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The Netherlands

Venray Remembers

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The reluctant heroOn 15 October 1944 his battalion, the 4th battalion of the King’s Own Shropshire Light Infantry advanced towards the Nijmegen – Venlo railway line. The attack became stranded in an orchard close to the target during the afternoon. German machine guns fired continuously while the Shropshires were stranded on open ground. That’s when sergeant George Eardley went into action.In an act of apparent suicide, Eardley stood up. Firing his sten gun and throwing grenades, he succeeded in disabling German machine gun posts three times without any cover. Four of his comrades were injured. His actions earned him the Victoria Cross.The highest awardThe Victoria Cross is Britain’s highest bravery award. It was initiated by Queen Victoria in 1856 and was awarded only 61 times to the British Army during the Second World War, mostly posthumously. Ten were awarded for action in the Netherlands, one of which was Eardley’s battle in North Brabant. However, the medal is not awarded instantly as all superior authorities – right up to the British monarch – have to give their approval.On 2 January 1945 his wife received a telegram informing her that her husband had received the highest military award. Eardley arrived back a few days later and was reunited with his family. He was received like a hero. There were parties in which even film stars appeared. A month later he was handed the Victoria Cross by King George VI, who confided in him that he was happy to be able, finally, to award this medal to a living soldierPost-traumatic stress syndrome?Then something seemed to happen to Eardley’s mind. He started fantasising. He claimed to have captured the highest German military officer on Walcheren, General Daser, which was clearly not true. He also wore the so-called Italy Star although he never served in Italy. His biggest claim was that he had taken General Rommel, the famous Desert Fox, prisoner in Libya but that he had escaped! And all of this without setting foot in Africa.He left the army in 1950. Within a few months he separated from his wife and alienated himself from his three children. He remarried, left Congleton and took a job with Rolls Royce. In a road accident in 1964 his second wife was killed and part of his left leg had to be amputated. When his sons visited him in hospital he told them, ‘It’s fine that you came, but you can leave me alone now.’ Five months later Eardley married for the third time and in the summer of 1991 me moved back to Congleton without telling his children. He died a few months later.A lonely farewellOn 11 September 1991 George Eardley’s children received a telephone call from their aunt. ‘Have you read the death notices in the newspaper?’ The children hadn’t. ‘Your father has died.’ They hadn’t spoken to him for more than 20 years.The church was almost empty for his funeral, a stark contrast to the tumultuous reception in his home town in 1944. Many people in the town could not forget how he had abandoned his family. Two of the sons had in turn forgiven their father. After his death they committed themselves to his remembrance and in 2004 a life-size bronze statue of Eardley was unveiled in Congleton.This story was part of Brabant Remembers, a campaign for 75 years of Freedom in the province of North Brabant.

Leave me alone now

In June 1944 the Allies set the liberation of Europe in motion with the Normandy Landings. The small strip of land between Eindhoven and Arnhem that was liberated during Operation Market Garden was slowly but surely being widened. For more than four years the Second World War more or less passed by the population of Overloon. Of course they often saw German troops in the streets, but there was no question of war violence.When the front reached this village in the Peel region in September 1944, the lives of Overloon’s residents changed radically. The Germans had entrenched themselves in the surroundings &nbsp;to try to stop the Allies. During the first fighting the residents of Overloon –&nbsp; so also Harrie van Daal – were forced to leave their houses and evacuate the village at a moment’s notice.Hell broke loose above Overloon on 12 October 1944 at 11 in the morning. The Allies attacked the German positions with unbelievably severe force – no fewer than 230 heavy artillery – and air raids. Overloon was conquered by the British house by house. On 12 October the last house was in British hands. Overloon was liberated, but there was not much left of the village.When Harrie van Daal returned after the Battle of Overloon, he found total devastation in and around his village. His own back garden had in effect become a second Ypres.Months later Van Daal was walking through the destroyed Overloon woods with all its remnants of the battle. Accompanied by a forest worker he looked at the wrecked tanks and the minefields which had been marked out with white ribbons. They decided there and then that there should be a monument here, possibly a museum, in honour of the fallen and to keep the memory of a terrible war alive.They presented their idea to the mayor and, as was normal in those days, to the local priest. Thirty residents of Overloon each donated 50 guilders – and this at a time when their village was reduced to rubble and when rebuilding needed to get under way.On 25 May 1946 the first museum dedicated to the Second World War in Western Europe opened to the public in Overloon. This was before the village had been completely rebuilt. Van Daal, who shunned publicity, remained the man behind the scenes as secretary to the board of governors. He received many awards for his efforts, including the German Order of Merit.It was Harrie van Daal who was responsible for the famous memorial stone at the entrance to the museum: ‘Stand still for a moment, dear visitor, and remember that the ground you are now standing on was one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the Overloon battlefield. Hand to hand fighting here was bitter. Many young lives who had survived the battlefields of Nettuno and Normandy were lost under these trees.’This story was part of Brabant Remembers, a campaign for 75 years of Freedom in the province of North Brabant.

