VVAM Newsletter 34 – 1989

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM OOSTERBEEK
Utrechtseweg 232, 6862 AZ OOSTERBEEK, The Netherlands
Representative in Great Britain: Mr.F.M.Young, 6,Kildown Gardens, Cliftonville, Kent CT 9 3EG
NEWSLETTER No 34 Editor:Drs. R.P.G.A.Voskuil
MAY 1989 Translation:Mrs.A.Meeuwsen

Excursion.
You are invited to join our yearly excursion on SATURDAY.MAY 27th. This time it will take us through the region of the Betuwe.This is the third and last excursion from the series which started with the “Brabant Corridor” in 1986 and the “Market Garden in the Rijk van Nijmegen” in 1987.
This time we will pay special attention to the breakout by the British troops from the bridge-head North of the Waal bridge at Nijmegen, their advance through the Betuwe,the air-landings of the First Polish Independent Parachutists Brigade near Driel on September 21st,1944, en the subsequent actions in this area.
The excursion will be led by Karei Margry and Geert Maassen;the organisation is in the hands of Robert Voskuil.
The provisional programme is as follows:
9.00-9.30 hrs: Assemble in the Airborne Museum:coffee will be ready!
9.30 hrs: Depart for Nijmegen by coach.From Nijmegen the following points will be visited successively:
– Old road between Nijmegen and Arnhem (Griftdijk), where the breakout of the Irish Guards did not succeed.
– Oosterhout,the actions by the 7th Somersets.
– Crossing “de Hoog” near Elst,where the 43rd Wessex Division encoun- tered the German “Kampfgruppe Knaust”,while on their way to the Poles at Driel.
– Monument 7th Hampshire Regiment on the river-dike near Driel.
12.30 – 13.30 : LUNCH at Beteren.
After lunch the programme continues with visits to:
– The landing-areas of the Polish Brigade near Driel.Attention will also be paid to the advance routes of the Poles and to the German lines behind the railway embankment.
– Place of the German counter-attack on the Poles at Driel,on September 22nd.
– Site of the Roman Catholic boys’school which was used as a hospital for the Polish Brigade during the actions.
– Headquarters of the commander of the Polish Brigade,General Sosabowski.
– Places where the Poles crossed the Rhine on September 22/23 and 23/24,in order to reinforce the British troops at Oosterbeek.
– Site where the 4th Battalion Dorsets crossed the Rhine in the night of September 24/25.
– The church hall at Driel,which was used as a hospital for the wounded civilians.
– The cemetery where the Polish soldiers were buried. their bodies were conveyed to the Airborne Cemetery
– The monument for the Polish Brigade at Driel.
16.30 hrs: Depart for Oosterbeek. 16.45 hrs: Arrival at Oosterbeek.
Members who want to take part in this excursion are requested to „
per person on giro account 4403641 /’Vereniging Vrienden Airborne Museum , mention “Excursion”. The closing date is MAY lOth.so don t wait too long before you send your money!

In Memoriam Mr. Schager.
Our member Mr. Simon Dirk Schager from Zaandam, died on March 20th,1989.
In spite of his physical handicap,Mr.Schager was a faithful and interested visitor of the yearly commemoration days and of the activities of our Society. Towards the end of his life his health did not always allow him to travel to Oosterbeek,but he remained interested in our activities.
May he rest in peace.

Rectification.
One of the photo’s in our last ministory does not show Jan Penseel,as stated, but Klaas Schuttinga,who is also mentioned in the story.

The recently aquired flame-thrower has been given a place in one of the diorama’s in the basement of the Museum.

