Archief voor categorie: Nieuwsbrieven

FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 65, February 1997
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

 

17th General Members Meeting, 26 april 1997
The management invites you to attend the 17th General Members Meeting and AGM of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek.
The meeting will be held in the Concert Hall, Rozensteeg 3, opposite the Old Church in Benedendorp, Oosterbeek (tel. 026-3332046), on Saturday 26 April next starting at 2 pm.
The agenda is as follows:
1. Opening
2. Minutes of the General Members Meeting of
27 April 1996
3. General Report 1996
4. Financial Report 1996
5. Audit Committee Report
6. Budget for 1997
7. Election of Officials
8. Appointment of reserve member to the Audit Committee
9. Questions
10. Closure of the meeting
Point 4: Financial reports and information will be sent separately to our Dutch members.

Theme day, 15 December 1996. Wybo Boersma shows uniform items from the collection to interested members during a tour of the Airborne Museum’s new store, (photo: Berry de Reus)

Point 5: The Audit Commission report will be available for perusal half an hour before the meeting begins.
Point 7: Mr R. Fennema has reached the end of his term of office and has decided not to stand for re-election. The management proposes Mr E. van der Meiden from Oosterbeek as candidate for this vacancy. Article 8 of the Statutes allows for the proposal of alternative candidates. In this case 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.
Society members will have the opportunity of exhibiting items from their personal collections of Battle of Arnhem material in one of the small rooms adjoining the main concert hall between the hours of 11 am and 1 pm. At the same time those interested will have the chance to exchange information. Anyone wishing to reserve ‘table space’ for their exhibits should get in touch with Eugene Wijnhoud, telephone 026-4610208.
Following the General Members Meeting the afternoon will be rounded off with the showing of a film about the Battle of Arnhem.

Annual Report, 1996
Management Mr A.A. Hofman stepped down during the General Members Meeting in 1996 and Mr E.Th.A. Wijnhoud from Arnhem was appointed in his place. Management met 11 times during the year and management delegations held various discussions with groups of members on policy matters.

Membership
We began the year with 1258 members. During 1996, 88 Dutch and British members were removed from the membership list due to non-payment of subscriptions.’ Sadly, 17. of our members died during the year. These were the ladies S. Pronk, E. van Niekerk and A. van Maanen-Mellema, and the gentlemen A. van Veelen, G.J. Perry, J.G. Christerus, R.C. Kift, J.F. Das, C.A. Komen, J.G. Schut, G. v.d. Top, W. Bell, C. Taylor, Ch. Rushton, J.J. Davidson, E. van den Dam and E. Small.
Membership increased by 103, which meant that we closed the year with membership virtually unchanged at 1256.

Newsletters
Thanks to the efforts of the editors, ably assisted amongst others by the group of members who are always on hand to get tilings ready for posting, we were again able to publish four Newsletters in 1996 together with associated Ministories.

Work groups
A number of members put themselves forward for membership of the ‘Activities and Events’ and ‘Publications’ work groups. These will be set up early in 1997. Disappointingly, the ‘Fund raising’ work group failed to get off the ground due, seemingly, to lack of interest.

Schools project
The Schools Project, intended to provide today’s youth with information about the Battle of Arnhem, continues to be a success. There is still great interest both here and abroad for this project, which was instigated by the Society in conjunction with the Airborne Museum and the Airborne Commemorations Foundation.

Gifts to the museum
In 1996 the Friends’ Society presented the Airborne Museum with gifts to the tune of almost 40,000 guilders. These concerned the following items:
1. An RAF aircrew oxygen mask and headset.
2. Equipment, war material and documents, purchased from Mr McAnelly and Mr Kloosterboer.
3. Racking for the new store in the cellar.
4. A substantial financial contribution for the building and equipping of the new storage space.
5. The background painting for the Signal Corps diorama.

ExcursionfTheme day
The excursion to England in April was an outstanding success. The number of people wishing to go on the trip far exceeded the number of places available, which is why a second excursion has been arranged for 2 to 6 April 1997.
The theme day in December attracted 100 members. In the morning there was a reception at the Airborne Museum and in the afternoon those present were treated to an illustrated lecture on the making of the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’.

New items for sale
Last year a collection of new sales items was introduced, partially in connection with the 50th Airborne Walk. The collection included a new Pegasus sticker, a Pegasus embroidery set and a number of miniature weapons such as the Sten gun, the Bren gun, the Lee Enfield and Lee Enfield Sniper, and the Thompson sub-machine gun. Sales are going extremely well.

Sales Stands
The Society was present at various events during 1996 with sales and promotional stands. The venues included the Dutch Royal Air Force Open Days at Twente, Resistance Day, The Airborne Walk, the Pegasus Walk, the Theme Day and the General Members Meeting. Sales resulted in 4146.50 guilders for the Society and 4807.25 guilders for the Museum. All in all 1996 was a year we can look back on with satisfaction.
(M. de Langen)

A message from the U.K. Representative
Although subscriptions became due in January this year, it is not too late for you to let me have them. This, of course, applies to those who have not yet sent them. Unfortunately, we are losing a great many of our subscribers, as one would have to expect in this age group. The ‘Last Post’ gets longer and longer as the years proceed. May I therefore thank those who have contributed and I look forward to hearing from those who are about to.
With kind regards, Ted Shaw. U.K. Rep.

Second excursion to England, 2 to 6 April 1997
The second 5-day excursion to England will take place from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 6 April 1997. Thanks to the kind cooperation of The Parachute Regiment we shall once more be welcome in the quarters and NCOs’ mess at Browning Barracks in Aidershot. This will be the base for our various trips.
The programme is essentially the same as for the first excursion with one exception. This time, the first day-trip will be a visit to the legendary airfield at Duxford. This airfield, where many of the buildings are exactly as they were during the Second World War, has been transformed into a gigantic museum. All manner of military aircraft are exhibited in the enormous hangars, and in one of them one can watch restoration work being carried out on the machines. Also of great interest is the original ‘Operations Room’ from where this sector was controlled during the Battle of Britain, hr addition to the old aircraft on display the Imperial War Museum has a separate hall where all the large, heavy material too large for its London location is on show.
On the second day we spend the morning at the Airborne Forces Museum in Aidershot followed by a visit to the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop in the afternoon, where, among the exhibits, are a number of gliders of The Glider Pilot Regiment. Saturday morning is earmarked for a visit to the Imperial War Museum in London, with the afternoon being given over to shopping and sightseeing. We travel by luxury coach, crossing the channel via the Channel Tunnel on board ‘Le Shuttle’. On the way a short stop will be made at the small Belgian town of Ypres, a famous World War 1 location. Meanwhile, those who were unlucky last year have
been given the opportunity of taking part in this second excursion. Most have taken the opportunity but there are still a few spare places.
Application forms can be requested by ‘phone or letter from C. van Roekel, Benedendorpsweg 119, 6862 WE, Oosterbeek, telephone 026-3333261.
The returned forms will be dealt with on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You can also indicate on the form if you wish to be considered for a ‘last minute’ place in the event of someone dropping out at the eleventh hour.
Due to the current strength of the pound the excursion price has been set this time at 450 guilders a head. This covers the bus journey, ‘Le Shuttle’ fare, breakfast, lunch and dinner, all entry charges, travel insurance and a comprehensive tour guide. The guide, containing all details of the places to be visited plus other important information, will be sent to all participants.
Cancellation after 31 March will incur certain administration costs.
(C. van Roekel)

Walking tour on 7 June next
A walking tour has been organised for Saturday June 7 1997 taking in the western limits of the ‘perimeter’, the horseshoe-shaped area in Oosterbeek defended by the British and the Poles up to the end of the battle. Further information will appear in the next Newsletter.

