Monument

Monument Opdat Wij Niet Vergeten (Lest we forget)

The Netherlands

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This monument commemorates the more than 500 civilians and soldiers who were killed during the Second World War around Gendringen and Wisch, the current municipality of Oude IJsselstreek. Their names and stories can be read on a smartphone through the information pillar at the monument. The monument was unveiled on 6 May 2022 in Gedenk- en Wandelpark 't Olde Kerkhof te Gendringen.

The monument consists of a large rectangular plate (3 x 4 metres) of Corten steel which has been perforated in a special way. This has resulted in a view of the Main Street in Gendringen at the time of the war, with an image of a Canadian soldier and a Lancaster bomber in the foreground.

The information that can be obtained through the information pillar is based on the book Opdat Wij Niet Vergeten (Lest we forget). This book contains the more than 500 names of civilians who were killed by acts of war and of Dutch, Canadian, English, American, Irish, Australian, New-Zealand and German soldiers who were killed in action. Many flight crews, 46 civilians who were shot by firing squads and 30 civilians who were killed in the labour camps of Rees, just across the border, are among the victims.