Exhibition:The role of the Netherlands Resistance in the Battle of Arnhem.
Preparations for this exhibition are now in full swing. The opening will take place on April 28th at 14.00 hrs in the Airborne Museum,and can be visited till May 15th.
The exhibition is divided into three parts:
1. The Resistance gets ready to render help in the liberation of the Netherlands.
One of the most important activities was espionage.as carried out for instance by the “Albrecht” group.Documents have been saved which show that Information was given about German units near Arnhem.In order to supply the Resistance with weapons.there were regular droppings on the Veluwe.Material relating to these droppings is shown,together with the apparatus to keep contact with England.
Attention is also given to the question of how to maintain the Communications between the members of the Resistance. This was for instance done via special telephone lines of the Provincial Guelders Electricity Board. There is also Information about the sabotage actions undertaken by members of the Resistance.
2. Liberation drops unexpectedly from the skies.
The Resistance had not been prepared for this event.After the airlandings,the Resistance did its utmost to give aid to the troops.Members acted as guides and as orderlies. Although the British had been more or less prepared for co-operating with the Resistance,they hardly used the help offered to them.
The role played by the “Orange Battalion” is one of the aspects shown to illustrate this.
3. Help to British soldiers after the Battle of Arnhem.
British soldiers were taken to addresses where they could stay hidden.As food was very scarce.the people hiding them were given extra rations. Escapes were planned and executed. Operation “Pegasus I” was succesful.Operation “Pegasus II” did not succeed.
The exhibition will make use of the new large glass showcase which was donated to the Museum by the Society for use in the “Resistance-room”. Another donation the new video installation.will also be used.

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Continuation of School-projeet.
It has been decided that this very successful project will be continued.A great number of schools in the Arnhem region has been informed and the first applications have already been received.The information-file and the photo-sheet have been re-printed.
Exhibition by Christien de Haan.
The drawings by Christien de Haan of eleven commanders of the Battle of Arnhem are now on show in the Museum.Two years ago.five of these drawings were reproduced as picture postcards.They can still be bought at the Museum,price:ƒ 5,- .
Security.
In order to step up the security of the Museum,two new television camera’s have been installed.They will guard the back of the building on a 24 hour basis. Furthermore,in order to improve the control at night,special lamps have been fitted to the outside of the building.
Lions Club book fair.
This year the Renkum Lions Club again organizes a book fair.lt will take place in the hall of the Pieter Reijenga Secondary School,on June 9th and June lOth.
The proceeds will again be donated to the fund of the Foundation “Lest we Forget.” This Foundation helps to take care of travelling expenses for veterans and their relatives.
Many books are needed for this book fair, and all kinds of books are welcome.
If you want to donate books and live in the Renkum region,somebody will come and fetch them.Please ring the following telephone numbers (between 18.00 and 20.00 hrs):
J.R. Straatenmeier, 085-334136 ; G.Kalverla, 085-341255.

Monument for the Royal Engineers and the Royal Canadian Engineers.
After the lecture on “Operation Berlin” on November 26th of last year,the suggestion was raised to erect a monument to the memory of the British and Canadian Engineers. It was they who transported those many hundreds of Airborne troops across the river Rhine in the night of September 25/26,1944,thus
enabling about 2400 British and Polish soldiers to reach their own lines.
In most of the better known books and reports we find only a couple of lines about this operation:” we were ordered to go down to the Rhine in small groups … a rainy night … much enemy fire … sometimes narrowly missing German positions … at last we reached the boats .. . fortunately we reached the other side.”
Thanks to an investigation conducted by two of our members,we now know much more about the extensive preparation for this operation and we know a lot about the courage and perseverance it took to bring it to a good end. That is why many people have now decided that there should be a monument as a lasting remembrance of the courage and self-sacrifice of those British and Canadian engineers.

A Committee has now been formed,called the “Committee R.E.&R.C.E.Monument.” lts members are Messrs.J,H.Boon,H.v.d.Brand,H.A.Duinhoven and E.Wijnhoud.The address of the secretariat is:Steynweg 27,6862 DE Oosterbeek. The committee will try and obtain enough money to build the monument.Although official consent has not yet been received,we have received so many unofficial favourable reactions that we believe permission will be granted.
The site for the monument would be on the South bank of the river Rhine,along the Drielse Dijk. That’s where the operation began and where freedom was waiting. If everything goes as planned.the monument can be unveiled on September 15th,1989. As far as the financial side is concerned:we can teil you that the first gifts of money have already come in.In the near future we plan to contact the Branches of the Arnhem veterans in England.
A special giro-account has been opened for your contributions: 5937926 in the name of “Committee R.E.&R.C.E.monument,Mr .E.Wijnhoud” at Arnhem.
We do hope that you share our conviction that these men deserve a monument,and that you will help us to realize it.

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