Everybody’s Instagram timelines are going to be chock-full of Arnhem-related posts this week, but I hope you’ve got a moment to read through my post as well 🙂
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the ill-fated Battle of Arnhem, in which the airborne forces of the British 1st Airborne Division (subsequently followed up by the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade) landed in the Arnhem area to seize road and railway bridges in the city.
The airborne forces were only meant to hold the bridges for 2 to 3 days until being relieved by XXX Corps.
We all know how the battle panned out and words can’t suitably honour the bravery of the men involved and their sacrifice.
What touches me most about the Arnhem story, however, is the ongoing affection and appreciation shown by the people of Arnhem to the British & Polish paratroopers who died trying to liberate their city 80 years ago.
In Arnhem, the locals still maintain a deep personal connection with the heroes of the past, and each September the city is decked out with the iconic flags of the British 1st Airborne, which hang from people’s homes, shops, and schools. The battle is commemorated throughout the city with numerous memorials, museums and, alas, cemeteries.
Despite the passage of 80 years, feelings haven’t lessened at all, and when I was in Arnhem a few years ago, walking across the iconic John Frost bridge, I had the pleasure of witnessing this special “Arnhem-British” relationship first-hand.
I was halfway across the bridge, and I bumped into a group of British parachute veterans in their 40s or 50s, who were visiting the bridge, paying tribute to the fallen, and generally taking photos and doing a spot of sightseeing. The next moment, a group of Arnhem schoolchildren ride by, and without a moment’s hesitation, the children start frantically ringing the bells on their bikes, slowing down to high-five the soldiers as they drove past.
The children couldn’t have been more than 11 or 12 years old, but here they were, keeping the Arnhem-British link alive by spontaneously serenading a group of British servicemen they’d never met before.
Top marks to the people of Arnhem!
(This is a repost from Instagram from September 17th, 2024)