Twotter's Trip to Arnhem

Great thread.

My grandfather fought on the Western Front in WW1 and my uncle fought in North Africa in WW2.

My mother has always wanted to forget about what happened all those years ago - "it was all too horrible" and is never happy talking about it. We shouldn't forget what happened and learn from past mistakes, but do we? perhaps she is right.

My daughter has visited the cemetries in Northern France and my son will be going in November - perhaps I will go one day.
 
An old post I know but I just want to say a big thank you to Twotter for the info. Going near Arnhem on business tonight on the bike and this is exactly what I needed for a few hours break. The usefulness of this site never ceases to amaze me :thumb2
 
Anyone thinking of going to Arnhem might like to tie in their visit with the annual commemoration of the battle for the city. The weekend usually runs from friday to sunday. Those veterans able to travel attend, there is usually (weather permitting) a parachute drop onto Ginkelheide DZ, and a number of other events which culminate with a service in the Oosterbeek War Cemetary on the Sunday. Next year the weekend will probaably be the 20-22 september. If you are thinking of going do book early as many of the hotels will fill up quickly, especially the Dreyeroord which did feature in the battle for the town.

Mike
 
I spent this morning talking to the sister of a chap called Johnny Weatherall. He was an army glider pilot who landed at Arnhem (describing the whole thing as a 'bloody cockup'), got captured and became a PoW.

His sister got in touch after visiting an exhibition I've been running on Lost Airfields. One of them, RAF Broadwell, was where he took off for Arnhem. His sister remembers going out in their mother's garden in Oxford to see the Horsas and Dakota tugs going over - and she swears one of the gliders waggled its wings at her. And her brother corroborates the story!

A remarkable man. You can hear him speaking here

He's 88 now and in Leopardstown Park Hospital in Dublin.
 
Brilliant

Cracking report + photos.
So much to see in Europe.
 
Cracking write-up and a trip I'll be mirroring closely in coming months.
Might even try and make it for a memorial weekend.:thumb2
 
Thanks for the waypoint file. Had added these to Zumo and spent a pleasant day visiting some of the locations you mentioned before my run north to catch the ferry home from Ijmuiden. Didn't have time to take in the museum. Noticed that the Dutch have marked out various battlefield tourist routes around the area. Must organise myself better to have spend couple of days in the area.
 
Brilliant trip fella..... ive done some fantastic tours of cemetries and battlefields furing my time in the military... ive never managed the french dutch and belgium ones.... i hope to do next year on my new chariot... great write up..good memories

Dusty
 
A great report. I too have visited these sites... I was staying with my family at a Centerparcs in the Netherlands when I realised Arnhem was not far away.

I spent a few hours in the Airborne Museum and reading the inscriptions on the war graves. The oldest soldier buried there that I could find was aged 30. The majority were boys still in their teens.

I too wept in remembrance of those brave lads, who died that I and my family might live in peace.
 
brill write up, would love to go back to arnhem, pulled 2 pack howitzers from osnabruck to arnhem people were fantastic, and remeberance in the grave yard by the locals with the children placing flowers on the graves really tests the old tear sacs, the museum is well worth the visit, the locals bent over backwards for us, thanks for evoking lovely memories
 


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