historian of the Kingdom of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
During the exhibition the book ‘Don’t forget us; we shall not forget you’, written by J.O. van der Heijden, was available for purchase. This book, which is in Dutch and English, gives a survey and analysis of 50 years of commemorations.
The book is illustrated with photographs and is published by the Open Air Museum.

New catalogue of books about the Battle of Arnhem
In 1975 Dr. P.G. Aalbers compiled a bibliography of books about the Battle of Arnhem. A supplement to this bibliography appeared in 1978.
Arnhem Library possesses a large collection of literature to do with operation Market Garden, at the moment some 1,500 titles. Within the framework of the fiftieth anniversary of this operation, the library has published a catalogue of this collection. One difference between the aforementioned Aalbers bibliography and this Arnhem Library publication is that, whereas Aalbers lists literature which is not connected to any particular collection, the new catalogue only contains titles which are in the possession of Arnhem library.
The catalogue, compiled by M.H. Alofs, is available from Arnhem Library, Koningstraat 26, Arnhem, price f 10,-.

Book of photographs of the Battle of Arnhem commemoration
‘Vijftig jaar na de Slag om Arnhem’ (Fifty years after the Battle of Arnhem) is the title of a book of photographs which gives a survey of the commemorations in September 1994.
The book, published by the Arnhemse Courant/the Gelders Dagblad (two local newspapers), contains many colour photographs with captions and an introduction by the paper’s chief editor, G. Dielessen. It contains 32 pages and costs f 15,-.
The proceeds from the sale of this book will be used entirely for the setting up of a monument to the evacuation of Arnhem in 1944 (see elsewhere in this Newsletter).
The book ‘Vijftig jaar na de Slag om Arnhem’ can be purchased from all offices of the Arnhemse Courant, the Gelders Dagblad, the Apeldoornse Courant, the Deventer Dagblad and the Overijssels Dagblad.

Video documentary ‘We’ll See You In September’
In the previous Newsletter mention was made of the preparations for the production of a video documentary about the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem. This documentary, produced by Bal Bedrijfsvideo of Oosterbeek, has recently been completed and is now on sale.
‘We’U See You In September’ gives an impression of the various commemorative meetings and get- togethers during the 50th anniversary. There are reports on events such as the Silent Procession and wreathlaying in Arnhem, the dropping of British parachutists at Ginkel Heath, the wreathlaying at the monuments in Oosterbeek and Driel, the parade of honour in Arnhem and the highpoint, the service of remembrance at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek.
In addition the film contains many authentic pictures made by British and German film makers and amateurs in September 1944, film of the liberation of Arnhem in 1945 and old cinema newsreels of the first commemorative gatherings just after the war. All is interspersed with interviews with old combatants and with civilians who were involved in the fighting at close range.
There are Dutch and English versions of the film and the running time is 82 minutes. Joop Bal presented the first copies of the video to the burgomasters of Arnhem, Renkum, Ede and Heteren – Mr. P. Scholten, drs. J.W.A.M. Verlinden, Mr. W. Blanken and Mrs. A.E. Verstand respectively – during a festive meeting at the Airborne Museum on 17 October.
Information about this film can be obtained from Bal Bedrijfsvideo, Rozensteeg 1,6862 DH Oosterbeek.

Video for the schools
Thanks to the sponsorship of R.Z.R. Zorgverzekeraar from Doorwerth (an insurance company), the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum was able to present all the schools which took part in the laying of flowers at the Airborne Cemetery with a copy of the video ‘We’U See You In September’.
Each year the Society of Friends provides a fitting gift for the participating pupUs. This year they each received a copy of the Society’s publication ‘De Tommies Komen’ (The Tommies are Coming). Thanks to the donation of this video to the schools, young people will be able to acquaint themselves now and in the future with the things that happened in this region in 1944, and how these events have led to the annual commemoration.

Airborne Museum receives documents from the ‘Ryan Archives’
All the documents, diaries, interviews etc that Cornelius Ryan compiled during the years he was writing Iris books ‘The Longest Day’, The Last Battle’ and ‘A Bridge Too Far’ were handed over by his widow to Ohio University in America on his death in 1974. There they can be consulted for historical investigations.

