VVAM Newsletter 31 – 1988

ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM OOSTERBEEK
Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ Oosterbeek, the Netherlands.
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. F.M.Young,
9,Buckhurst Drive, Ciiftonville,Kent CT9 3HT
Editor:Drs.R.P.G.A.Voskuil
Translation:Mrs.A.G.Meeuwsen

Special-subject afternoon on Saturday,November 26th,1988
There will be another special-subject afternoon for our members on Saturday, November 26th.We will meet at the ELEKTRUM in Arnhem,where we will be welcome guests for the fourth year.
The programme will be as follows:
13.30 – 14.00 hrs : arrival of the members.
14.00 – 15.00 hrs : Lecture by Mr.Duinhoven of Oosterbeek.

Attentive listeners during the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem in Driel. From left to right: Major-General A.J.Deane-Drummond,leader of the Pilgrimage, and Messrs. R.Gasowski and J. Lorys.representatives of the Polish Airborne Forces Association. (photo:B.de Reus.)

The subject of Mr.Duinhoven’s lecture will be “Operation Berlin” , the retreat of the remainder of the First British Airborne Division across the Rhine in the night of September 25th~26th,1944. Together with Mr.R.Gerritsen of Duiven,Mr.Duinho¬ven has for some time now been gathering information about this retreat.
Much attention will be paid to the role of the British and Canadian engineering units which,with the help of their boats.managed to evavuate almost 2400 men of the Division to the other side of the river.
The lecture is illustrated by colour-slides.

15.00 – 15.30 hrs.:tea-break.The book-service will be present with a large selection of books.
15.30 – 16.00 hrs.continuation of lecture by Mr.Duinhoven,who will be happy to answer any questions.
16.00 – 16.30 hrs.:Showing of a film about the Battle of Arnhem.This film.which was made in 1967 by the Association for Film and Science,Utrecht, tries to give a picture of the aim and the course of the operation.The makers have used original films together with supplementary material and maps showing the movements of the troops.
16.30 hrs: end of afternoon.

The ELEKTRUM is situated at Klingelbeekseweg in Arnhem,a small distance West of the road junction Onderlangs/Bovenover.Telephone number: 085-568020.

Information from the treasurer (for Dutch members only).
Enclosed with this Newsletter you will find the giro-cheque for your subscription for 1989. The amount is ƒ 20,- for a normal membership,/ 30,- for a family. Members whose subscription will have reached the treasurer before November 26th, and who attend the special-subject afternoon,can receive their membershipcard during that afternoon.

Gifts for BLESMA.
In 1985 we started an action to collect money for BLESMA,the organisation which helps handicapped veterans.From the beginning this action has been a succes and we still receive gifts which are regularly sent to BLESMA in England by our treasurer.
On behalf of BLESMA,the Society wants to thank everyone who has till now taken part in this action.Gifts will continue to be very welcome!
Commemorative envelope 1988.

On the occasion of the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem,the Trustees of the Museum have again issued a commemorative envelope.This year it is dedicated to the role played by the “Royal Corps of Signals” during the Battle of Arnhem. This choice was made because of the fact that the Pilgrimage this year was lead by Major-General A.J.Deane-Drummond,C.B.,D.S.0.,M.C.,who,in September 1944 was second-in-command,Ist Airborne Divisional Signals.
All envelopes have been numbered and provided with a special postmark dated September 17th,1988. The envelope is sold by the Museum and costs ƒ 5^- Donation of newspapers.
One of our members,Mr.F.Vleeshouwer of Arnhem,has donated to the Museum a series ofresistance pamphlets and newspapers dating from 1944 and 1945 These oaners will be given a place in the archives of the Museum. ‘ P

The “Chair-Project.” All chairs have now been donated.Gifts are still welcome for the table More Information will be given in the next Newsletter.

Ex AFPU camera-man Gordon Walker talks about his experiences during the Battle of Arnhem in front of the video-camera of Bal Video Productions.
(photo:B.de Reus.)

