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As a huge fan of @friendschurches, I try and take a leaf from their book, so to speak, taking you to a favorite hide-out of ancient Dutch history. This is arguably the Netherlands' oldest church, in Oosterbeek (10th C., at least).
I often cycle there, always a delight when this house of prayer is open. Memories, of #MarketGarden, the operation meant to be Montgomery's masterstroke. It wasn't; Polish & British paratroopers and citizens paid the price for his mistakes. In a private garden, Pegasus rises ...
... in the reflection of the water, where it falls. A moving monument, commemorating the 58 brave young lads who died here; the white house was a battlefield hospital. Kate ter Horst, the 'Angel of Arnhem', helped taking care of 300 wounded men. Her daughter still lives there.
She told me one day, while gardening, she remembers the German Kommandant, the cellars being full of the wounded allied soldiers; the 58 dead got a temporary grave in these gardens. They were reburied after the war on Oosterbeek Comm. War Graves' Cemetery.
The #airborne, september '44 and the botched #MarketGarden operation is an inseparable part of regional memory & traditions, and Oosterbeek church is almost a shrine to their sacrifice in the liberation of the Netherlands. The partly destroyed church is beautifully restored now.
It is lovely situated on the northern bank of the Rhine and a good starting point for a walk through the fields flanking the river, wide views and other delights, this willowy couple sprouting forth year after year in springtime among them.
To complete your tour, you might consider crossing to the other shore and catch up on the often neglected Polish liberators as well. As the British had Kate as their angel, the Polish had Cora, Cora Baltussen. In Driel catholic church there's a lovely, free exhibition on this.
Both sides of the Rhine have villages with wartime stories kept safe, honoured and treasured. When these present times get to you, remember theirs. This quote, by Cora Baltussen, is one to never forget and to ruminate on every year, when the leaves start falling again. / The End.
This eyewitness account by private Charlton of what happened in '44 around Oosterbeek church is nailing it. When you visit us, make sure to buy it, e.g. in Arnhem Eusebius church (visited last year by HRH Prince Charles, who financially supports its restoration). #marketgarden75