A large number of copies of the ‘Battle of Arnhem’ reports and interviews have now been placed at the disposal of the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ in Oosterbeek. During an informal meeting held on 8 September, Doug McCabe and Adrie H. Nab, archivist and Vice President for University Relations respectively at Ohio University, presented a small selection of the Ryan Archives for display in the museum. The rest of the documents will follow shortly.

Regimental flags fly in front of the Airborne Museum
During the recent days of commemoration in September 1994, the flags of many of the units which took part in the Battle of Arnhem were flown from the flagpoles in front of the Airborne Museum. Thanks to the initiative and drive of our member Don Jacobs, an employee of the museum, 16 flags from various museums and barracks in the UK were brought over to the Netherlands. Jaap and Bart van Genderen, both Friends, ensured that the flags were raised and lowered each morning and evening, and each evening their mother took care of the hanging out and drying of the flags. Piet Spronk and Cees Wichart, both employed by Renkum council, provided the necessary assistance.

Commemorative envelope
This year sees the 17th issue of an annual commemorative envelope by the Airborne Museum Foundation.
A special drawing was made for this envelope by the Arnhem artist Ben Speijdel depicting various aspects of the Battle of Arnhem. The 90 cent stamp, which was issued to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, was chosen for this envelope and it is specially franked with the date ’17 September 1994′. The envelopes are numbered from 1 to 1,000 and are available from the Airborne Museum at £ 5,- each.
The issue of this 17th commemorative envelope ends the series.

Airborne commemorative art poster
Within the framework of the September commemoration all veterans received a special Airborne poster presented on behalf of the Renkum municipal management. The art poster was produced by the Oosterbeek photographer Henk Gerri tsen.
Other interested parties can also obtain a copy of this handsome poster. It costs just f 5,- and is available from the Oosterbeek town hall Information Department, the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ and the VW tourist offices in Oosterbeek and Arnhem.

Airborne Commemoration Foundation booklet still available
1. At the end of August a jubilee booklet was published by the Airborne Commemoration Foundation to mark the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem entitled ‘The Battle of Arnhem 1944-1994’.
Besides the official programme the booklet contains three articles. The first gives an overall picture of the battle in September 1944, the second deals with the origin and development of the Airborne commemoration and the third is a reflection regarding the future form of the commemoration. The booklet, which is available in three versions, namely Dutch, English and Polish, comprises 52 pages and is illustrated with photographs, including some so far unpublished.
Last September veterans of the Battle of Arnhem received a copy as a gift. For those interested there are still a number of copies available from our society or from the Oosterbeek town hall Information Department.
2. A book, linked to the extensive schools programme, was published in April 1994 entitled ‘Een Brug naar de Toekomst’ (A Bridge to the Future) and written by Jan Durk Tuinier. It is a text book intended for the young and is aimed at ‘building a bridge from the past to the future’. It contains various stories, poems, and the words of the commemoration anthem, comprises 125 pages and is illustrated with 30 photographs.
3. A colour poster (screen print) has also been produced for the school programme giving a symbolic impression of the new style of commemoration.

Market Garden supplement from ‘de Gelderlander’
Free copies of the special edition of ‘de Gelderlander’ newspaper about Operation Market Garden can still be obtained from the Oosterbeek town hall Information Department. Stock of the English version, ‘The never ending story7, is limited but the Dutch edition ‘Het verhaal van toen en nu’ is in plentiful supply.
‘Arnhem, a musical tribute’
A CD and a cassette tape of music and song by Max Bygraves, the children from the Pieter Breughel School, Arnhem, the Les Reed Orchestra and the band of the Parachute Regiment arrived on the market in September under the above title. The CD costs £ 15,- and the cassette £ 10,-. The proceeds from the sale of these items will be presented to the ‘Airborne Forces Appeal’ in Aidershot.
Among the places where the CD and tape can be bought is the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’, the Oosterbeek town hall Information Department and Meijer & Siegers bookshop in Oosterbeek.
Souvenir sales reach record levels
The enormous public interest in the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem also resulted in a tremendous increase in souvenir sales. Not only were the sales extremely good at the Airborne Museum shop and at the sales stand of the V&D (a departmental chain store) exhibition in Arnhem, but the stands set up at the various events in the area also made overtime.
As far as our association is concerned a special mention has to be made of our secretary Mieke de Langen. Together with her trusty colleague Riet Sandbrink she was there with her sales stand at all sorts of gatherings, whatever the weather. Over that period they eventually accounted for some 25,000 guilders worth of souvenir sales!

