VVAM Newsletter 21 – 1986

NEWS-LETTER No. 21 February 1986.

Editor : Drs. R.P.G.A. Voskuil
Translation : Mrs L.A. Wilkinson

Dear Friends,
On the 8th, September 1985 ex-Paras of the First Independent Polish Parachute Brigade met in Czestochowa (Poland) to unveil a plaque in memory of their Brigade in the Church of the “Black Madonna”.
Among the tens of thousands of Poles taking part in this Pilgrimage were about 1500 Scouts from 28 groups out of the whole of Poland. They stood out from among the others by their sleeve emblems which showed their connection with the Polish Brigade and the Battle of Arnhem. So , for exemple, a badge may display the colours of the Polish, American, British ano the Netherlands flags together with the symbol of the Para Brigade and the Scouting insignia. Fourtheen days later the Veterans of the Polish Brigade met in Warsaw’s Military Cemetery for the annual Remembrance Service. This is held at the Monument to the fallen of the First Polish Para Brigade and to the Polish secret agents who were killed after having parachuted into enemy territory. Also present were Scouts and Guides with the special sleeve emblem, red ties and red berets. All members of Scouting groups named after the Polish Para Brigade and the British Red Devils.
Mrs. Cora Baltussen and Mr. Albert Baltussen from Driel were among those present at Czestochowa. They saw the Scouts who so emphatically demonstrated that as friends of the Para’s they will always show the respect they have towards these fighters for freedom.
Mrs. Baltussen mentioned this in the Remembrance speech she made in Driel on September 21st., when she called upon the young people of the Netherlands to make contacts and to form friendships with the Veterans and also with young people from Poland and other Allied countries who may be interested.
It is good that young people are made aware of the fact that the old soldiers from the Battle of Arnhem ‘put their lives at risk so that those who came after them could live in peace’, as it is written in our school project. It is also a good thing that the young people are encouraged to come into contact with the old soldiers and with each other so that they can exchange ideas and discuss the historic battle with all its human and inhuman aspects, and, as H.M. van Randwijk writes, ‘to reflect on the value of freedom and justice’.
J. Smits, chairman.

6th Annual General Meeting on 22nd. March 1986
You are invited to attend the 6th. Annual General Meeting, together with the Annual Meeting of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum, on Saturday 22nd. March 1986 from 14.00 hrs. in the Concerthall, Benedendorpsweg, opposite to the Old Church, Oosterbeek (tel. 085-332046)
The agenda for the meeting is as seen below.
1. Opening.
2. Minutes of the 5th. A.G.M. held on March 5th. 1985.
3. General report for 1985.
4. Financial report for 1985 and budget for 1986.
5. Election of officers.
6. Nomination of reserve members to the Financial Committee.
7. Questions.
8. Closing.
Clarification of point 5 : Upon completion of their terms of Office Mrs. J.M. de Langen (secretary) and Mr. W.T. de Ruyter, both have expressed a willingness to stand for re-election. According to article 8 of the statute members are able to propose rival candidates. Any nominations for this purpose must be received in writing by the secretary at least 10 days before the meeting, signed by a minimun of 10 members and accompanied by an expression of willingness signed by the candidate. The candidate must be a member and of age.
Our representative in Great Britain, Mr. J. Maynard, handed over to Mr. F.M. Young on the 1st. January of this year. Both gentlemen are making a special visit to the Netherlands to attend this meeting.
The financial sheet and report of the Financial Committee will be available for inspection 30 minutes before the opening of the meeting.
The financial report for 1985 and the budget for 1986 will be enclosed with the next Newsletter.

Showing of a video film following the A.G.M.
After the A.G.M., a video film about the liberation of Den Bosch in October 1944, will be shown. Althrough this subject did not form part of operation Market Garden it was decided to show the film because it is an example of an outstanding documentary film of military history.
The makers of the film Mr. K. Margry from Utrecht and Mr. L. van Gent from Den Bosch are both members of our society and will be present at the meeting. You will be able to ask them any questions concerning the video after it has been shown.

Action for BLESMA is a success.
In our last Newsletter we appealed to you for help for the British organisation BLESMA, an organisation that helps old soldiers who have lost limbs or become blind as a result of war wounds.
Due to your very generous response this appeal was very successful.
Mr. R. Bingley, the writer of the Mini Story in our last Newsletter, is the representative for BLESMA, and is coming from Britain, at his own expense, specifically to receive the money donated by our members, at the A.G.M.