New edition of ‘Who was Who’
In 1992 the first edition appeared of ‘Who was Who during the Battle of Arnhem’, compiled by Chris van Roekel. This ‘Order of Battle of Airborne Officers who fought at Arnhem in 1944’ booklet was so popular that it was sold out in no time. Last December a second, revised edition was published. Warrant Officers are now included in this new edition as well as the decorations awarded for and as a result of ‘Arnhem’. There are also a number of new illustrations, including colour plates of the awarded decorations.
The new ‘Who was Who’ is available at the Airborne Museum, price 30 guilders.

‘Unexpected Guests’ exhibition
An exhibition will be held in the Airborne Museum from 26 April up to and including 2 November 1997 on the role of the hotels and boarding houses in Oosterbeek during the Battle of Arnhem. This subject has been chosen to correspond with the 100-year existence of the VVV (Tourist Office) in the municipality. Many years ago the village of Oosterbeek and surroundings became a spot for long or short-stay holidaymakers, and from the very beginning hotels and boarding houses abounded. A number of these buildings played a part during tire Battle of Arnhem, both for the British and the Germans, and this exhibition attempts to give a picture of those times. Not much is now known of the boarding houses in particular and very little material about them is to be found. The organisers hope that more information on the subject will come to light during the exhibition, any such information then being incorporated.
(W. Boersma)

Special events
The Airborne Museum will once again be taking part in the National Museum Weekend to be held on 12 and 13 April 1997. This year the weekend has a ‘walking’ theme. Participating museums will be setting out a walking route in their vicinities which visitors can follow. During the weekend in question the Airborne Museum will be reducing admission by 1 guilder. Visitors to the museum will receive a free route map of the ‘Perimeter Walk’. This is a walk of 4 kilometres, starting at the museum and running through the area between the museum and the Rhine, passing on the way various points of note from the battle, among which the small church in Lower Oosterbeek. At 12, 2 and 4 pm on both Saturday and Sunday a guide will be present to lead the walk and provide explanations on the way. Of course one can walk the route independently at any time suitable to oneself. The museum is looking for people who are prepared to act as guides and for someone willing to take on the organisation of the two days.
The whole month of April has in fact been designated a ‘walking month’ by tire Tourist Offices. On the three Sundays in April outside of the Museum Weekend, a guided Perimeter Walk can be made starting at 2 pm. For these a route map can be obtained from the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ or from the Tourist Office, price 2.75 guilders. Guides are also requested for these walks. Volunteers to and information from W. Boersma, telephone 026-3337710 (museum) or 0318-639633 (private).

‘With Spanners Descending’
This is the title of a book recently published by Bluecoat Press, Liverpool, on the history of the ‘Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers’ (REME) in the 1st Airborne Division during the period 1942 to 1945. in it the author, Mr Joe Roberts, describes a military unit which up to now has received little recognition but which was of vital importance to the division. As a writer Mr Roberts was in a unique position because, as Orderly Room Clerk, he served with the 1st Airborne Divisional Workshop (REME) from its inception up to its disbandment. This allowed him virtually unlimited access to all manner of documents, such as operational orders, military plans and lists of promotions and transfers. His administrative talents are clearly shown in the excellent way the book is laid out both historically and chronologically.
The personal stories of the various REME veterans, in particular those of Bill Nickle, Ted Sullivan and Terry Criddle, are especially interesting.
In my view the book’s only weak point is the scarcity of technical detail. If this aspect had received more attention the essential role of the REME in the British army would have been made clearer. As excuse one could say that this is an historical summary, not a technical dissertation.The title is very well chosen and could be freely translated as ‘Airborne Vakmensen’ (Airborne Tradesmen). The book also lifts that part of tire veil surrounding the somewhat mysterious designation, REME. This makes it a must for anyone interested in the Battle of Arnhem.
‘With Spanners Descending’ comprises 134 pages, 40 photographs, and a number of appendices at the back. The book is in English and costs 9 pounds 99 in Britain. It is also available from the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek at 32.50 guilders.
(Don A. Jacobs)

Appeal
The sister of a British soldier killed at Arnhem would like any information concerning her brother, Bombardier L.R. Cook. This artillery man was attached to the 1st Airlanding Anti Tank Battery, Royal Artillery, but to which Troop is not known. He died on 20 September 1944 and lies in an unknown grave.
His photograph appears in this Newsletter. Who can help this lady with information about Bombardier Cook?
Reactions please to the Newsletter editors. (Eugene Wijnhoud)

Bombardier L.R. Cook of the 1st Airlanding Anti Tank Battery R.A., who was killed on 20 September 1944. His grave is unknown. Who can provide his family with information as to his fate?
(photo: Eugene Wijnhoud collection)

‘Arnhem Venture’
One of the soldiers who took up the pen to record his adventures on returning to England from Arnhem at the end of September 1944 was Ron Kent. Sergeant Kent belonged to the 21st Independent Parachute Company, the unit whose main task was to mark the dropping and landing zones and which later played a full part in the fighting in Oosterbeek. His detailed account, written in 1944, is now available in printed form. It consists of 55 ringbound, photocopied pages with a plastic front cover, and is illustrated with a few photographs and maps. ‘Arnhem Venture’ can be ordered from Derek Duncan, Heather Way, Lower Bourne, Farnham, GU109 3HG, England. It costs 7 pounds in Britain, 10 pounds elsewhere, including postage and packing. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Airborne Forces Charities’.

43rd (Wessex) Brigade and Association
In Ministory 46, Major Douglas Goddard MBE told of his experiences as a lieutenant with the 112th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Regt R.A., a unit of the 43rd (Wessex) Division at the Battle of Arnhem. The division was involved in all major actions from the Normandy invasion up to the end of hostilities in May 1945. By that time, when the division had reached the area around Cuxhaven in Germany, it had covered 800 miles and lost 12,000 men during the period from June 1944.
At our request Mr Goddard has provided further relevant information.
The division was disbanded in 1967 but, 17 years later, the name was resurrected with the formation of the 43rd (Wessex) Brigade, a component of the 3rd (UK) Division. As with all military emits in the United Kingdom, the brigade has a strong regional flavour, the region comprising Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, Avon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire (part of), the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly. The brigade is made up of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, 4th Devon and Dorset, 6th Light Infantry, 243 (Wessex) Field Hospital RAMC and 43rd (Wessex) Provost Unit; it is stationed at Wyvern Barracks in Exeter.
From ancient times the Wyvern (a two-legged winged dragon) was depicted on the coats-of-arms and standards of the kings of Wessex, in the distant past a kingdom in the south west of England (the West Country). Since then this mythical beast has become a symbol for all warriors and military men from this part of Britain. It is therefore logical that the military unit bearing the name of this ancient kingdom should have the Wyvern as its emblem. Compared to other similar associations, the 43rd Wessex Association only recently came into being, namely on 14 September 1995. Membership, at the moment standing at some 300, is drawn from former soldiers of the division as well as from members of today’s brigade.
The most important aims are the establishment of a bond between the old division and the present-day brigade, ensuring that the history, memorabilia and traditions of the Wessex Division are not lost, and the provision of a veterans’ organisation for those whose military units have been disbanded since the Second World War and for whom no old-comrades clubs exist.