Generous gift from 7 KOSB
Last year Company Sergeant-Major Jimmy Swanston organised a collection among the veterans of the 7th (Galloway) Battalion The King’s Own Scottish Borderers for the benefit of the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ renovation. Many answered his call, and on Friday afternoon 16 September 1994 the delegation handed over a cheque for £ 1,200 (!) to the Foundation management.
Following a ringing speech from CSM Swanston Mr. Groeneweg thanked all concerned on behalf of the management. He let it be known that he would have to revise his ideas regarding Scottish thriftiness since very few groups have ever collected so much money.

Memorial columns at prominent points from the Battle of Arnhem
For many years now in Oosterbeek memorial columns have marked prominent places from the Battle of Arnhem.
In September and October last and to mark the 50th commemoration, the Cultuur, Educatie en Sport (Culture, Education and Sport) service of the Arnhem municipality, together with the VW (Tourist information service), placed five such memorial columns at locations which played an important part during the battle. Thanks to the cooperation of the Ruimte (Space) sector of the Renkum municipality, which holds the copyright for the design, the granite columns are exact replicas of those in Oosterbeek.
They are located at the Boterdijk, in front of the St Elisabeth’s hospital, at the Town hall, at the ramp up to the John Frost Bridge and at the spot where the Van Limburg Stirum school used to stand.

General Sir John Hackett presents unusual souvenir
During the period that Sir John Hackett was in hiding with the De Nooij family in Ede he carried a false identity card bearing the name ‘Johan van Dalen’. In those days he wore a badge which bore the letters ‘S.H.’ (Slecht Horend = ‘partially deaf or ‘hard of hearing’). If caught by the Germans he could then act as if he didn’t understand and was therefore not obliged to answer.
Sir John Hackett handed this unusual badge over to the Airborne Museum THartenstein’ during the recent anniversary.

Medal sets
Recently the Airborne Museum have been given various personal medal sets. We shall be giving a summary of these medal sets in this and the next Newsletter.
1. Dr. M.C.J. Pilaar, former surgeon in Apeldoom: King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom. Mr. Pilaar died on 8 September 1965.
2. Flight Engineer Malcolm Mitchell, RAF: 1939/45 Star, France and Germany Star, War Medal with Mentioned in Despatches, General Service Medal with Palestine clasp 1945-1948.
3. Lt. P.J. Brazier, Glider Pilot Regiment: 1939/45 Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal with Mentioned in Despatches.
4. L/Cpl T. McEwan, ‘D’ Coy 10th Parachute Battalion: 1939/45 Star, Africa Star with 8th Army clasp, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal.

Veteran presents oak tree to Renkum municipality
For the first time in 50 years, 74 year old veteran Mr. Les Seviour from Chippenham, Wiltshire in England visited the place where his comrades fought in September 1944. He brought with him an oak sapling as a gift to the municipality of Renkum.
After consultation it was decided to plant the sapling in the Hartenstein Park, close to the deer park. The planting took place on 21 September 1994.
Pegasus Walk attracts record number of participants
The 11th Pegasus Walk which was held this year on Saturday 22 October attracted almost 2,500 participants. Last year the figure was almost 1,750. The journey, which started from the Floor cafe in Lunteren, keeps alive the memory of the Pegasus I and II operations.
During operation Pegasus I on 22 October 1944 almost 150 military personnel, who had gone into hiding in the Veluwe following the Battle of Arnhem, were taken across the Rhine to the liberated part of the Netherlands aided by the underground movement.
Within a month operation Pegasus II took place, but this failed. Of the 120 men who attempted to reach the Rhine in this operation only eight eventually managed to cross to the far bank.
Next year the Pegasus Walk will be held on Saturday 28 October.

