Day 25 - Sept 21, 2017: On the Scheldt

Day 25 - Sept 21, 2017:  On the Scheldt

Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery



Burials: 1115;  Canadians; 964;  Unidentified: 0
There are approximately 100 Calgary Highlanders buried here  Which one of these fellows did our Grandpa chum around with in his three years with regiment. These were boys that were involved with the Battle of the Scheldt and the battles leading up to it from September to November 1943

I have been taking hundreds of pictures of headstones...some have captions of sheer grief, some because of age, some because of significant awards being bestowed upon them, some because of them spiritual convictions, some because they have moved me for some reason I cannot explain, etc. Every headstone tells a story. Everyone speaks of struggle and pain, grief and loss and moreover, what could have been. That is what makes it so sad when the grave marker is of an unidentified soldier. His story doesn't ever get to be told... his family doesn't ever get closure.



Here we have R.D. Uloth - what is your story? You have left us with many questions...

Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery



Burials: 1296, Canadians:  45; Unidentified:  13
The Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery is right next to the Canadian version. That said, as with all others, they are completely different in design. Both are incredibly well maintained - that goes without saying.

Museum at Lewedorp
The military museum at Lewedorp has some incredible displays inside and out. Outside they have a Sherman tank in incredible condition, a 25 pounder artillery howitzeroutside the main door and a Bailey bridge built by the Netherlands Armed Forces Engineers. There we were also able to get instructions to the elusive Walcheran Causeway Memorials.



Walcheran Causeway Memorials

We did locate the Walcheran Causeway memorials. A lady that works at the museum in *** told us that it was the Canadians who cleared the Scheldt Estuary and opened the shipping lines to Antwerp that changed the course of the war. The Germans had flooded the lowlands creating two distinct islands - the Walcheran and Beveland Islands that were connected by a 1000 meter long and 45 meter wide causeway that held a roadway and a train line. The Germans blew a ditch across it to make the causeway impassable then concentrated their artillery, 88's and machine guns on the area. Any soldier or military equipment was in the Germans' open line of fire. The Walcheran Causeway was the Calgary Highlanders biggest and most successful battle of the 2nd World War. The Military Museums had a great diarama that displays the causeway.



Standing there it is hard to pictures the flooding farmland, the 45m x 1000m causeway being bombarded.

Comments

  1. Unknown4 November 2017 at 21:07

    The headstones captivated me as well. I have so many pictures, too. But most of all questions and wondering just who the individual really was...the face behind the stone and the story. So true, Tanner.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown6 November 2017 at 09:55

    Thank you for following Deanna and thank you for your comment. I really could have took pictures of every headstone. It is so moving. I'm so touched by how many local residents pay their respects to our fallen soldiers as well. I am sure you found the same with the New Zealand servicemen as well.
    There is a group attempting to put faces to the names at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. Their website is www.facestograves.nl/. I have added the link to a short video to the page on Day 26.

    ReplyDelete

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