Dutch war graves in Europe

Dutch war graves in Europe

The war in Europe After the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, the Netherlands hoped to maintain their neutral status, just like they did during the First World War. But in the early morning of 10 May 1940, German troops crossed the border.

Many Dutch soldiers were killed while defending their country against the German invasion. However, the Netherlands signed the documents of surrender on May 15, marking the beginning of a five-year-long occupation. The German persecution of Jews, Roma and Sinti, and Jehovah’s Witnesses led to over 100,000 deaths. Dutch forced labourers perished due to the horrid conditions in which they were forced to work, or in allied bombings. Other compatriots paid the ultimate price for resisting the German occupation; this includes those who continued their fight from England or joined the merchant navy. For them, the liberation of the Netherlands on 5 May 1945 come too late.

Orry-la-Ville War Cemetery

Dutch war cemeteries in Europe

Nearly 9,000 Dutch casualties of war are buried in one of the thirteen

Dutch war cemeteries in Europe. These war cemeteries can be found in

Austria, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway. Almost all victims were killed during the Second World War, with the exception

of the casualties of later conflicts and peacekeeping operations who were buried in National War Cemetery Loenen. At the cemeteries, one can also

find memorials and books of remembrance that commemorate the victims who have no known grave, who were buried in mass graves, or who

were not transferred to one of the war cemeteries for another reason.

In addition, Dutch casualties of war are buried in local cemeteries in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.

Germany

In seven Dutch war cemeteries in Germany, we find the graves of Dutch

casualties of war who either perished in concentration camps, as a result

of the ‘Arbeitseinsatz’ (forced labour), or through other causes. Those who have no known grave are commemorated on memorials on site.

Bremen War Cemetery Bremen War Cemetery is the central burial site and place of remembrance for compatriots who lost their lives in Bremen or its vicinity. It is located at the Osterholzer Friedhof. The cemetery consists of 170 graves. A huge

central memorial stone lists the names of 63 casualties of war who were laid to rest in mass graves, or buried elsewhere.

Osterholzer Heerstrasse 32-34, Bremen-Osterholz

Bremen War Cemetery

Düsseldorf War Cemetery

Düsseldorf War Cemetery Düsseldorf War Cemetery consists of 1,230 graves. On a porch, we also find

four memorial stones listing another 483 Dutch casualties of war. A column was erected to commemorate those who died in the death camps or con-

centration camps of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Grosz-Rosen, Lublin, Mittelbau, Ravensbrück, Sachsenhausen, Sobibor, Stutthof, Treblinka, and Warsaw.

Bittweg 60, Düsseldorf-Oberbilk

Frankfurt am Main War Cemetery The Frankfurt am Main War Cemetery consists of 756 graves. A stone

triptych lists the names of 242 victims whose final resting place remains unknown. The bronze sculpture of ‘The Falling Man’ commemorates the

Dutch victims of the Dachau, Flossenburg, and Natzweiler concentration camps through an inscription on its pedestal. Another noteworthy feature is the lime tree. It sprouted from the lime tree in Dillenburg under which Prince William of Orange received the Dutch envoys in 1568.

Burgenlandweg 10, Frankfurt-Oberrad

Frankfurt am Main War Cemetery

Hamburg War Cemetery At Hamburg War Cemetery, 350 Dutchmen found their final resting place.

On the porch, we find three memorial stones engraved with the names

of 99 other Dutch casualties of war. An inscription on the pedestal of the bronze sculpture of ‘The Fallen Man’ commemorates those who died in the Neuengamme concentration camp.

Fuhlsbüttelerstrasse 756, Hamburg-Ohlsdorf

Hamburg War Cemetery

Hannover War Cemetery

Hannover War Cemetery 417 Dutch casualties of war rest at the Hannover War Cemetery. The names of another 108 compatriots are engraved on a stone triptych. The bronze sculpture of ‘The Falling Man’ commemorates those who died in the

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp through an inscription on its pedestal.

Garkenburgstrasse 43, Hannover

Lübeck War Cemetery Lübeck War Cemetery is the location of 250 Dutch war graves. A stone triptych lists the names of 242 Dutch casualties of war.

The gifted linguist Willy Dols is buried at this war cemetery. A cruel and fatal twist of fate led to his arrest during a razzia in Putten, the Netherlands.