Overloon, a second Ypres

The Vredeskerk was built with the initiative of chaplain W. Geerits in 1959. The church would be both a monument to peace (in a region that was badly affected by the Second World War) and a functional parish church. Funds were collected worldwide. With the creation of the columns in the forecourt, the church was completed.

Monument at the former Church of Peace

During the crossing of the Loobeek between Overloon and Venray, the British army suffered heavy losses on 15 and 17 October 1944. After a successful advance through northern France and Belgium, the Americans of the 30th infantry 'Old Hickory' had succeeded in liberating most of South Limburg. Then, on 17 September 1944, the Allies wanted to force a push from Belgium to Germany with a large-scale liberation offensive (operation 'Market Garden') by securing bridges in North Brabant and Gelderland with airborne troops in a lightning-fast attack. Three complete divisions were dropped. But the Rhine bridge near Arnhem turned out to be one bridge too many. The British paratroopers were surprised by German armoured troops and had to retreat to the Betuwe after heavy losses.On 19 September 1944, the American advance also stagnated in South Limburg, a few kilometres north of Sittard. The occupier had succeeded in taking position at two bridgeheads created by the Allied advance: one position was located on the west bank of the Maas in North and Central Limburg, and the other included the area between Roermond and Susteren, bordered by the Roer and the Maas (also known as the 'Roer triangle'). The front line now ran right through Limburg. In the following months, a heavy and bloody battle ensued in this area, from which the civilian population suffered greatly.In the vicinity of Venray and Overloon, a reorganised German army was waiting for the Allies. Units that fled from the fronts of Belgium and France were merged with tough paratroopers and fanatical SS men. The occupying forces called this composition the 'Erste Fallschirmarmee' (First Parachute Army). Their general was Kurt Student. His British colleague was named Whistler. He commanded army units with names derived from the English landscape: the Suffolks, the Norfolks, the Easyyorks, the Warwicks and the Lancashires. These opponents fought a gruesome battle in rain and mud in October 1944.On 12 October 1944, the hundreds of British cannons fired 90,000 shells at Overloon and Venray. This was the start of a phase in the Second World War which, after all the attention for the Battle of Arnhem, has been referred to as the 'forgotten battle'. Venray was bombed from the air for days and bombarded with artillery. Even the psychiatric institutions were not spared in this bloody battle. On 17 October 1944, Sister Marie-Godelieve of Saint Servatius urged the British battery commanders by courier to stop the shelling. When the guns were silent, 300 civilians of Venray and Overloon had been killed, the number of casualties on the Allied side ran into the hundreds and the occupier appeared to have lost of large part of that number.

Norfolk Monument

The vast majority of the war dead are German soldiers who had to fulfill their mandatory military service. But also members of the SS and war criminals, Dutch collaborators, foreign volunteers who served with the Wehrmacht as well as a number of civilians, including women and children, were buried in Ysselsteyn.&nbsp;How difficult is it for people to find reconciliation with an enemy? How many generations do you think it takes? One man, Lodewijk Johannes Timmermans, worked here at the cemetery in Ysselsteyn for 28 years despite the wounds he incurred from a German mine in 1945, and became a symbol of unremitting reconciliation between the Netherlands and Germany.Shortly after the WWII, the Americans called for one central location for the burial and reburial of German soldiers. The Dutch government assigned a plot of land in Ysselsteyn, in the province of Limburg. Grave by grave, this plot grew into a striking cemetery where more than 31,500 German soldiers killed during World War II have been given their final resting place. The soldiers were brought here from all over the Netherlands, from Ameland to Maastricht, often without any form of identification. The chaos had left German soldiers looking after their fallen brothers, with little time to identify them or give them an honourable burial. The survivors had other things to worry about, including keeping themselves alive; partly why there are so many grave markers in Ysselsteyn reading ‘Ein unbekannter Soldaat’ (An Unknown Soldier).From 1948 to 1976 when he retired, Captain Lodewijk Johannes Timmermans dedicated his life to identifying these unknown soldiers and giving them an honourable burial. He traced their closest relatives and informed them of his findings and also gave tours of the cemetery. In his work towards reconciliation between the Netherlands and Germany he was unrelenting, all whilst having been blinded for many months by a German landmine.Yet Captain Timmermans did not harbour any feelings of vengeance towards his former enemy. He came from an altruistic family where everyone respected the value of human dignity. Moreover, it had been a German soldier who had looked after for months whilst he was unable to see.'Whether right or wrong, we are all human', Retired Captain Lodewijk Johannes Timmermans&nbsp;Visitor CenterThe visitor center, completed in 2021, is the central entry point for all visitors to the war cemetery. Besides practical information regarding the visit to the cemetery itself, people can also come here with all kinds of questions regarding the war dead lying here.The new multimedia exhibition tells the history of the cemetery and offers the opportunity to discover for yourself the stories behind the crosses. Using various data visualizations, the visitor gets an impressive view of the peculiarities of this cemetery and thus a unique insight into the German side of the Second World War in the Netherlands. In addition, the extensive database can be searched for fallen soldiers and their life stories using various filters. Many consultable photographs, documents and other personal items are linked to these life stories.Rooms are also available in the visitor center for meetings, lectures and presentations that usually take place here as part of our educational projects. The exhibit is free to visit 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe class="video" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wp_8g_K9szw" start="0"></iframe></div>