Monument commemorating the evacuation of Arnhem
It is well known that directly after the battle was lost, Arnhem and a number of surrounding villages were evacuated by order of the Germans. More than 95,000 people were driven out of Arnhem alone. Only after April 1945 were they allowed to return to their totally plundered town.
An exhibition about the evacuation was held in the Visitors’ Centre at the Watermolen (the Water mill) in Sonsbeek Park from 17 August up until 23 October. This exhibition attracted an enormous number of visitors, and very quickly the idea was mooted of setting up a monument to commemorate what was, for Arnhem and surroundings, a terribly traumatic period.
It is intended that the new ‘evacuation’ monument in honour of the evacuees will be unveiled on or about the 14th of April 1995, exactly fifty years after the liberation of Arnhem. It will probably stand on the Apeldoornseweg at the entrance to Sonsbeek Park.

House once again bears the historic name ‘Monty’
During the fighting in Oosterbeek in September 1944 the Kardol family sheltered in the cellar of their house at no. 17 Paasberg. The British soldiers who fought in and around the house told them that Field Marshall Montgomery, whom they called ‘Monty’, would soon be here to relieve the Airborne soldiers at Arnhem.
Although the operation eventually failed, the name ‘Monty’ made such an impression on Mr. Kardol Sr. that, after the liberation, he decided to call his house ‘Monty’, and he made and fixed a nameboard to the house bearing that name.
However, when the house was extended in the seventies the board disappeared from the front wall. Now, fifty years after the Battle of Arnhem, Mr. Han Kardol, son of the original owner, has royally restored the original nameboard and re-fixed the name ‘Monty’ to the wall of the house on the Paasberg.

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Utrechtseweg 232 6862 AZ Oosterbeek The Netherlands
NEWSLETTER No. 53, February 1994
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

14th General Members Meeting
You are invited to attend the 14th General Members Meeting of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum, Oosterbeek.
The meeting, which will include the Annual Meeting, will be held in the ZALENCENTRUM LEBRET (Lebretweg 51 in Oosterbeek, tel. 085-333168) on Saturday 9 April next, commencing at 2 pm. The agenda is as follows:
1. Opening
2. Minutes of the General Members Meeting of 3 April 1993
3. General Report 1993
4. Financial Report 1993
5. Audit Committee Report
6. Budget for 1994
7. Election of Officials
8. Appointment of reserve member to the Audit Committee
9. Questions
10. Closure of the meeting Information regarding agenda point 7.

Mrs. J.M. de Langen and Mr. W.T. de Ruyter have reached the end of their term of office but both have put themselves forward for re-election. Article 8 of the statute allows for the proposal of alternative candidates.
In this event, a written nomination should reach the secretary (Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ Oosterbeek) at least 10 days before the meeting, signed by a minimum of 10 members, and accompanied by a declaration of availability from the candidate. The candidate must be a Society member and an adult. Papers relating to financial matters will be sent to you separately. The Audit Commission report will be available for perusal half an hour before the meeting begins.
A film will be shown after the meeting has ended. (The management)

General Report 1993
Membership numbers have increased from 1014 to 1127, partially thanks to the new enrolment folder and despite the fact that 9 members cancelled their membership, 18 Dutch and 13 British members were expelled through non-payment of subscriptions, and 14 members died. In total the society is richer by 167 members, of which 10 are life members. The deceased are Mrs. J.M. van Kooten-van Brummelen, and the following gentlemen: Mr. A. van Maanen, Mr. G.J.J.M.
van Vaessen, Mr. F.P.K. de Jong, Mr. P.H. Jolink, Mr. J.W.H. Klein, Mr. H.
Braam, Mr. H. Bruggeman, Mr. G. Shepherd, Mr. J.P. Barnett, Mr. F. Young, Mr. J.E. Nicolson, Mr. W. Wright and Mr. E.
Coleman. Four Newsletters and Ministories appeared with, from issue 50 on, a completely new format. The excursion of 3 July and the theme afternoon of 12 December were extremely well attended. The Schools Project continued to run well in 1993. Thanks to the insurance company “Het Zilveren Kruis” (The Silver Cross), ten severely handicapped veterans could again be invited to attend the September commemoration. The society had a promotional/ sales stand at the Airborne Walk, the Pegasus Walk, the 80th anniversary of the Royal Netherlands Air Force at Eindhoven air base (2 days), the Dutch underground reunion in Nunspeet, the veterans’ reunion in Oosterbeek and the Aviation Exhibition at the Exhibition Centre in Utrecht (2 days). The total proceeds for the Airborne Museum and for the society were 3887,15 guilders and 3654 guilders respectively.