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 67, August 1997
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-553616

New ‘Airborne Soldier’ statuette
Ten years ago a statuette of an ‘Airborne Soldier’ was produced specially for our society of which about one hundred were sold. Since then no such work of art has been available for sale despite continued interest and demand, and thus interest has prompted the Society into commissioning the design of a new statuette.
Chris van Roekel and the British designer (and veteran) Peter Hicks worked for a year on a design that would meet our stringent demands. The final result, made in beautiful, bronze-coloured synthetic resin, is a detailed reproduction of a British Airborne soldier from September 1944.
Peter Hicks is one of the top artists in this field and, although no longer active in his studio, we are delighted that he saw it as a challenge to exercise his special talent once more to create an ‘Airborne Soldier’.
Naturally enough this little artwork is not cheap. Even though the Society is offering the statuette at cost price it still works out at 250 guilders. We are well aware that many of you will find this a large sum to pay out in one go, and for this reason we have come up with a financing scheme, exclusively for members who live in the Netherlands, whereby payment can be spread over five months. All you have to do is send us five completed and signed cheques for 50 guilders and we will see to it that they are cashed in sequence at the end of each month. The statuette will be sent to you on receipt of the first payment, postage and packing being at your expense, to be paid on delivery.
Should you wish to make use of this scheme, just send your five cheques to the treasurer, E. van der Meiden, St. Bernulphusstraat 8, 6861 GS, Oosterbeek. Of course there is nothing to stop you paying the full amount by making out a cheque payable to the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s giro number 4403641, marked ‘Airborne Soldier’.
Although the statuette is not cheap, this is an opportunity you should consider seriously, given its value. Orders will be dealt with as quickly as possible and in sequence.
(E. van der Meiden)

The new para statuette, specially designed and made for our Society by Peter Hicks. It is produced in bronze¬coloured synthetic resin and is approximately 25 cm tall. (Photo: W. de Ruyter)

Battlefield Tour
A special battlefield tour is to be held on Saturday 13 September next. This is principally intended for members wishing to obtain a total picture of the battle area at Arnhem. Quite often, those not living in the vicinity of the capital of the province of Gelderland are not in a position to make a tour by

Chairman J. Smits thanks retiring treasurer R. Fennema during the AGM on 26 April 1997for all the work he has done for the Society.
(Photo: Berry de Reus)

themselves, and to visit the sites which played a part in the Battle of Arnhem.
The battlefield tour is being organised on the initiative of Mr W. Boersma of the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’. Fie will also lead the tour, assisted by a number of guides. The programme is as follows:
9 am -10 am: reception of participants, with coffee, in the Airborne Museum, Utrechtseweg 232, Oosterbeek.
10 am -11 am: the scale model of the battle area will be used to explain the tour to those taking part (in groups). Photographs of locations to be visited during the excursion will be viewed in the museum.
11 am -12 noon: a walk through the Hartenstein Park, past the tennis courts, to the Tafelberg. If possible, the interior of this building will also be inspected. Participants then walk to the Schoonoord restaurant.
12 noon -1 pm: lunch at the Schoonoord, Pietersbergseweg 4, Oosterbeek.
1 pm – 4.30 pm: battlefield tour by bus taking in the following points: dropping zone ‘X’, landing zone ‘S’, the spot where the Reconnaissance Squadron was ‘ambushed’ at Wolfheze, the Bilderberg area, Westerbouwing, the route of Lieutenant-Colonel John Frost’s 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment through Oosterbeek and Arnhem, the Rhine bridge, Bovenover (including the St Elisabeths Hospital), the Old Church in Lower Oosterbeek and the Airborne Cemetery.
4.30 pm – 5 pm: discussions in the Schoonoord. Alterations to the programme are possible.
The number of participants is limited to 47 maximum and 35 minimum. The cost is 42.50 guilders. This price includes coffee on arrival at the museum, lunch, the bus tour and an excursion map. You can reserve a place by paying the amount into the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum’s giro account number 4403641, under the heading ‘battlefield tour’. This stun should be received by 9 September at the latest. In view of the short period of time between receipt of this Newsletter and the closing date for entries, would-be participants are kindly requested
to transfer the money as soon as possible! Just ring Mr Boersma if you nevertheless have any doubts about your payment having been received on time. Reservations will be dealt with in the order of receipt of the giro transfers. Should the maximum permissible number of participants be exceeded, only the ‘unlucky’ ones will be notified.
All further information can be obtained from Mr Boersma on (026) 3337710 (Airborne Museum) or (0318) 639633 (private).

Royal recognition for Jan Hey
On 29 April last Jan Hey was admitted to the ‘Order of Oranje Nassau’. He was awarded this royal honour in recognition of his efforts over the years to trace servicemen registered as ‘missing’ during the Second World War. He is internationally recognised as an expert on the subject of war graves.
Jan Hey is also the man who compiled the ‘Roll of Honour, Battle of Arnhem, 17-26 September 1944’, published by our Society in 1986. That this standard work fills a need is shown by the fact that a 3rd edition was published in 1993.
It is wonderful to think that the work of Jan Hey, member of our society and, himself, always the most modest of men, has at last been recognised by higher offices.
On behalf of the management and members of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Jan on his well-deserved honour.

Gift of battledress
At the beginning of May this year, Mr PJ. Southwell from England presented the Airborne Museum with his battledress.
In September 1944 he was a driver attached to 7 Section, C Troop, 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron. On the afternoon of Tuesday tire 19th he was part of a recce patrol that went from Wolfheze to the Amsterdamseweg via Kruislaan. They came under German fire near the ‘Planken Wambuis’ restaurant. As a result, Southwell and a number of others were taken prisoner. Just two C Troop jeeps and seven men managed to get back to Wolfheze. (See ‘Remember Arnhem’ by John Fairley, pages 85 and 96-101).
Southwell served earlier in North Africa and was one of the two squadron members to wear the ‘Africa Star’.
This is the first Reconnaissance Squadron uniform that the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ has been able to add to its collection.

Exhibition 1998
Although it seems a long way off, the Airborne Museum is already making preparations for the 1998 exhibition. The chosen subject is ‘The history of the military prisoners-of-war from the 1st Airborne Division’. This is a subject that, up to now, has received very little attention. There are plenty of stories known, but the matter has never been gone into systematically.
It is intended to set up a workgroup for the exhibition. Activities will include the collation of available information and photographs, inventarisation of the material, the writing of a scenario, the make-up of the exhibition within the available space, the production and translation of texts and, finally, the set up of the exhibition itself. The group will also be responsible for publicity and, as you can see, anyone wishing to help has a wide selection of interesting work from which to choose. Both the Airborne Forces Museum in Aidershot and the Imperial War Museum in London have agreed to co-operate.
The aimed-for date for the setting up of the workgroup is the end of September. The Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ would like to appeal to interested members of the Society to take part in this project. Further information can be obtained from Mr W. Boersma, Binnenhof 38, 6715 DP Ede, tel. (0318) 639633 or (026) 3337710 (Airborne Museum).

Two servicemen from Hie Dutch Army’s Recovery and Identification Service gather together the remains of the dead British soldier found on 7 July 1997 during excavation work along the Van Lennepweg in Oosterbeek. (Photo: Berry de Reus)

Remains of British soldier found
On 7 July 1997 the remains of a British serviceman were unearthed during excavation work along Van Lennepweg in Oosterbeek. The Dutch Army’s Recovery and Identification Service was immediately alerted and members from that unit arrived to complete the exhumation.
In September 1944 a defensive line manned by 1st Battalion The Border Regiment was located in the region of the discovered remains. One of the documents that may be of help in identifying the soldier is a sketch map of the Van Lennepweg area, drawn by a veteran after the war. This map shows the British positions as well as a number of places where soldiers were known to have been killed. It also indicates the spot on Van Lennepweg where the above mentioned soldier died.
Only when identification has been completed will the name of the missing man be made public.
The remains of six soldiers have been found in the Oosterbeek area in the last four years. Alas, due to a disgraceful lack of co-operation on the part of the British authorities, three of these have yet to find their final resting place in the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. We might add that the longest outstanding discoveries date back to February 1994!