Annual report for 1985,
The past year saw another increase in the number of members. On 31.12.85 the Society had 774 members, both within the Netherlands, and overseas. On 31.12.84 the membership was 713. Unfortunately this year some 28 memberships had to be cancelled due to nonpayment of subscriptions.
In 1985 4 Newsletters were published, a Subject day and a Subject afternoon were held. Our Subject day held on the 4th. May opened with a reception at the Hotel Dreijeroord. This was followed by walks around the North West area of Oosterbeek after which a video film about the Reconnaissance Squadron was shown. Our Subject afternoon was held in the Elektrum, Arnhem, on November 23rd. Mr. C. van Roekel gave a lecture about the Hohenstaufen Division and after the interval the video film ‘Comrades at Arms’ was shown.
The Contact day for members was held on 14th. September in the ‘De Wiltgraef’ Restaurant in Bennekom, and may be repeated. Both Contact day and Subject days were well attended.

Fuselage and cockpit of the Horsa Glider in the new Army Air Corps Museum in Middle Wallop. On the right, a 6-pounder anti-tank gun used at Arnhem, (photograph B. de Reus)

Two Commemorative Envelopes, specially franked 5th. May 1985, were issued by the Society for the anniversary of 40 years after the liberation. A mini-poster was made of the larger poster of the pastel drawing by Mr. Paulus Pieters. The sale of the envelopes and the posters is going well.
Our Society gained an Honorary Member, in the person of General R.E. Urquhart, also our fifth British Life Member joined the Society.
Our member Mr. 0. Luursema has agreed to be availeble to the committee for advice on organisational subjects.
Gifts from our Society to the Museum included a medal case and a slide projector for the audio-visual presentation.
We are grateful for the financial support of our members and a number of sponsors, who, once again, have enabled us to restart our project for schools. Because of their very generous support it has been possible to compose a very interesting questionnaire for the visiting pupils.
As you see, 1985 was a good year for our Society and we hope 1986 will be the same.

Exhibition of Photography during the Battle of Arnhem.
In the near future a small exhibition will be held in the Airborne Museum, titled ‘Photography during the Battle of Arnhem’. The items for this exhibition have been collected by Messrs, de Reus and Voskuil, and they have tried to give an impression of the ways in which the soldiers and citizens recorded those September days in 1944.
Alongside unfamiliar photographs, photo-and film equipment will be displayed, wich was used during the Battle of Arnhem.
We hope to have the exhibition ready to be opened on Friday 21st. March, so that members attending the A.G.M. on the 22nd. March will be able to visit the exhibition in the Museum.
Jhr.mr. H.G. van Hol the tot Echten and mister Th. Werningh Coster were made

Freemen of the Renkum Municipality.
At his abdication as Burgomaster of the Renkum municipality jhr.mr. van Holthe tot Echten was made a Freeman of this municipality. The same honour was extended to mister Theo Werningh Coster on his rel ingquishing his post on the museum committee, in view of the outstanding contributions he made since 1949 towards the establishment and maintenance of the Airborne Museum.

British award for mister J.J. Rudolphie.
Het Majesty Queen Elisabeth very graciously appointed mister J.J. Rudolphie a ‘Honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’. Mister Rudolphie received this award for the outstanding work he performed since 1948 for the organisation of the annual remembrance of the Battle of Arnhem.

Positioning of plaques ‘Donated by the Friends of the Airborne Museum’.
Small plaques with the words ‘Donated by the Friends of the Airborne Museum’, will be positioned on all the items bought for the Museum by the Friends of the Airborne Museum.

The new ‘Museum of Army Flying’ in Middle Wallop is worth a visit.
On the 13th May 1984 the new ‘Museum of Army Flying’ was opened on the airbase at Middle Wallop in Hampshire. A large part of the exhibition is devoted to the history of the ‘Glider Pilot Regiment’, and the airborne landing operations this Regiment participated in during the Second World War.
In the large hall where a variety of aeroplanes are on display, there is an almost complete fuselage and cockpit of a Horsa Glider (see photo).
Recently the museum came into the possession of a part of a fuselage of a Hamilcar glider. This fuselage has spent 38 years in the open being used as a chicken run. It is in a very bad state and the project to fully restore it will take about 2 years to complete.
This museum lies on the A343 between Salisbury and Andover.
It is open daily from 10.00 to 16.30 hrs. except for Christmas and the New Year.

Revised edition of the book ‘Battle in the Shadow’.
The first edition of this book written by the authors A. Korthals Aites and N.K.C.A. in ‘t Veld, describes the fighting that took place from September 1944 until March 1945 in De Peel and the Maas valley.
This conflict is much less known and much less talked about than the Allied airborne landing operations in September 1944. It was fought out in the shadow of Market Garden.
In the chapter of that heading, the authors go into the previous history and the execution of Operation Market Garden, especially with regard to the territory of the Brabant ‘Corridor’. The months following Market Garden saw a fiercely fought situation in the border land between Brabant and Limburg.
The reason this conflict has not remained unkown is mostly due to the fact that during the fighting the village of Overloon was completely ruined. Overloon is where the National War and Resistance Movement Museum is situated.
The book ‘Battle in the Shadow’ is published by the publishing company De Bataafse Leeuw.

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