The society published two new books. In April, the Dutch and English versions of “Een Regimental Aidpost” (Cloud over Arnhem) by the late Mrs. Kate ter Horst appeared and on 12 December, the revised version of the “Roll of Honour”, by Mr. J.A. Hey, saw the light of day. The society donated a Panasonic Video Presenter to the Airborne Museum. This will also be used on our sales stands for showing video films of the Battle of Arnhem. Because of the museum renovations, the promised purchase of a display cabinet was postponed until 1994. The lottery and the sale of “square decimeters” of the rear wall of the new diorama, both in aid of the renovation, have been a success.
(J.M. de Langen)

Appeal from the treasurer
Members who have not paid their 1994 subscription are asked to do so as soon as possible.
Individual membership costs 20 guilders per year, and family membership for a year is 30 guilders.

Facelift lottery
On December the 15th 1993, the Oosterbeek solicitor Mr. Docter made the final draw in our lottery. As you know, all paid for and received lottery tickets were included in this final draw, which meant that 153 prizes found a home.
These have, in the meantime, been sent by post or delivered personally, in itself no mean task for the workgroup members. The lottery was rounded off with the presentation of the bonus prizes to those who had sold more than one book of tickets. More than sixty members managed to pull off this not inconsiderable feat. The top guns were Mrs. Rieken (220) and Mrs. Feith (137), and Mr. Purmer, with an unbelievable 433 tickets sold.
Without wishing to belittle the efforts of the other sellers, because we know what a time consuming business ticket selling can be, we would like to say an extra thank you to these “champion sellers”. A total of 7607 tickets were sold, making the gross proceeds 38,035 guilders. Total overheads (prizes, printing, postage) amounted to about 5,000, which means that we shall soon be able to hand over some 33,000 guilders to the management of the Airborne Museum Foundation.
This fine result was achieved through the communal efforts of virtually all the membership. In addition the lottery spread the name of the museum and friends far and wide, which itself resulted in a notable increase in membership. The star prize, a beautiful wall clock with a shop value of 800 guilders, was won by Mrs. Van Tongeren from Oosterbeek.
All that remains for us to do now is wind up affairs and present an account of our financial “dealings” to the Renkum council. However, we can already say: “It was a mammoth task, but it was worth all the effort and we did it with pleasure”, but nobody need ask us to organise another lottery for the coming 25 years!
(C.v.Roekel).

Presentation of the “Roll of Honour”
The new edition of the “Roll of Honour” was presented to society members during the theme afternoon held on 12 December last.
So many new facts have come to light since the first impression in 1986 that it was high time to modify the existing text. Thanks to the sterling efforts of Jan Hey, Chris van Roekel and Truus Oosterhaar, this task was brought to a satisfactory conclusion.
A future Ministory will expand on a number of the new details which have been included in this “Roll of Honour”. The book comprises 230 pages and contains, among other things, information on all the Allied servicemen who lost their lives as a result of the Battle of Arnhem. It is available at the Airborne Museum, price 20 guilders.

53,000 guilders from the Airborne Runners
At the beginning of 1993, Mr. Harm Altena from Heelsum came up with the idea of raising money for the Airborne Museum renovation by means of a sponsored run, and the New York marathon was chosen for this purpose.
Thirty sportsmen from Oosterbeek and district decided to take part and, following nine months of intensive training, they left for America to run the marathon, which took place on the 14th of November. All thirty succeeded in completing the 26 mile, 285 yard course. In doing so they managed to raise a total of 53,000 guilders, the amount having been pledged by various sponsors.
A cheque for this amount was presented to the Airborne Museum Foundation on 17 December 1993 amid much festivity. The foundation chairman, Mr. J.W.A.M. Verlinden, thanked the Airborne’ Runners for this fantastic action through which they amassed this tremendous sum for the rebuilding and refurbishment of the Airborne Museum, in an original and sportive way.

