Day 26 - Sept 22, 2017 - Arnhem and Area

Day 26 - Sept 22, 2017:  To Arnhem and Area

Editors Note: Photos and edits to come

Today we made our way to Arnhem. After the battles at the Schelt Estuary the boys were stationed in this area near Nijmegen. The Canadians had to wait for supplies. Although the port of Antwerp was opened, the supplies went to support other Allied forces who had completed bitter battles, endured the coldest winter on record and suppressed the final German military offensive in the Ardennes.

Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery/ Groesbeek War Memorial

Burials: 2617,  Canadians:  2338

Those laid to rest in the cemetery are the result of casualties of the NorthWest Europe campaign from the crossing of the Seine River in August 1944 to the end of the war. It was humbling as there were a great number of Canadians laid to rest here - the most we had seen up to this point - including a Victoria Cross recipient.



Sgt Aubrey Cosens,VC from Latchford, Ontario.

Aubrey's heroic story can be found at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_Cosens


Check out the following webpage on the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Faces to Grave website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndbwUtDEmbo&feature=player_embedded


Groesbeek War Memorial Monument

The Groesbeek War Memorial Monument consists of two covered memorials that sit on both sides of the cemetery entrance. The memorials contains the names of an additional 1062 Commonwealth soldiers including 103 Canadians who were killed in the same time period but have no known grave.

Tarcisiusschool Class Visit

I had the privilege to meet two school teachers Frans Peters and Lobke Elbers and their class of ten students aged nine to eleven that had come to the cemetery on a field trip. They came to honour all the soldiers buried there but in particular a fallen member of the New Zealand Airforce.


The teachers had the students come say hello and converse a bit in English. Frans explained to them how our Grandpa was one of the many Canadian soldiers that came to liberate their country during World War II.


I showed them a loonie I carry with me with Terry Fox on it. I explained to them who Terry Fox was and what he had accomplished. They were quite fascinated and after a photo op with the class, they were off back to school.


Frans informed me that every year near Christmas the children come to tend to the graves and prepare them for Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve several hundred children and adults attend the cemetery and light a candle at the base of each of the 2617 grave markers. Frans is one of the volunteers. He showed me a picture of the scene that was absolutely breathtaking!  Check out the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzxvMgEzRvw&feature=youtu.be

What a great visit!

Ysselsteyn German Cemetery

"The soldiers graves are the best preacher for peace..." Albert Schweitzer 

We then visited the Ysselsteyn German Cemetery. It contains over 31,000 graves on 82 acres of land of members of the German forces and those of other countries that fought with them. At a Stampeders game with attendance off somewhat you may have nearly 31,000 attend. Take a look next time you are at a game to put it all in perspective the number of graves that are here.

As far as the eye can see...
At this point I would like to acknowledge my good friend Mike Magee who had told me previously that his grandma living in Germany at the time of the wars had lost three brothers all in the Gerrnan army who lost their lives fighting the war, As brutal and sinister and evil as some were, not all German soldiers subscribed to Naziism or its teachings. They had a job to do as did our boys.