Milsurp After Hours

We do not celebrate Memorial Day every last Monday in May in the Netherlands.

We remember our soldiers who gave their lives on May 4th each year.

May 4th was the last day of the war in 1945 over here.

On May 5th we celebrate Liberation Day.

That doesn’t mean we do not honor the American soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Europe.

Just outside the town of Margraten, in the south of the Netherlands, you can find the only American cemetery.

The ceremony is covered by the media every year.

I found some info and a short movie about the cemetery.

I haven’t found the coverage of the Margraten ceremony 2008 yet.

I’ll keep checking the internet and update the info ASAP.

Some info on the Margraten Military Cemetery

http://www.margraten.nl/margraten?waxtr ... al=english

Short movie of Margraten Cemetery

http://www.margraten.nl/20060912T134506 ... plaats.wmv

Missing Man Formation over Margraten Cemetery.

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=KaBKO92oTjE

Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

Check the movie about Margraten Cemetery about half way this page.

http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/Margraten.htm

I was curious to find out the locations of Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Holland (partly because of my involvement in the War Graves Photographic Project)

Here is a list of them.

ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY Gelderland

BERGEN-OP-ZOOM CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

BERGEN-OP-ZOOM WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

BRUNSSUM WAR CEMETERY Limburg

GROESBEEK CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY Gelderland

HOLTEN CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY Overijssel

JONKERBOS WAR CEMETERY Gelderland

MIERLO WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

MILSBEEK WAR CEMETERY Limburg

MOOK WAR CEMETERY Limburg

NEDERWEERT WAR CEMETERY Limburg

OVERLOON WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

SITTARD WAR CEMETERY Limburg

UDEN WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

VALKENSWAARD WAR CEMETERY Noord-Brabant

VENRAY WAR CEMETERY Limburg

Between them they contain a total of 14,324 Commonwealth graves! This figure does not include other Allied casualties such as French, American, Poles etc. It is ONLY Commonwealth casualties.

When set against the total cost of 2 World Wars it is perhaps not a great figure but every one is one too many for some family and all of them should be remembered - for ever.

Duncan

My Great Uncle fought in Holland for the Canadian Grenadier Gds armoured regt and one year took the salute on the dias at Nijmegen!

He is in a veterans hospital in Montreal now and I hope to see him again soon!