Museum weekend and book fair
The annual museum weekend will be held on the 16th and 17th of April next. On these particular days, the Airborne Museum will focus attention on the restoration of the musealogical objects which have come into its possession in the recent past.
A book fair will be held in the museum on Saturday the 7th of May. Many old and new books about the 2nd World War will be on sale, especially books to do with the Battle of Arnhem.
Fifty years ago
Every week during this special commemorative year, the Airborne Museum will exhibit British, German and Dutch newspapers from the corresponding week(s) in 1944.

Foxholes to be protected
In various locations in the woods throughout the municipalities of Renkum and Arnhem, foxholes from the Battle of Arnhem can still be found. Although the majority have become filled with leaves and earth over the last fifty years, they are still often easy to recognise. These foxholes are of great historical importance, since they are among the few tangible items remaining from September 1944. Their positions give an insight into the strategy and progress of the struggle. Of course the foxholes consist of natural material, and are extremely vulnerable. In order to prevent their total disappearance, the Society of Friends wrote to both councils in the Autumn of 1993 requesting protection for these remaining trenches. The locations in question are at the Hemelse Berg and the Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, and at Johannahoeve (Arnhem). Renkum council have come back with a positive reaction. The foxholes will be indicated on the so- called “woods layout” so that employees whose job it is to care for and maintain the woods are aware of their positions. In this way the risk of them being filled in by accident will be avoided. However, it is certainly not the intention to re-excavate the trenches and turn them into a sort of tourist attraction. Alas, up to now there has been no response from Arnhem.

A remarkable find
A recent tip-off from an acquaintance brought the Airborne Museum into contact with a builder who was carrying out work on a house in Arnhem. A number of German documents had been found under the floorboards of the ground floor. Mr. Boersma investigated the space under the floorboards and found, amongst the thousands of glass splinters, rubble and rubbish, what appeared to be part of the administration from an SS Dental post. The find consisted principally of dental cards and X- rays relating to German servicemen.
Unfortunately the unit is not often mentioned alongside the patient’s name, but closer study has revealed that they mainly concern soldiers from the “SS Ausbildungs- und Ersatz Bataillon 12”, who were stationed in the Coehoom barracks in Arnhem. There were also a few documents from the “SS Ausbildungs- und Ersatz Bataillon 16”, units of which were stationed in Oosterbeek in September 1944. An English newspaper dating from April 1945 was also found among the rubbish, so one can conclude from this that, when the house was cleaned up after the war, this material was dumped under the floorboards. The most interesting item to be found was the card and X-rays of SS Sturmbannfiihrer Sepp Krafft, commander of the above-mentioned 16th battalion. It was this unit which caused such problems for the 3rd Parachute Battalion and the Reconnaissance Squadron during their attempts to push through to the roadbridge in Arnhem on Sunday 17 September 1944. Whether or not he was suffering from toothache at the time is difficult to determine. His card, and the other documents, are now residing in the museum’s archives. A small selection from this find is on temporary display in a cabinet in the first exhibits room.

Book news
A short time ago, the book “History of the Polish Parachute Badge – Polish Airborne Forces in World War II”, written by J.J. Lorys, was published. It consists of an historical introduction followed by a list of 6,200 names of Polish and Allied servicemen who earned the right to wear the Polish para badge during World War II.
The Dutch readers can order this book by sending a Eurocheque for 10 pounds sterling to: The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, 20 Princes Gate, London SW7 1PT, England.

