War Sites
There were a couple of places we went to just to see the cemeteries. Because this would be really short, I thought I would put these all on one page. Scroll down to see everything or use these links to jump to where you want to go.
First, a little bit about the cemeteries. The first paragraph is from a travel guide I bought in Ypres, Belgium:
“The Style of British Commonwealth cemeteries is identical everywhere. By April 1915 it was decided that the fallen soldiers would not be repatriated and that they had to be buried close to the spot where they had fallen. Every fallen soldier was treated equally, without distinction of rank or estate. Therefore the identical tombstones, hewed out of white Portland stone, bearing the sign of their regiment, a religious symbol (cross or Star of David), the name of the fallen soldier and a caption according to the wishes of the relatives. The tombstones of the non-identified soldiers were inscribed “Known Unto God”. On every cemetery there is a big stone cross with a bronze sword: the “Cross of Sacrifice”. Usually there is a big stone altar too: the “Stone of Remembrance” with the text “Their name liveth for ever more” chosen by Rudyard Kipling, Nobel Prize winner and author of the Jungle Book, whose only son went missing in the battle near Loos in France”.
This means that there are many cemeteries scattered across Europe – one or more near almost every battle. Some may have less than a hundred graves; others will have thousands. The cemeteries are for citizens of the commonwealth as well as those who served in British regiments (there are quite a few Polish graves). The white tombstones are basically all the same shape with only very minor differences. Interestingly, there are a couple of these tombstones around where I live here in Canada. These are soldiers who died shortly after returning home from the wounds they received in battle.
Smaller sites have a small, stone/brick wall near the gate. Larger ones may have a stone/brick structure with beams but no walls that has benches and information about the battle. In either of these places you will find a guest book (sign it!) and an index and map of all buried there. Large cemeteries often have names of the fallen who are known to be buried in the area or whose bodies were never recovered. This could be found engraved in the previously mentioned structures or in additional ones.
Other countries have cemeteries of course. French ones are laid out in much the same manner as the British ones, but are less numerous and use brown wooden crosses with small brass plates for info as grave markers. Many Americans were repatriated; the bodies remaining in Europe were brought together in a few very large cemeteries. I only visited one, at
GROESBEEK, THE NETHERLANDS
LINKS:Commonwealth War Graves Commsion; The Netherlands; Groesbeek, The Netherlands (site in Dutch); The Memorial
This Beautiful cemetery is the main focus for Remembrance Day ceremonies among the Canadian communities in Europe.
MONSCHAU, GERMANY
There isn’t really a lot here. What is interesting, however, is the fact that the tank traps that were used to try and keep the Germans out of Belgium can still be seen near here, along the old border (not much different from the new border).
NIJMEGEN, THE NETHERLANDS
LINKS:Commonwealth War Graves Commsion; The Netherlands; Nijmegen
Every year there is the Nijmegen Victory March. This is a multi day event, with two goals:
1. to promote active living - anyone can join the March at any point.
2. to celebrate the liberation of The Netherlands. The March follows the route used by the allies in the liberation of the country. Soldiers from all over the world - including Germany - train and send troops to this March. They do the entire march in full gear and packs. The one I attended, the most teams seemed to come from Canada (to the most applause!) and the British (also a lot of applause). The March for the soldiers finishes in a small field - where most of the crowd of spectators is gathered - for refreshments and first aid. Children like to meet many of them and often receive gifts (patches, flags, pins). I attended as part of a group from a military base. We were each given a bag of small Canadian flag pins to hand out. Once you give one to one child, suddenly you are surrounded by many and they only leave when there's nothing left to give! A very intersting experience all around.
Arnhem - The Netherlands
26 June 1999
Operation Market Garden - The Battle of Arnhem - immortalized by the Great movie "A Bridge Too Far". This was a great trip. The museum was very informative, with many dioramas and other interesting displays. In front of the museum is a tank and a plaque 'to the people of Gelderland' from the British and other allies - an apology for causing so much destruction. Out back is a lovely garden leading to a public footpath. Further in town is the famous bridge and across from it a small memorial park.
drive out of town on a lovely country road, you will come to the field where the airborne soldiers were dropped. You will find a memorial to those men, as well as a Commonwealth War Cemetary.
Ft. Breendonck - Belgium
11 September 1999
We spent most of this day at Ft. Breendonck, a Nazi waiting camp in Belgium that was designed to receive prisoners before their transfer to Germany. This is one of the camps least changed since the war. One can still view the barracks and cells, the 'interrogation room' (i.e. Torture Chamber), and more. There are audio-visual aids at various points around the fort. The original firing posts & gallows, used for executing prisoners, can still be seen, strewn with wreaths in remembrance. Finally you visit the shrine where you will see urns containing the ashes of prisoners from various other camps. Also in the room is a fragment of a Jewish Book of Law, found among human ashes at Birkenau and more. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of a camp left completely intact.
Vimy Ridge - France
3 August 1998
We got to the town of Vimy and then to the memorial site, staffed mainly by Canadian students. First we went to the visitors centre, where we perused the displays. If you're Canadian and tell the people working there you get a book published by the Canadian government about the battle and site. After that, we walked to the Memorial, a huge, wonderful piece of art. On the far side, overlooking the town, there are wreaths laid down from the Royal Canadian Legion. You can walk up a flight of stairs on the monument and walk around it, getting a better look at all the statues and carvings.
There are 'craters' all over the ground, where shells exploded, and in the wooded areas are signs telling you to keep out because there are still unexploded bombs buried in the ground. These trees were not around before or during the war. They have been planted to stop erosion from bringing the bombs to the surface. The main traffic areas of the site however, have had all the bombs removed!
A portion of the trenches have remained, but have been reinforced with bricks or stones, and you can walk around in them. If you take a tour of the area, you can also visit the tunnels through which Canadian and allied soldiers brought their supplies. Before leaving, we stopped at the two Commonwealth cemetaries on the site (Canadian Cemetaries Nos. 1 & 2).