Via camps in Amersfoort and Neuengamme, Willy eventually arrived at a labour camp in Husum near the Danish border. In this camp, prisoners were forced to work on the fortifications. For days, they worked while standing waist-high in the cold water. The harsh work combined with exhausting marches, a lack of decent food, and degrading circumstances demanded its toll and Willy succumbed on 5 November 1944. His dissertation was posthumously published in 1953. (Source: willydolsstichting.nl) Friedhofsallee 146, Lübeck-Vorwerk

Lübeck War Cemetery

Osnabrück War Cemetery

Osnabrück War Cemetery The Dutch war cemetery at Osnabrück was consecrated on 25 August 1954 and is the final resting place of 393 Dutchmen who perished in western

Lower Saxony in Germany. At the centre of this cemetery is a commemorative triptych listing the names of another 140 Dutch casualties of war.

Rheiner Landstrasse 168, Osnabrück-Westerberg

France

Orry-la-Ville War Cemetery The Dutch War Cemetery of Orry-la-Ville near Paris is the final resting

place of 114 Dutchmen who perished in France during the Second World

War. Three commemorative plaques, located in an honorary porch, display the names of 108 Dutch victims who have no known graves. Two of these plaques are dedicated to the soldiers who died during the bombing of

the SS Pavon near Dunkirk in 1940. The third plaque displays the names

of Dutch resistance fighters stationed in France, as well as the names of those who died in France on their way to England to contribute to the

war effort from there. It was gifted by the former resistance movement ‘Union Patriotique Néerlandaise’.

Wim Kuijpers is such an England Farer.

In May 1942, the 25-year-old embarked upon an uncertain future, carrying only some bread and no documents. He wandered through Switzerland, France, Spain, Curaçao, and Canada before eventually reaching England. Here, he finished his training as an aircraft machine gunner. At the end of December 1943, he embarked upon his first operational flight. In a bomber of the 320 Squadron based in England, Wim successfully bombed enemy targets in the north of France. Three months later, in March 1944, disaster struck as his plane was hit by the Germans. Wim was just 26 years old.

Route Nationale nr. 17, Orry-la-Ville

Orry-la-Ville War Cemetery

The Netherlands

National War Cemetery Loenen National War Cemetery Loenen (Nationaal Ereveld Loenen) is a unique

cemetery. It is the final resting place of nearly 4,000 men, women, and children. They lost their lives during the Second World War, in any of the other violent conflicts after, or recent peacekeeping operations.

The graves are not aligned but lie along winding paths through the

forest. At the cemetery, seven white crosses commemorate the 25,000

casualties of war who are buried in one of the seven Dutch war cemete-

ries on Java in Indonesia. They died there during the Second World War or during the Indonesian War of Independence. The chapel houses 42 books of remembrance, which list the names of over 130,000 Dutch casualties of war who have no known grave.

In one of these books we find the name of Lotte Adler. Lotte and her little sister Henny lived in the former Jewish orphanage in Leiden. The two of them fled from Germany without their mother. She was in the United States, desperately trying to arrange a safe passage for her daughters. The evercaring Lotte looked after her little sister and the other children in the orphanage and wanted to become a reception teacher. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be: Lotte, Henny, and 49 other children were all deported to Sobibor, where they lost their lives.

Groenendaalseweg 64, Loenen

National War Cemetery Loenen

Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg

Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg near Rhenen was the first war cemetery in the Netherlands. It is the final resting place of over 400 Dutch soldiers

who died in May 1940 while defending the southern part of the Grebbe Line (Grebbelinie). They were buried in the grounds they so fiercely defended.

After the capitulation, both Dutch and German victims were buried at this site. However, after the war, a decision was made to move the German

soldiers to the German War Cemetery in Ysselsteyn, also in the Netherlands.

As of 1946, Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg is the designated place for

reburying Dutch soldiers who died in May 1940, but were originally laid to rest elsewhere. The war cemetery now counts over 850 graves.

Grebbeweg 123, Rhenen

Norway

Oslo War Cemetery At this war cemetery, we find the graves of 23 Dutch casualties of war, who

died in Norway or Sweden. Among them were sailors of the Royal Navy and seafarers of the merchant navy. Many other victims were evacuated from

the Ravensbrück and Neuengamme concentration camps and brought to Sweden in white-painted buses by the Swedish Red Cross.

One of them is Bernard Schoonbeek, who was

rescued from Neuengamme. Upon arrival in Sweden, he wrote to his wife and son: “Dear Jo and Afko, with the greatest pleasure, I’m telling you that I made

it to Sweden safely… Keep courage, everything will

be alright. The worst has passed.” Unfortunately, it

was not meant to be. Just two weeks later, Bernard

succumbed to typhus. He was eventually brought to Oslo War Cemetery for reburial.