‘Traitor of Arnhem’
Some time ago a new book about the Battle of Arnhem appeared on the scene entitled ‘Traitor of Arnhem’. In it the author, Allan A. Samm, describes his personal experiences during his military training, in North Africa, Italy and during the Battle of Arnhem.
Samm, who served with the Reconnaissance Squadron, reached the western outskirts of Arnhem but was forced to withdraw to Oosterbeek on 19 September 1944. There he was involved in the fighting around the Hartenstein until the end of the battle. He was among the lucky ones who managed to escape across the Rhine on the night of 25/26 September.
The book’s title refers to the Dutch double spy Christiaan Lindemans, alias King Kong, whose past is, once more, summarised in the final chapter.
‘Traitor of Arnhem’ was published in 1996 by Minerva Press in London. The ISBN number is 1 86106 175 5 and the price in the UK is 7 pounds 99.

Appeal
The Publications Workgroup recently came into being within the Friends’ Society, its aim, to select and take care of items to be published by the Society. Many of our members study specific aspects of the Battle of Arnhem. This often involves a military subject, events in a particular area or equipment used by the soldiers, and the results of such studies can serve as a star-ting point for a publication.
At the moment the workgroup is busy making an inventory of possible subjects and we would like to hear from members who have manuscripts (self-written or not) that could be, and be allowed to be, published. Of course, it should be mentioned that the sending in of a manuscript does not automatically lead to its being published by the Society. This depends on such things as the subject, the length and quality of the manuscript, etc.
Applications regarding potential publications should be sent to, Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum, ‘Publications Workgroup’, C/O Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ Oosterbeek, and should be accompanied by a short description of the material concerned.
(M. Peters)

Excursion guide still available
There are still a few copies available for sale of tire guide for the theme day excursion held last June 7. The theme was the battle along the western edge of the British Perimeter in September 1944.
It costs 7.50 guilders plus 2.50 guilders postage if the guide has to be sent by post. Those interested should contact Eugene Wijnhoud, Bronbeeklaan 36, 6824 PH, Arnhem, ‘phone (026) 3610208.

‘Onbekend Herkend’ (The Unknown Identified) a success!
On Saturday 27 June 1997 an information day on material from the Second World War was held in the Airborne Museum. This was the second time such a day has been held. About thirty people turned up at the museum with items and documents for investigation by messrs Boersma and Takens. Although there were no spectacular finds, those on offer were extremely varied. Of great interest was a small collection of poems that was printed and distributed by the Underground between September 1944 and May 1945. A lady found the booklet on the Ginkelse Heide near Ede at the end of the war. A sterilisation set left behind by a German doctor in the Roermond area was given to the museum as well as a bag containing ground signal panels and a thermos flask from an aircraft.
It is intended to hold a similar information day in a few years time.
(W. Boersma)

‘Airborne Battle Wheels’ weekend
The ‘Airborne Battle Wheels’ society will be holding a get-together in Oosterbeek from 18 to 21 September 1997. The members of the club, inaugurated in 1995, collect and restore British military vehicles from World War II, with the emphasis on the transport used by the British Airborne divisions.
Following the parachute drop on the Ginkelse Heide on Saturday 20 September next, a large number of the society’s members will make a trip in and on their mobile possessions through Arnhem, Oosterbeek and environs. This tour will end at the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ driveway, where interested parties will be able to view and photograph these historic vehicles between the hours of 4 pm and 5 pm (give or take a few minutes).

The grave of Bakhuis Roozeboom no longer ‘unknown’
For almost 52 years he lay in the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek under a headstone bearing the text, ‘A Soldier of the 1939-1945 War, Known Unto God’: August Bakhuis Roozeboom, a Dutch Commando who died at Arnhem.
This Dutch Canadian served wifh No. 2 Dutch Troop, No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando, and landed near Wolfheze with the 1st British Airborne Division in September 1994. He was killed during an engagement with the enemy close to the railway viaduct over the Benedendorpsweg in Oosterbeek. On 20 September he was buried in a field grave near the tennis courts behind the Hartenstein Hotel. His personal identification details were lost when his remains were transferred to the Airborne Cemetery after the war.
Some time ago it became evident from a meticulous investigation by Jan Hey that August lay in grave number I.A.6 as an unknown Canadian soldier. Eventually the Commonwealth War Graves Commission agreed with the conclusions in Jan Hey’s report. A new headstone was made, put in position and blessed during a short service on 5 May last. Dutch members of Bakhuis Roozeboom’s family attended the service along with twenty veterans from No. 2 Dutch Troop.

A short service was held in the Airborne Cemetery, Oosterbeek on 5 May 1997 at the grave of Dutch Commando August Bakhuis Roozeboom. His grave had just been given a new headstone.
(Photo: Robert Voskuil)

Obituary: Jan Peelen
Jan Peelen passed away at his home in Zaandijk at the end of April 1997. He was 86 years of age. During the war he lived in the village of Renkum, where he was an active member of the Resistance. He was very closely involved with operation ‘Pegasus I’, the operation in which 120 allied servicemen managed to escape across the river Rhine at Renkum during the night of 22 October 1944. Among many other tilings Jan Peelen made sure that the soldiers were provided with weapons for this enterprise. Despite the fact that the area was crawling with Germans he transported the arms on his ‘butcher’s’ bike to the rendezvous in the woods, where the Allied soldiers were getting ready for their journey over the Rhine. In 1949 Jan was made a ‘Knight in the Military Order of William’ in recognition of his Resistance work. He also received many high British honours.
His experiences were described in a booklet written by his brother, GJ. Peelen. It appeared just after the war and was called : “‘t Begon onder melkenstijd” (It began during milking time). The booklet was reprinted many times.

 

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FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM

Editors:
Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
C. van Roekel
G.H. Maassen jr.
Newsletter No. 69, March 1998
Translated by Cathrien and Peter Clark
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E. Shaw, 298 Totnes Road Paignton – Devon TQ4 7HD Tel. 0803-S53616

18th General Members Meeting
The management invites you to attend the 18th General Members Meeting and AGM of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek.
The meeting will be held in the Zalencentrum Lebret, Lebretweg 51, Oosterbeek (tel. 026 3333168) on Saturday 4 April next, starting at 2 pm.
The agenda is as follows:
1. Opening
2. Minutes of the General Members Meeting of
26 april 1997
3. General Report 1997
4. Financial Report 1997
5. Audit Committee Report
6. Budget for 1998
7. Election of Officials
8. Appointment of a reserve member to the Audit Committee
9. Increase in membership fees
10. Questions
11. Closure of the meeting.
Point 4: Financial reports and information are enclosed.
Point 5: The Audit Commission report will be available for perusal half an hour before the meeting begins.
Point 7: Mrs J.M. de Langen and Mr W.T.B. de Ruyter have reached the end of their terms of office, and have declared themselves available for re-election. Article 8 of the Statutes allows for the proposal of alternative candidates. In this case a written nomination should reach the secretary (Sportweg 2, 3871 HH Hoevelaken) 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.
Point 9: Each year half of the Friends’ Society contributions are given to the Airborne Museum, with the other half being used by the Society itself.
However, Newsletter production and postage costs already amount to more than half of the contribution monies. Publication of the Newsletter remains possible thanks to our sales stands activities and gifts from members, but this is an uncertain and shaky financial basis.
The management has therefore decided to propose to increase the annual subscription for members living in the Netherlands by ten guilders as of 1 January 1999. This also applies to family membership. Membership subscriptions for UK members will rise to 10 pounds, except for veterans who will continue to pay one pound. The amount for members in other European countries will be 35 guilders, with 50 guilders for the rest of the world.
After the meeting a film about the Battle of Arnhem will be shown.