German War Cemetery 

In September-October 1944, persistent heavy fighting is taking place in several areas along the Dutch-German border. Similarly around Overloon and Venray. For days, British forces under General Whistler are involved in a determined fierce battle to initially liberate Overloon.&#13;
On October the 14th, the resistance is finally broken and General Whistler‘s tanks and troops can head from Overloon towards Venray. The Germans can still observe Allied troop movements from the Venray church tower, relaying the information on time to their smoke mortar and artillery units. In turn, they continue to fire on the British. The area between the two villages consists of swampy meadows, streams that have burst their banks due to heavy rain and densely forested areas. Not easy terrain for the extremely heavy Sherman and Churchill tanks.&#13;
The Germans have blown up the bridges over the Loobeek, on the road from Overloon to Venray and Merselo Venray. Moreover, they have laid countless mines. The vast minefields present a major obstacle that can only be overcome by using so-called flail tanks. With their steel flails, these tanks literally beat a path through the meadows. While every metre is being fought for on the ground, Venray is also hit hard from the air. The St. Petrus Banden Church tower becomes the target of combined attacks by British Typhoon fighter-bombers and field artillery. The tower, known as the Watchman over the Peel, must be put out of action in any way possible. Only on Wednesday October 18th, can the first British tanks enter a heavily damaged Venray. There is little left of the ‘The Watchman over the Peel’.&#13;
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The Watchman over the Peel

During the Second World War, Overloon and the surrounding area was the scene of a major battle. When the Allies could not take the bridge at Arnhem, they looked for another route to invade Germany. It resulted in a tank battle at Overloon. After the 7th U.S. Armoured Division had failed, due to fierce German resistance, the British 11th Armoured Division and the 3rd Infantry Division took over.On October 12 1944, the British almost wiped Overloon from the map with concentrated shellfire. They attacked from the woods at Stevensbeek and opened fire with more than 200 guns, which were drawn up at St. Anthonis, Oploo, Stevensbeek and De Rips. There then followed house-to-house fighting in the streets of Overloon. Even after Overloon was taken, the battle was not yet over. There was still fierce fighting in the woods. The fighting was so fierce at Loobeek, the stream became known as the "blood stream". On Wednesday October 18th, the Allies liberated Venray. The Battle of Overloon had been won.Tourist information Museumpark 1 (Overloon). GPS code: 51° 34' 12.8634"N 5° 57' 12.42"O

The Battle of Overloon

War belongs in the museum. That is the motto of the War Museum Overloon. In the museum, the history of the Second World War is presented. Here, you will see how it came to be that, over a period of just five years, more than fifty million people lost their lives. But also how the oppressed population managed to cope very resourcefully with the restrictions and shortages. Attention is paid to the resistance in the time of occupation, and also to nature of the persecution. And finally, of course, to Liberation, with special attention to the Battle at Overloon.

War belongs in the museum. That is the motto of the Dutch National War and Resistance Museum, which is one of two theme museums in Liberty Park. In the National War and Resistance Museum, the history of the Second World War is presented.

Here, you will see how it came to be that, over a period of just five years, more than fifty million people lost their lives. But also how the oppressed population managed to cope very resourcefully with the restrictions and shortages. Attention is paid to the resistance in the time of occupation, and also to nature of the persecution. And finally, of course, to Liberation, with special attention to the Battle at Overloon.

War Museum Overloon

All but one of 280 the graves (one Dutch grave) on this cemetery belong to British soldiers. 265 of them were soldiers 14 of them were airmen. Most of the soldiers lying here died in the fighting that took place in this area between October and November 1944.

British War Cemetery Overloon

Most of the 692 soldiers buried at the Venray War Cemetery died near Venray during the Battle of Overloon, which was part of Operation Aintree. On the site there are 628 British, 22 Canadian, 5 New Zealand, 4 Australian, 1 Polish and 30 unidentified graves. There is also a war correspondent buried. In 2020 Stichting Adoptiegraven CWGC Venray War Cemetery (Adopting Graves CWGV Venray War Cemetery Foundation) was founded. This foundation gives interested parties the possibility to adopt a grave on the graveyard, to make sure the soldiers and their stories will not be forgotten.

Venray War Cemetery is a Commonwealth war grave in Venray. 692 soldiers who died during the period from October 1944 to March 1945 are buried here. Venray was liberated by Allied troops in the middle of October 1944.

Most of the 692 soldiers buried at the Venray War Cemetery died near Venray during the Battle of Overloon, which was part of Operation Aintree. On the site there are 628 British, 22 Canadian, 5 New Zealand, 4 Australian, 1 Polish and 30 unidentified graves. There is also a war correspondent buried.

In 2020 Stichting Adoptiegraven CWGC Venray War Cemetery (Adopting Graves CWGV Venray War Cemetery Foundation) was founded. This foundation gives interested parties the possibility to adopt a grave on the graveyard, to make sure the soldiers and their stories will not be forgotten.