The Airborne Commemorations Foundation
In July 1992 the Airborne Commemorations Foundation became an official fact. This foundation has been set up with the aim of establishing and coordinating the official programme for the annual commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem. Besides this, the legal and financial aspects of the various commemorative activities must be coordinated and streamlined. The foundation is set up as follows. There is a general management board which consists of representatives from the various organisations which participate in the commemorations, and the activities surrounding them. The chairman of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum is also a member of this general management board. The municipal councils involved have each appointed an adviser who will attend the general board’s meetings.The daily management board will consist of a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary and a treasurer. The Queen’s provincial commissioner and the burgomasters of Arnhem, Ede, Heteren and Renkum have seats on the Steering Committee, which is primarily concerned with the broad outlines and official aspects of the programme.
The Coordinating Committee 1994 has been set up for this year’s commemoration. It is made up of the daily management board of the Airborne Commemorations Foundation, the council advisers and a representative from the Provincial Military Commander and from the (regional) Police. Professional help has been engaged to provide secretarial and organisational support for the 50th commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem. The secretariat is located in Renkum town hall: Mrs. M. van Tilburg, PO box 9100,6860 HA Oosterbeek, tel. 085-348220. It may be superfluous to mention to our members, particularly those who are Arnhem veterans, that entry tickets are required for certain events, among which the Memorial Service at the cemetery. If necessary, further information can be obtained from the above mentioned secretariat.
(Margriet van der Velden, Information Office, Renkum Municipality).

Reaction to Ministory No. 40
At the end of his extremely interesting Ministory no. 40, about the (clearance of) minefields in and around Oosterbeek, I fear that the author may have fallen victim to a misunderstanding which prevailed at that time. He writes that, after 5 May 1945, minefield clearance was carried out by German pioneer prisoners-of-war under the supervision of the Royal Engineers, and states that they “were made to walk line abreast across the field after it had been declared ‘clean’ by their commander”.
Accepting that this checking method was indeed not unusual, it should be born in mind that it was only effective in relation to anti-personnel mines…
My objection is to the use of the phrase “prisoners-of- war”. As you know, article 32 of the 1929 Geneva Convention, applicable at the time in question, emphasises that it is forbidden to use prisoners-of- war for dangerous work. The situation then was somewhat different however: by virtue of point 3 of “The Instrument of Surrender” dated 4 may 1945, which included German troops surrendering in the Netherlands, the German high command was „ obliged to carry out any further Allied orders “on any subject”, “without argument or comment”. In our country, certain items received further detailing under the rulings of the Wageningen capitulation: the German high command was given the task of nominating a German pioneer brigade for the clearing of (German) minefields in the Netherlands, which would be carried out under German control and Allied supervision. The “Pionier Brigade Draeger” from the “Festung” Hook of Holland was nominated for this task.
The personnel of this brigade thus received the unregulated status of “surrendered” as opposed to “prisoners-of-war”. In practice, the rules of the 1929 convention were applied to them insofar as this was possible. That the population of our country regarded these German servicemen as prisoners-of- war after 5 May 1945 is understandable: however, that they certainly were not!
I worked with these people from July 1945 up until July 1946 – in the provinces of Limburg, Noord Brabant and Gelderland – and I therefore consider myself qualified to correct this misunderstanding. (Mr. F.J.N. Engel, Haarlem).

Mortal remains unearthed
On Thursday the 20th and Monday the 24th of January this year, the mortal remains of two British servicemen were recovered by the Burials unit of the Royal Netherlands Army.
The remains were found in an area in northwestern Oosterbeek (previously the Sonnenberg estate in the area between the Utrechtseweg and the Valkenburglaan). Lieutenant H.J.R. Jongen and his men were called in when Flans van der Velden from Renkum came across human remains during excavation work. In line with the council’s policy of checking all future building sites and the like for ammunition and explosives, Flans swept the area with his metal detector, the ban on the transportation of such equipment having been temporarily lifted by the Burgomaster and Aidermen.
The experts from the Burials unit also found a Glider Pilot Regiment badge, a wallet, a gold signet ring with initials, an officer’s whistle, a silver cigarette case, a wristwatch, a Lee Enfield rifle complete with attached bayonet and a parachutist’s fighting knife. Only one skull, with a complete set of teeth, was found. With the aid of the British authorities and others, Lieutenant Jongen hopes that positive identification can be made before the 50th commemoration. Members of our society who think they can provide relevant information are asked to contact the editorship of this newsletter; Geert Maassen, Jan van Riebeeckweg 6861 BH Oosterbeek.

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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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