Film maker “Jock” Walker returned to Oosterbeek.
On September 19th, Mr.Gordon Walker,the 72-year-old veteran,returned to Ooster¬beek as a guest of the Airborne Museum.lt had been planned that he would be present to attend the festivities around the tenth anniversary of the Arborne Museum in Hartenstein House on May llth.Because of the strike of the British Ferries,he sadly had to cancel that visit.
In September 1944, “Jock” Walker was one of the three camera-men of the Army Film and Photo Unit (AFPU),who recorded the landings and subsequent battle on films and in pictures.The films he then took with his heavy Bell & Howell camera he delivered to the Ministry of Information as soon as he returned to England. Afterwards he never had the opportunity to see the results himself.
Now.after 44 years, Mr.Walker did see those films in the Museum.Then followed a tour through the former battle-fields,visiting several places where he had been filming all those years ago,and recounting his own personal experiences.
All this was taken on video-film by Joop Bal of”Bal Video Productions”, to be incorporated in a documentary about the Battle of Arnhem.

Special gift.
During the last Airborne Commemoration,Mr.T.J.Phillips from Aberdare donated to the Museum an original military watch (still in working order!),a small box containing a morphine syringe, and two name-tapes of the RAMC.the Royal Army Medical Corps. In September 1944 Mr.Phillips served with the 181 Airlanding Field Ambulance in the Schoonoord and Tafelberg Hotels,which had been converted into fieldhospitals.

Museum receives two sets of medals.
The Airborne Museum has received two sets of medals,belonging to Mr.George Reynold and Mr. Eric Allport. Both served with the Ist Parachute Regiment in 1944. Mr.Eric Allport’s set was donated to the Museum by his widow and handed over by Mr.Piet Kort,who for many years acted as host to Mr. and Mrs.Allport during the Commemorations.
Both sets will be displayed in the special show-case in the Museum,together with the photographs of the bearers.
Mr.Izak de Vries donates his medal to the Museum.
Ministory XVII (Newsletter no.28) relates the story of Izak (Piet) de Vries,the only Dutchman who took part in ” Operation Berlin” in the night of September 25th- 26th,1944. In 1948,Mr.de Vries received the British “King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom”,for his help to the British troops in 1944.
Now ,40 years later, Mr. de Vries has donated this special medal to the Museum, where it will be displayed in the medals show-case.

“Airborne Pilgrimage Guide”.
The first copy of the new Airborne Pilgrimage Guide was presented to the Mr.M.de Bruijne,the Queen’s Commissioner for the Province of Gelderland, in the Airborne Museum on September 5th,1988.
This guide has been compiled for Arnhem veterans and their host-families. It offers a well-ordered survey of all commemoration activities in the months of September and 0ctober.lt is a loose-leaf system, containing separate leaves for each part of the programme,giving Information in Dutch and English,together with a detailed map and a photograph.Apart from this,the guide gives general Information. During the last Pilgrimage,the Guide was presented to the veterans.Other people could buy the guide. So many people were interested in it that there is only a small number left of the 1.000 guides which were printed. These can be bought for ƒ 2,50 at the Museum.

New book about Operation Market Garden.
A new book appeared in the beginning of September, called “Corridor naar de Rijn” (Corridor to the Rhine), written by the journalist Hen Bollen. It contains a survey of the entire operation but the author also takes up several aspects of the battle which have been less worked out in former books.Amongst other things he uses German reports which have not been produced before,together with inter- vieuws with civilians who lived through the battle in the corridor.
The book contains 260 pages and has been illustrated by many photographs and maps. It is published by TERRA in Zutphen and costs ” 37,50. There is only a Dutch edition available.

Polish Para Brigade.
We can now inform you that the book about the Ist Polish Parachute Brigade will appear in September 1989.Last September,the author again visited England and Holland in order to gather Information and to interview veterans.
It is still not known whether there will be a Dutch edition of the book, the Publisher still needs more Information about potential Dutch buyers.If you are interested,please contact Mr.G.H.Maassen Jr.,tel. 085-337515.

Revolver of Netherlands Commando.
Sergeant Luitwieler was one of the Dutch commando’s belonging to No.10 Inter- allied Commando,which took part in Operation Market Garden.He never’reached the battle-zone.however,as his glider crashed in Zeeland.Via Lt-Colonel Frankevyle the Museum has now received the Smith & Wesson revolver which belonged to Sergeant Luitwieler.

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