Summer 1945. Shooting taking place at the Hotel de Tafelberg in Oosterbeek during the making of the film ‘Theirs is the Glory’.
See the appeal elsewhere in this Newsletter.
(photo: R. Voskuil collection)

Annual report 1997
Mr R. Fennema stepped down as member of the management team during the General Members Meeting of 26 April 1997. Mr E. van der Meiden from Oosterbeek was appointed in his place. Management
met 11 times, and held one meeting with the Airborne Museum Foundation Board. A number of management members attended the ‘Publications’ and ‘Events’ work group meetings.
Mr W. Boersma represented the Foundation Board at our meetings, his input being much appreciated.
We started the year with 1256 members. Alas, 14 members passed away during the year, namely the ladies B. Breman-Peters, C. v.d. Ende-Voorwinden and Mrs Koelma-Wijk, and the gentlemen A. v.d. Zijpp, G. Dijkstra, P. v.d. Slot, J. v.d. Voort, E. v.d. Dam, G. Stallinga, M.M. Schut, GJ. Oskamp, A.G. v. Tricht, J.H.D. Lee and K. Greenough. Sixty-nine members were removed from the membership list in 1997 through termination of membership or non-payment of subscriptions. The addition of one hundred and nine new members increased our membership to 1282 by the close of the year.
The Newsletter appeared 4 times thanks to the efforts of the editorship and the assistance of the few members who are always on hand to prepare the publications for distribution.
The ‘Events’ and ‘Publications’ work groups have been very active since their inauguration at the start of 1997.
The Schools Project, which provides the youth of today with information about the Battle of Arnhem, continues to be successful. There is still great interest in it, both here in the Netherlands and abroad. Support for the project was received from the Airborne Commemorations Foundation.
The excursion to England in 1996 was such a success that it was repeated in 1997, taking place from the 2nd till the 6th of April. On Saturday 7 June the ‘Events’ work group, led by management member E. Wijnhoud, organised a walk through the western part of the former ‘Perimeter’. Many members took part. The special Battlefield Tour on 13 September 1997 gave an overall picture of the battle area at Arnhem. It was organised by Mr W. Boersma, and was enthusiastically received by the 58 participating members. The theme afternoon on 13 December 1997, which this time concentrated on the German side of the Battle of Arnhem, was attended by more than 200 members. The programme consisted of a lecture by Society member P. Berends, followed by the showing of a German newsreel film ‘Die Deutsche Wochenschau’ from 5 October 1944.
Last year part of the money earmarked for 1998 had already been handed over to the museum. Because of this the amount available to the museum this year came to 3,313 guilders and 68 cents. This was spent on the payment of 25% of the costs of the development of a future vision for the museum, and on uniforms and equipment.
There has been a continuing call for the statuette of a British parachutist produced 10 years ago, so management decided this year to commission a similar design. The new statuette was created by the British designer Peter Hicks. Beer mugs were once again included in the sales inventory.
Society promotion/sales stands were present at the Royal Netherlands Air Force Open Days at the Gilze Rijen air base, the Resistance Day, the Airborne Walk, and the Pegasus Walk, and at the Society’s theme day and the General Members Meeting. Sales results for the Society amounted to 4,937 guilders.
All in all a good year.
(M. de Langen, secretary)

Message from the treasurer
In the previous Newsletter we omitted to mention the subscription fees for individual and family membership. In spite of this omission many people had already paid their 1998 subscriptions by December, some with a gift on top. For this our heartfelt thankslAs opposed to other years, members who have already paid their subs receive their membership cards along with this Newsletter. Management chose this method in order to save on postage. Members who have not yet made their contribution for 1998 are asked to do so as soon as possible. Individual annual membership costs 20 guilders, family annual membership 30 guilders. (E. van der Meiden, treasurer)

Theme days in 1998
The following theme days will be held in 1998. The annual excursion: Saturday 13 June.Theme afternoon, comprising a lecture and film show: Saturday 31 October.

Battlefield Tour
Mr W. Boersma from the Airborne Museum will be organising a general battlefield tour on Saturday 6 June 1998.
The programme is as follows: 09.30-10.00 am: Reception of participants, with coffee, in the Airborne Museum. 10.00-11.30 am: Guided tour of the Airborne Museum. 11.30 am-12.15 pm: Walk to the Schoonoord restaurant. 12.15-1.15 pm: LUNCH. 1.30-4.30 pm: Battlefield Tour by bus.
The sites visited on the tour will include: The landing and dropping zones, Wolfheze, Onderlangs, the John Frost Brug in Arnhem, the Perimeter in Oosterbeek, Wester-bouwing, Oosterbeek-Laag Church, the Tafelberg and the Airborne Cemetery. The cost is 45 guilders, which includes: admission to the Airborne Museum, lunch, the bus trip, and a special infor-mation folder.
The number of participants is limited to 45 and applications for a place on the tour will be dealt with ‘first come first served’, as usual.
People will only be notified if the Battlefield Tour is fully booked.
(W. Boersma)

Museum weekend, 1998
The national museum weekend will be held this year on 18 and 19 April. Countless museums will be open to the public, free of charge or at a reduced rate of admission. Most will also be organising extra activities for the weekend. This year there will be an emphasis on cycling and walking, providing an excellent opportunity to combine a museum visit with a more sporty activity. At the Airborne Museum ‘HartensteiiT one will be able to take part in a walk through the former battle area in Oosterbeek on both the Saturday and Sunday. The walk will cover 5 kilometres and last one and a half hours. The route will take us through the woods to the south of the Hartenstein, and past the Hemelse Berg, to the church in Oosterbeek-Laag and to the former hospital at ‘de Tafelberg’. On the way guides will explain the events that took place in September 1944.
The walks are free, and departure from the Airborne Museum will be at 12 noon, 2 pm and 3 pm on both days.

Exhibition on prisoners-of-war
The theme exhibition in the Airborne Museum this year will be focused on the British and Polish servicemen who were made prisoners-of-war during the Battle of Arnhem. A work group is busy with the gathering and description of material on the subject. Recent searches of archives in England provided numerous photographs, and film of the liberation of the camps was also unearthed. A reconstruction of part of a prison barracks will be built in the exhibition room in the museum cellar.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 18 April.

Memorial service for General Sir John Hackett
A memorial service for General Sir John Hackett was held at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London on 24 November 1997. Sir John died on 9 September last year. A Dutch delegation of 28 people flew to England for the service, in an aircraft of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The group included the burgomasters of Arnhem, Ede and Renkum, plus the Reverend Snoek and Mrs Snoek (nephew and niece of the De Nooy sisters, who sheltered the General after the battle), Mrs Caspers (the courier who led Hackett through the enemy lines), Mrs Lambrechtsen-ter Horst (daughter of Kate ter Horst), and many others who knew the then commander of the 4th Parachute Brigade personally.After the service Lady Hackett talked at length with members of the Dutch delegation.

