Hotel Dreyeroord

Hotel Dreyeroord was the hotel of De Sluys family. On Tuesday September 19^th, the hotel became the headquarters of the 7^th Kings Own Scottish Borderers, after they had retreated from the area north of the station. They called the hotel ‘The White House’. On Wednesday, the German forces started to attack Hotel Dreyeroord. It started with shootings and resulted in a targeted attack on Thursday September 21^st, the so-called Battle of the White House.  

A company of German soldiers entered the gardens of the hotel. Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Payton-Reid called upon the retreating men to fix their bayonets and to launch the counter attack. The battle only lasted for one hour but resulted in heavy casualties. Half of the 270 men who defended Hotel Dreyeoord were wounded or died in combat. With the remaining forces it was impossible to defend the hotel and therefore General Urquhart decided to retreat his troops from the most Northern part of the perimeter.  

Because of the battles in the Northern part of Oosterbeek, many civilians were looking for a safe shelter. Familie De Sluys and a lot of their neighbors were looking for safety in the cellar of Hotel Dreyeroord. Even during the ‘Battle of the White House’, they stayed in the cellar. After the Allied forces left Hotel Dreyeroord, the civilians had to leave as well.  

At this location you can find the Memorial Dreyeroord or you can listen to the LRE audiospot “Hotel Dreyeroord”.