VVAM Newsletter 41 – 1991

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF THE AIRBORNE MUSEUM
Utrechtseweg 232,6862 AZ OOSTERBEEK, the Netherlands
Representative in Great Britain: Mr. F.Young, 6,Kildown Gardens,Cliftonville,Kent CT9 3EG
Editor: Drs.R.P.G.A.Voskuil
Translation:Mrs.A.Meeuwsen

Jubilees.
On December lst,1990,it was twelve and a half years ago that Messrs.Berry de Reus and Evert Vellinga started their work for the Airborne Museum. They have contributed largely to the Museum having obtained its present-day standing.
Reasons enough for an animated party,during which words of gratitude and admiration were spoken by Mr.Verlinden on behalf of the Board of Trustees,Mr.Smit on behalf of the Society and Mr.van Roekel on behalf of the group of voluntary workers.
Among the many gifts and presents there were two Oerman VOPO caps for Evert Vellinga, donated by the Society,to add to his already considerable collection.
There were also flowers and words of praise for Mrs. de Reus and Mrs.Vellinga.

llth General Annual Meeting.
You are invited to attend the llth General Annual Meeting of the Society on
SATURDAY.MARCH 30th,1991,in the Concerthall.Benedendorpsweg.a the Old Church) Telephone 085-332046).TIME: 14.00 hrs.
The agenda of the meeting will be sent to you separately, together with the fmancial papers.
After the meeting a film will be shown.
Annual Report 1990.
In spite of the fact that 28 members had to be expelled because of non-payment of their subscription,the number of the members of the Society did increase to 1003, compared to 967 in 1989.
Sadly.the following members died in 1990: Mr .N.H. Roozenboom.Mr.M.van Paassen.Mr. M.
Pratt,Mr. M.Vigor and Mr. T.F.Wilson.
Four Newsletters were sent out,both in Dutch and in English.
The sale of articles and souvenirs went well.
The Health Insurance Company “Het Zilveren Kruis” donated three megaphones to the Society for use during excursions and during the September Commemorations .The Thanet Branch again donated £ 25 for the Schools Project.Mr.Lohnstein donated a small escution of the Marines Veterans for the Museum.
The Health Insurance Company “Het Zilveren Kruis” again gave valuable help in assisting ten handicapped veterans during their visit in September 1990.
The Special Subject days were again very successful.A boat trip was organized in the spring of 1990 to celebrate the lOth anniversary of the Society.The Special Subject afternoon in November 1990 was attended by more than 230 people.which may be called a record number of attendants.
Donations to the Museum included a computer (which will be used to register the collection of photographs,the~library,the collection of weapons and the stock of souvenirs);a Super Ikonta photo camera of the type that was used during the Battle of Arnhem .together with a figure to represent camera-man Cordon “Jock” Walker.
Exhibition about the use of Communications during the Battle of Arnhem.
The Airborne Museum will present an exhibition about the several types of Communications used during the Battle of Arnhem, it will be named “Calling Sunray”.
The exhibition will open on March 22nd and will run till April 22nd.
Attention will be paid to practically every kind of communication.The most important aspects of these Communications and their influence on the course of the Battle will be highlighted.
The following subjects will make out the central part of the exhibition:The Royal Corps of Signals,transmitter-receivers,landline connections.optical means of Communications,carrier-pigeons,ground-air Communications on behalf of the droppings and landings(“Eureka” and “Rebecca”),ground-air Communications on behalf of air support (American Air Support Team) and the Light Warning Set Units
The exhibition will show examples of practically all types of means’of communication which were in use during the Battle.Some rare pieces.like the Eureka and Rebecca apparatus.will be obtained from elsewhere during the time of the exhibition
A special working-group has been formed for the building of this exhibition’it consists of several Communications experts. ’
Second edition of :”Een Drielenaar in Oorlogstijd”.
As a result of our article on Mr. Benjamin Jansen’s book in our last Newsletter, we can now inform you that there will be a second edition. Interested parties will be informed by Mr. G.H. Maassen Sr. when the book becomes available.