‘Airborne Soldier’ statuette
The issue of a new statuette entitled ‘Airborne Soldier’ was announced in Newsletter No. 67. Interest in this little work of art has been enormous, and it is almost sold out. There are however a few examples still available. The statuette can be purchased at the Airborne Museum, price 250 guilders for members, 275 guilders for non-members.

Author Johann Nitrowski (right) meets Society member Robert Sigmond during the presentation of the book ‘Die Luftlandung’ in Hamminkeln on 11 December 1997. Robert offers Johann a copy of his recently published book ‘Off at Last’.
(photo: Bob Gerritsen)

Book about the airborne landings in March 1945
On 11 December 1997 the book ‘Die Luftlandung, das Kriegsende im Gebiet der Stiidte Hamminkeln und Wesel’ was presented in the council chamber of the city of Hamminkeln.
The author Johann Nitrowski told a packed chamber how the publication came into being. He first became interested in the wartime history of this area in 1979. He was invited to a presentation of a book about the war. This included the showing of two British films about the airborne landings at Hamminkeln. So began a search into the course of this allied airborne operation that took place in March of 1945, a search that was to take years. As well as studying documents in various archives, Nitrowski also tracked down and interviewed many allied and German veterans.
The recently published book deals with the attack by the 6th British and 17th American Airborne Divisions, which was aimed at forming a bridgehead over the Rhine at Wesel. This Operation Varsity was part of the much larger Operation Plunder, involving the crossing of the Rhine by ground troops.
The book comprises five chapters, each consisting of two parts. The first part gives a description of the objective and the course of the operation, while the second part is given over to eye witness accounts from both sides. The last chapter tells the story of the ground troops who, after crossing the Rhine, forced a breakout from the bridgehead. The descriptions are
very detailed, and the maps show clearly where the actions took place. ‘Die Luftlandung’ is written in German, and the first edition consisted of 1,200 copies. It contains 520 pages, 390 illustrations, and is in a 30 cm x 24 cm format. The first edition was sold out in one and a half days, and Hamminkeln’s Municipal Administration decided to commission a second edition. This will appear in mid March, and will cost 50 German marks. Sponsorship has made it possible to sell this beautiful book at such an incredibly low price.
Au thor Johann Nitrowski is not entirely unknown to some of our members. In May 1995 he led a theme- day excursion in the Hamminkeln area. During his explanations his enthusiasm and passion for the history of his region was obvious. This passion and his attention to detail guarantee an exceptional publication.
In view of the limited second edition, 2,000 copies, and the tremendous interest already shown, it is expected that the book will again be very quickly sold out. So, if you are interested in buying a copy, it’s best not to wait too long. More information can be obtained from
Bob Gerritsen in Duiven, tel 0316 263743.
(Bob Gerritsen)

David Lord’s Victoria Cross auctioned
Flight Lieutenant David Lord’s Victoria Cross was auctioned on 17 July last year by the London auction house Spink & Son. The medal reached a selling price of 110,000 pounds (approx. 370,000 guilders).
In September 1944 Flt.Lt. David Lord was the pilot of Dakota KG 374 from 271 Squadron RAF. During a resupply flight to Arnhem on Tuesday the 19th his aircraft was hit by German anti-aircraft artillery, which set fire to the starboard wing. Instead of giving the order to bale out, Lord decided to fly on to the supply dropping zone. When the Dakota arrived over the dropping point, the despatches were able to eject six of the eight panniers. Although the machine was now burning more fiercely, Lord turned and flew once more over the dropping zone. After the last two panniers were dropped the aircraft crashed near Wolfheze. For his sacrifice Flt.Lt. Lord was posthumously awarded the highest British military decoration, the Victoria Cross. Only 106 VCs were awarded during the Second World War.
One can read a detailed account of Lord’s last flight and the search for the remains of his crashed aircraft in an article entitled ‘Arnhem VC Investigation’ in issue 96 of the magazine ‘After the Battle’.
The article was written by Society member Karel Margry.

‘Theirs is the Glory’ appeal
In August and September 1945, the film ‘Theirs is the Glory’ was shot in Arnhem and Oosterbeek. No actors were used in this re-enactment of the Battle of Arnhem, all parts being played by men of the 1st Airborne Division who had actually taken part in the battle a year before. In connection with an
investigation into the history of ‘Theirs is the Glory’, we would like to get in touch with veterans who were involved with the filming, and with inhabitants of Arnhem and Oosterbeek who experienced the making of the film at first hand.
We are also looking for photographs from that period. If you are able to help with this investigation, you are kindly invited to contact the Renkum Municipal Archivist Geert Maassen,
Post Box 9100, 6860 HA Oosterbeek, tel. 026 3348303.

Appeal: ‘de Oorsprong’ estate
Mr Philip Reinders from Vlaardingen is looking for civilians who took shelter in the Frowein air-raid shelter on de Oorsprong’ estate in Oosterbeek during the Battle of Arnhem. This shelter was (and is) in the woods next to the mansion, which was destroyed during the battle. Philip would also like to hear from anyone who knows anything about wreckage, field graves etc. on or nearby the estate. Any photos would also be greatly welcomed.
Reactions please to Ph. Reinders, Delftseveerweg 37d, 3134 JG, Vlaardingen. Tel/fax 010 4356704.

Book news
The editors have recently been made aware of the publication of the book ‘Slachtoffers van de Emmapyramide, Velps gevangenisleven in de winter ’44-’45 en de na-oorlogse speurtoch naar vermisten’ (Victims of the Emma pyramid, prison life in Velp in the winter of ’44-’45 and the post-war search for the missing), by J.O. van de Wai. The central theme is the fate of a group of men who were executed by the Germans at the foot of the Emma pyramid on 13 December 1944. The story also encompasses the Pegasus I and II Operations. The book is published by Fagus, from Aalten, and is available from Oosterbeek bookshops at 47 guilders 50.

Request
Society members who have produced publications, and would like to offer copies of the same for sale at theme days or the annual meeting, are kindly requested to let Eugene Wijnhoud know in good time. He will then make sure that a table is available in the room where the lecture or meeting is held. Eugene’s address is: Bernhardlaan 41,1 hoog, 6824 LE Arnhem, tel 026 3513100.

Notify us of your change of address on time
We still get membership cards and Newsletters returned to us ‘Address unknown’.
Every year the Society is put to an awful lot of unnecessary expense in getting these items to the correct addresses.Therefore, may we ask you, very kindly, if you intend moving house, please ‘ ’
inform us of your change of address in plenty of time. We can then ensure that your ‘Airborne’ mail arrives at the correct destination.

 

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SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM OOSTERBEEK
Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ Oosterbeek, the Netherlands
Representative in Great Britain : Mr.E.E.Shaw,1 Willow Close,Stilton, Peterborough,Cams. PE7 3RZ England. Tel.0733-245420
Editor:Drs.R.P.G.A.Voskuil
Translation:Mrs.A.G.Meeuwsen

Special Subject Afternoon on Saturday.November 23rd.
A special subject afternoon will again be held for our members on Saturday,November 23rd. We will meet for the seventh time at the ELEKTRUM near Arnhem.
The programme is as follows:
13.30-14.00 hrs: arrival of members.
14.00-14.15 hrs: short introduction by our chairman,Mr.J.Smits,about the medical aspects of the Battle of Arnhem.
14.15-15.15 hrs: talk by Mr.H.van Breemen about the work of the medical units of the First British Airborne Division during the Battle of Arnhem,especially about the activities of the Field Ambulances and the sections of the Royal Army Medical Corps.He will compare the original planning with the way the work had eventually to be done.
Mr.van Breemen has been studying this subject for many years. He is also the author of the mini-story you will find with this Newsletter.

hrs: tea-break
hrs* continuation of talk by Mr.van Breemen.
hrs’: showing of the film “Arnhem”. This film about the ruined town of Arnhem was made in 1945 by Paul Schuitema and Herman van der Horst. Its aim was to show the Netherlands population how the town and its inhabitants had suffered from the war.
The ELEKTRUM is situated at the Klingelbeekseweg near Arnhem,a small distance West of the road-junction Onderlangs/Bovenover. Tel. 085-568020.