Sørkedalsveien 66, Oslo

Oslo War Cemetery

Austria

Salzburg War Cemetery The war cemetery in Salzburg is the final resting place of 87 Dutchmen

who perished in Austria and former Czechoslovakia. It has two commemorative stones with the names of another 54 casualties of war.

Most of the victims buried here were prisoners of war who were put

to work in Brüx (present-day Most in the Czech Republic), to synthesize synthetic gasoline from charcoal. Some died of diseases, though most were killed in allied bombings on 12 May 1944 and 5 March 1945.

Gneiser Strasse 8, Salzburg

Salzburg War Cemetery

Mill Hill War Cemetery

The United Kingdom

Mill Hill War Cemetery At Mill Hill in London, we find the graves of 254 Dutchmen. Two

commemorative stones list another 185 casualties of war, who were

buried elsewhere in the United Kingdom and could not be brought to this cemetery for reburial.

Among the victims are Dutch soldiers. The Dutch armed forces had been decommissioned by the German occupier. So, a lot of Dutch soldiers fled to Great Britain where Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Government had gone into exile. In the UK, they joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) as

pilots, enlisted with the Royal Navy, or joined the Princess Irene Brigade.

Civilians made the crossing as well. They were subsequently trained to

either become soldiers, or to join the secret service where they took part in numerous resistance missions that were directed from England.

Those who did not survive the training were also buried at Mill Hill.

Most victims are under the age of 35.

Milespit Hill, Londen

Visiting the war cemeteries

The National War Cemetery Loenen and Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg can be visited from 9 o’clock in the morning till 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

The Dutch war cemeteries in other European countries may have different opening hours, which can be found on our website.

At each war cemetery, background information about the cemetery and a burial register can be found. All grave locations are also listed on our

website. Nevertheless, our employees are happy to help with locating a

specific grave. You may always contact the foundation should you require extra assistance.

Once a year, relatives of Dutch compatriots who lost their lives in German imprisonment, may travel by train from the Netherlands to the Dutch

war cemeteries in Germany or Salzburg in Austria to visit their loved one’s grave or the memorial on which their relative is commemorated free of

charge. More information, in Dutch, can be found on our website under the heading ‘service’, or feel free to contact us.

Wreath and flower laying

A flower on a grave is a beautiful symbol and leaves the powerful message: ‘you’re not forgotten’. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to visit a grave in person, especially when it is located abroad. The Netherlands War

Graves Foundation has a flower and wreath laying service for the Dutch war cemeteries in Germany, Indonesia, and the Netherlands. You can

order flowers and wreaths on our website (only available in Dutch) or by reaching out to us directly.

Düsseldorf War Cemetery

Mill Hill War Cemetery

About the Netherlands War Graves Foundation

The Netherlands War Graves Foundation has registered approximately

180, 000 casualties of war. They have all perished in armed conflicts as of

9 May 1940, the beginning of the Second World War. Each have their own stories; some intriguing, others short and simple. The Netherlands War Graves Foundation wishes to keep the memory of these people alive.

Not just for the present generation but for all generations to come. This is

done by collecting and sharing their stories, by registering and saying their names, and by maintaining the approximately 50,000 Dutch war graves,

which can be found anywhere in the world. For more information, please see our website www.oorlogsgravenstichting.nl

Support us

Are you supportive of our cause? Please consider supporting Friends of

the Netherlands War Graves Foundation (Vrienden van de Oorlogsgravenstichting). An annual donation will support numerous projects of our foundation. The QR-code can be

scanned to access the page to register as a supporter.

Alternatively, you can visit our website:

www.oorlogsgravenstichting.nl/word-donateur.

One-time gift

A one-time gift is also much appreciated. If you have a Dutch bank account, this can easily be done by using

“Tikkie”, which can be accessed by scanning the QR-code.

Donations can also be made by credit card through our website: www.oorlogsgravenstichting.nl/doneer

All the information on our website is in Dutch. So, if you would like to contribute to our work but are in need of help, do not hestitate to contact us.

National War Cemetery Loenen

Contact The Netherlands War Graves Foundation Zeestraat 85

2518 AA Den Haag P.O. Box 85981

2508 CR Den Haag The Netherlands

Telephone: +31 (0)70 313 10 80 info@ogs.nl

www.oorlogsgravenstichting.nl ING IBAN: NL98INGB0000401000

ABN AMRO IBAN: NL53ABNA0246244097

Follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/oorlogsgravenstichting oorlogsgravenstichting_nl

Photography by Julian Artner, Johan Bergsma, Susannah Fields, Rob Gieling, and Bart Koetsier

Chamber of commerce Haaglanden 41149180