Members of the First Polish Independent Para Brigade with a transmitter- receiver in an orchard near Driel: an example of the Communications apparatus on show during the exhibition “Calling Sunray” to be held in the Airborne Museum from March 22nd till April 22nd.
(Photo: Collection Airborne Museum)

Catalogueing of photo archive.
Some months ago.our Society donated a computer to the Museum.lt will be used to catalogue the photo archive which consists of more than one thousand pictures. All photo’s will be scanned and provided with a short description. It will then be possible to show any specific group of photo’s together with the matching Information.
Informative tableau for Engineers Monument.
On September 22nd,1990,an informative tableau was placed near the Monument for the Royal Engineers and the Royal Canadian Engineers,near the village of Driel.
It gives Information,in Dutch and in English,about the retreat across the Rhine of the survivors belonging to the First British Aitborne Division and the First Polish Independent Para Brigade,in the night of September 25th-26th,1944.
There is also a clear sketch of the northern bank of the river,showing the most salient points.Looking across the wide river landscape it is not difficult to recognize these places.
The design for this tableau comes from our member Mr. H.van de Brand,who also designed the monument.

Gift of container and helmet.
Mr.Hartmann of Heelsum has donated to the Museum an original parachutist helmet and a square container,used in 1944 to drop radio equipment.
Requested: Information about Wolfheze.
We received the following letter from Mr.Cor Janse of Rheden.
For a couple of years now I have been studying the history of the village of Wolf heze during the years of the second world war.I lived there myself during that period. The gathering and studying of facts and memories will.I hope.lead in the end to the writing of a book about this subject.
The Battle of Arnhem is an important episode in the history of Wolfheze.I mention the bombardment on September 17th,the landings on September 17th and 18th,the advance from Wolfheze to Arnhem,actions around Wolfheze and the experiences of prisoners of war and of soldiers who managed to escape after the Battle had ended.
The geographical borders are more or less between the Amsterdamseweg and the Utrecht seweg and from the line Buunderkamp/Jonkershoeve till Bilderberg/West End.
Information about Wolfheze in most of the official military records is rather limited. That’s why I am especially dependent on reminiscences of British and Polish soldiers, and on the memories of inhabitants of Wolfheze.
The book will describe the events as seen and experienced by soldiers and civilians. If you think you can help me,please contact me.The address is:Mr.Cor Janse, Apollostraat 5, 6991 GW Rheden. Telephone:08309-51033.
“Before I sleep”,a novel about the Battle of Arnhem.
In September 1990 there appeared a novel in England,called:”Before I Sleep,a Novel about Arnhem.” The American author,Edward Monroe-Jones started his investigations for this book in 1986.The study of archives,the exchange of letters and many interviews with British,Dutch and also German people form the base of this book,in which reality and fiction have been mixed. That is why it is called a novel,although a large part of the events described,did really happen.
The central figure in the book is called Henry McAlister.His story has been based on the experiences of Henry McAnelly(who is now well-known as an Airborne Battle Guide in Oosterbeek)during the Battle of Arnhem,on his captivity as a prisoner of war and on his return to England.
Apart from the story of Henry McAlister,there are the stories about some twenty other people. A number of these are people who really existed,some of them are even still alive.They are called by their real names,like Dr.Lipmann Kessel,General Heinz Harmel and Dr.Egon Skalka.Other people did exist,but have been given new names.The author has also introduced some ficticious characters.
The experiences of these characters are described in short chapters,so that we are given a constantly changing picture of the war. The author has visited a large number of the places where the Battle of Arnhem took place so that he has succeeded in making an important part of the events take place in the just surroundings which he descrïbes very true to life.
Some (amateur) historians may object to this mixture of reality and fantasy.as not everything which has been written did really happen and as the dialogues seèm to have been reconstructed.
However.the book’s strong point lies in the way in which the author has managed to picture the atmosphere of those days.felt by British and Dutch.as well as by German participants, and in the way in which he describes the emotions of the central character.
Edward Monroe-Jones has shown again that writing about the history of a battle should not only exist in giving the bare facts,but that war has also a human face. “Before I Sleep” (328 pages) was published in London by Sidgwick & Jackson and costs £ 15 . ’

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