 

Successful second glider landing near Wolfheze.
On Friday,September 20th,another glider landing took place in the afternoon,West of Wolfheze.Fortunately,the weather was excellent.Each cockpit was manned by one Dutch pilot and one (former) British glider pilot.The British pilots were:M.Dauncy,J.Edwards and J Bonome.who all took part as glider pilots in the Battle of Arnhem in 1944,when they landed their heavy HORSA and HAMILCAR gliders at the same spot,which was then indicated as Zone LZ Z .
A small working-group,led by Luuk Buist from Oosterbeek,had again organized this event By doing so they hope to give extra emphasis to the role played by the Glider Pilot Regiment. The landings were watched by a group of ex-glider pilots and a number of other guests.

Rules for the use of the archive and library of the Airborne Museum.
Till now not enough staff and time were available to pay proper attention to those visitors wanting to make use of the archive and library of the Airborne Museum. Partly as a result of this,it now appears that books and papers have been lent to people who did not return them.At this moment the library is being added to where possible and the archive is being enlarged with many articles from various sources. One of the Museum’s aims is to be an information centre for serious researchers.In order to keep the collection complete,the following conditions have now been drawn up for people making use of the archive and the library:
1. Access to the library and the archive can only be allowed after making an appoint¬ment with Messrs.Boersma,Groeneweg or De Reus.
2. Papers and books can be studied in the presence of one of the gentlemen mentioned above.Material will not be lent out. Copies cannot be made from papers to which the copyright act applies.This also applies to photographs.
Notes can be made of papers and/or names of holders of copyrights,so that papers can be requested and consent asked for the making of copies.
Copies of papers to which,in the opinion of the gentlemen mentioned above,copyright does not apply,can be provided by the Museum at a reasonable price.
3. Authors of books or articles who use material belonging to the Museum,will donate a copy of their work to the Museum after publication.They will also mention their source.
4. Visitors of the library and the archive will fill in and sign a form,by doing so
they will agree with the conditions mentioned above. (A.Groeneweg)

Illumination of the Airborne Monument at Oosterbeek.
The Airborne Monument has now been provided with permanent illumination.lt was the Lions Club Ostrabeke which took the initiative for this project,and thanks to the gratuitous contribution of the firm of Mr.Tesink,electricians, and the financial help of a large number of catering establishments,the project could be realised.
The illumination was officially put into use on the night of Friday,September 20th at 20.00 hrs. This was done by the burgomaster of Renkum Municipality,Drs.J.W.A.M. Verlinden,together with the leader of the Pilgrimage,General Sir Frank King GCB.MBE, and the Polish representative,Captain Z.R.Gasowski.

Donation of emblems.
The Museum has received a number of emblems which were worn on his uniform by Major Robert Cain,2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment,during the Battle of Arnhem.Major Cain was awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage and bravery during the Battle.He was the only soldier who did not receive the V.C.posthumously.Major Cain died on May 2nd,1974.
The Museum received the emblems,together with Major Cain’s whistle and pistol holster,from Mr.and Mrs.Orrell from England.

“Lonsdale pew” for the Old Church at Oosterbeek.
A memorial pew was unveiled in the Old Church at Oosterbeek on Friday,September 20th. It has been dedicated to the memory of the members of the “Lonsdale Force” who fought and held out near the church in 1944. Representatives were present of each of the units which made up the “Lonsdale Force” :the Glider Pilot Regiment,the Parachute Regiment, 7 KOSB 2nd South Staffords,Royal Artillery and the Reconaissance Squadron. Together they unveiled the pew by removing a large British flag.
This beautiful teak pew carries the inscription “In Memory of the Lonsdale Force and the emblems of the units mentioned above. . .
Part of the funds which were originally designated for a memorial Lonsdale window in the church,has now been used for this pew.

To all U.K,Friends of the Airborne Museum.(F.O.A.M.)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued generosity and to remind you that subscriptions will be due from January 1st,1992.
It has been a privilege and pleasure to be the representative in the U.K.,following on from my good friend Frank Young,who for the past five years did Stirling work for the cause.
May I also take the opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and New Year. God bless you all.
Kind regards, Ted Shaw. U.K.Rep.
Airborne Memorial Bench for Wolfheze.
We told you before that there were plans to erect an Airborne memorial at Wolfheze. We are pleased that we can now report that a very stylish stone memorial bench has been placed in the centre of the village.lt was unveiled in the presence of a number of veterans and other guests on Saturday.September 21st.
The committee which took the initiative to the building of the seat,consisted of Ulbe Anema.Hans van Dugteren,Paul Hendriks and the designer.constructural engineer Dick van Stuijvenberg.

Commemorative envelope.
The 14th commemorative envelope,issued by the Airborne Museum,pays attention to the war correspondents who accompanied the troops during the Battle of Arnhem.lt shows a picture of the BBC correspondent Stanley Maxted.
The envelopes are numbered and provided with a special postmark,dated September 17th 1991. Price:f 5,- . ’

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SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Utrechtseweg 232,6962 AZ OOSTERBEEK, The Netherlands
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. E.E.Shaw, 1 Willow Close,Stilton,Peterborough,Cambridgeshire. tel. 0733-245420.
Editor:Drs.R.P.G.A.Voskuil
Translation:Mrs.A.Meeuwsen

Changes in the Committee.
During the General Annual Meeting on March 30th,we had to say good-bye to one of the Committee members,Mr.J.Eijkelhoff.The chairman,Mr.J.Smits.addressed him with the following words,”You are the last member of the original committee and you have experienced the growth of the Society.You were closely involved in all that and it must have given you great pleasure that the initiative taken in 1980 has grown into a Society with more than one thousand members. Whenever the committee proposed some new plans,you asked for lots of details and weighed all the pros and cons.after which you gave your opinion.which was always clear and positive. You have been the stabilizing element in the committee and we are all very grateful for your contributions and support during all those years.”
Mr.Eijkelhoff thanked the chairman for his kind words and continued,”For me,the word”Airborne” did not come to life twelve years ago.but 46 years ago when I was a member of the “Orange Battalion” during the Battle of Arnhem.lt has always been a part of my life and it still does so now that I am chairman of the judging- committee of the Airborne one-day walking tours. My time in the committee of the Society has been a very happy one.”
The new Committee member is Mr.J.Hofman.He told how he had become interested in the Society.”! have seen with amazement that it has been possible to build a bridge between what happened in 1944 and the time in which we now live.I have often been inspired by the spirit of the people of Oosterbeek and of the veterans of that Battle.In 1944 the bridge across the Rhine could not be held,but you have managed to keep open a communication between you and hundreds of veterans and their families and in doing so you have built a new kind of bridge.I will be happy to try and help you make this bridge an enduring one.”
New representative in Great Britain.
Our representative in Great Britain,Mr.Frank Young,has informed us that he wants to retire from his post.We were sorry that he could not attend our last General Meeting,but the Committee hopes that Mr.Young will soon be able to visit Ooster¬beek, so that he can be thanked properly for the many good things he has done for the Society.
The new representative is Mr. E.E.(Ted) Shaw,l Willow Close,Stilton,Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.We extend a warm welcome to him and wish him very much success!
Excursion.
This year our excursion will pay attention to the events which took place in the most Northern section of the battle zone during the Battle of Arnhem.

