Today, the annual remembrance service honouring the men who died during the Battle of Arnhem will take place at the Oosterbeek cemetary.
A few years ago, my wife and I went to the cemetery after visiting the Airborne museum at the Hartenstein Hotel. And perhaps it’s a weird thing to say, but the Oosterbeek cemetery became one of most-touching war cemeteries I’ve ever visited, mainly due to the fact that it feels like a “community cemetery” in the sense that local school children cherish their continuing role in honouring the sacrifice of the men buried here.
Each year, on the first Sunday after the 17th of September, “flower children” from the local municipality of Renkum lay flowers down on every single grave in the cemetery. Also, I believe that as part of the curriculum, local schoolchildren are also given the task of researching the life stories of individual servicemen buried there. – The task of which is then passed onto other children each year.
The work of the children is of course greatly appreciated by the Commonwealth War Graves commission, and a plaque has been placed in the cemetery honouring the local school children who make such a great effort to honour the fallen servicemen.
Visiting cemeteries such as the one Oosterbeek and paying tribute to the men buried there really is the least we can do to remember the sacrifice made to secure our freedoms and way of life.
The roll-call, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, is as follows:
1,684 Commonwealth servicemen.
243 unidentified servicemen.
79 Polish servicemen.
3 Dutch and four non-war (including three former Commission employees) graves.
Lest we forget.
(This is a repost from Instagram from September 22nd, 2024)