This means that we will pay attention to the glider landings North of the Arnhem-
Utrecht railway on September 17th and 18th,1944,the advance route of the lst Para Battalion and of the battalions of the 4th Para Brigade,the landrngs at Johannahoeve of the gliders of the Polish Brigade,the actions which took place at Johannahoeve (seen from both British and German sides),the actions along the Dreyenseweg and on the Lichtenbeek.The end of the excursion will be in the Airborne Cemetery,where we will be told about the realization of the cemetery in 1945. …
We hope to be able to make use of a number of historie military vehicles which will make it possible to drive on the narrow by-roads in the terrain.
An important part of the excursion will take place around Johannahoeve.The larger part of this terrain is nowadays used as the National Sports Centre of the Nether lands Sports Federation.During the summer months,most Saturdays are used by the Federation to hold large sports events.This means that we have had to choose a later date.The provisional date for the excursion has been fixed for Saturday, August 24th.
The next Newsletter will give you detailed Information about this excursion.However, you can book for this excursion now by paying ƒ 35,- per person by giro no.
4403641 or bank no. 53.66.21.128 of the “Vereniging Vrienden Airborne Museum”.at Oosterbeek.State “Excursion.” The sum of ƒ 35,- includes the excursion,coffee,lunch and the excursion-guide. The maximum number of participants is 75. Bookings will be handled in order of receipt of payment.Payments should reach the treasurer before July 16th.
Boat excursion on video.
A video-tape is now available of last year’s boat excursion.Copies can be ordered by paying ƒ 50,- on giro no.4403641 of the Society.State”Video-tape boat excursion.”
Exhibition “Calling Sunray.”
The exhibition “Calling Sunray, the story of Communications during the Battle of Arnhem” was opened on Friday,March 22nd.
The exhibition was officially opened by Colonel M.Tange.Commander of the Communi¬cations Training Centre of the Royal Netherlands Army. Colonel Tange spoke of the röle of Communications during military operations in the past and present. He also mentioned the book “Echoes from Arnhem”.written by Captain Lewis Golden,erstwhile Communications officer with the First British Airborne Division.This book gives a detailed history of the röle played by different types of Communications during the Battle of Arnhem.

A 16 page brochure has been written especially for this exhibition by Mr.W.Boersma. It can be obtained at the Museum and costs ƒ 3,- .
During the period of the exhibition,a Communications post,using historie radio apparatus.has been in operation.lt was manned by members of VERON.the Netherlands Association for Experimental Radio Research.Just like the entire exhibition,this post drew many visitors.showing that the exhibition was not only informative to people with a historie interest but also to people with more technical hobbies.

Order of Battle of the First British Airborne Division.
Mr.C.van Roekel would like to call our attention to the following: “For some time now I have been at work to reconstruct the Order of Battle of the First British Airborne Division during the Battle of Arnhem,up to and including platoon level. It includes the names of all the officers and their functions. However,most of the many books I have read give only a few names,with or without their function.There is hardly any cohesion with other platoons companies or battalions.Hence this research.The Society plans to publish the end-result in order to be able to obtain a clear view of the structure of the entire Division Many people have already promised their help.This is very good as all Information must be verified again and again and the fragmentary data must be combined and put into place in my jigsaw puzzle.
Many names,ranks and functions are already known.but it is their underlying connections (for instance:Johnson,J.,Lieutenant,Liaison Officer South Staffords), which keep on to elude me and it is quite a job to bring them together in the right order.
It would be an enormous help if you could send me names,preferably coupled to ranks,units and functions.Please send them to the Airborne Museum,attention of C.van Roekel.Most of the “blanks” I encounter are:the Headquarters and Support Companies of the lst,2nd and 3rd Para Battalions,the platoon commanders of the llth Para Battalion,the South Staffords,the HQ Company of 7KOSB and the section commanders of the Royal Artillery.
Till now I have managed to place 652 officers.
I am convinced that many of you can offer me assistance, however small.and I send a special plea for help to our British members who took part in the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944″.

Special aquisitions.
The other day.Messrs.H.van der Velden and H.Leydecker donated a number of objects found in the former battlegrounds to the Airborne Museum as a permanent loan. Among these are pieces of equipment belonging to Lt.Col.des Voeux.Commander of the 156th Para Battalion (his compass.his whistle and parts of his binoculars) and to Brigade Major Dawson of the 4th Para Brigade (his compass and his whistle).
A very special object is the roll-call list of the RECCE Squadron,found inside a beret which was dug up at Oosterbeek.
The collection also contains a number of beret emblems of the 21st Independent Parachute Company and strips with codes of the Royal Corps of Signals.
The collection is shown in a show-case on the first floor of the Museum.

Finally.may we remind you of the fact that in the Renkum municipallity it is strictly forbidden to carry or operate so-called metal-detectors.
In Memoriam Rosé Coombs.MBE.
Rosé Cooms,MBE,sadly died in January of this year.She was sixty-nine. During the second world war she was a radar operator in No.11 Group Fighter Command.After the war she became Special Collections Officer of the Imperial War Museum in London and she became also the greatest authority concerning the history of the first world war.Her guide for the battlefields in Belgium and France,called “Before Endeavours Fade” has become a classic.Moreover,she was also a source of Information about the Battle of Arnhem.
She took great care that copies of articles about the Battle were sent to the library at Arnhem,which resulted in the Bibliography of the Battle,compiled by Mr.P.G.Aalbers.growing so large as it did.
She was very much interested in the Airborne Museum,it was she who saw to it that photographs from the Imperial War Museum could be exhibited permanently in the Airborne Museum without the paying of copyright.She visited the Museum many times and every time she declared that our Museum was the best she had ever visited. This was a great compliment coming from one who,till her last illness last year, regularly acted as a guide with battle-field tours in France,Belgium and Holland, together with veterans from both world wars.
Visiting her in the Imperial War Museum was something of a special experience: the floor and the chairs were covered with books and magazines and one was invited just to clear a chair and sit down.lt was the same with her desk,she was a small woman and one could hardly see her behind the piles of books and correspondence, so it was a matter of moving one’s chair in the right direction in order to see her face.
She talked and smoked incessantly and a certain strength of purpose was needed to steer her back to the original subject of discussion.
We are sad that we will not see her any more and we will remember her with much gratitude. (A.Groeneweg)
In Memoriam Harold (Piek) Wittingham.
Harold (Dick) Wittingham sadly died on January 9th.He was a regular and faithful visitor of Oosterbeek and a member of our Society for many years.
Dick was one of the parachutists of the first hour and during the Battle of Arnhem he commanded the 3-inch mortar group which is mentioned in the booklet “The Tommies are coming”. (C.van Roekel)
New signposts for the Museum.
Two new signposts have been placed in front of the Airborne Museum.They are clearly visible from the road.The design and execution was in the hands of Mr. H.Deerenberg who works part-time for the Museum,of the Vogel advertising agency at Oosterbeek and of POL Road Beacons of Renkum.

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