Princess Royal speaking to the Battle of Arnhem veteran.
Credit: Ben Birchall
80 years after thousands of Allied airborne troops entered a Nazi-occupied Netherlands, their descendants paid respects to the bravery of soldiers who had made vigorous efforts to end the Second World War.
80 Years since the Battle of Arnhem
September 21 marked the 80th anniversary of a laborious but failed operation to eliminate German Nazism. Today, Operation Market Garden continues to be remembered for the bravery of the Allied soldiers who had the courage to fight against German forces in 1944. In the Netherlands, events are taking place on the 21st to mark the significance of the efforts to end the Second World War; the Battle of Arnhem was one of the most strenuous and ambitious initiatives in resistance to the Nazis.
Modern-day paratroopers from NATO members, including the UK, the US, Portugal and Spain parachuted from 12 aircrafts into Ginkel Heath; a nature reserve near Ede, the Netherlands on Saturday, September 21. At least 700 paratroopers, including the British Army´s Red Devils, recreated the fearless jump of the past soldiers.
The Dutch King Willem Alexander joined the procession, honouring the veterans and laying a wreath to the passed and The Princess Royal, on behalf of King Charles III spoke to the veterans of the Second World War. Further events are anticipated in remembrance of Operation Market Garden on Sunday, September 22. In 1944. although the operation succeeded in capturing Eindhoven and Nijmegen cities, it failed to secure the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem, leading to the modern phrase, “a bridge too far.”
More than 8,000 British soldiers were killed, missing, or captured at the time. Today, crowds gathered to pay their respects to the deceased and to espouse that a catastrophe like that of the Second World War, is never to be repeated.
Remembering the fallen at the Battle of Arnhem
Pte Henry Moon from North Yorkshire and Lt Dermod Anderson from South Africa were ones of many who had lost their lives in the fight against Nazism. 80 years after their deaths, the two soldiers were laid to rest with full military honours, surrounded by hundreds of families at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission´s Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
With military rifle salutes and wreath-laying, the gathered paid their respects to the soldiers who had been part of the airborne offensive aimed to secure the crossings over the Rhine. The Minister for Veterans and Personnel Al Carns said to the Press that “the burial of two World War Two soldiers in Arnhem this week reminds us of the price paid to restore peace to western Europe.”
Pte Moon´s great nephew David Snowdon, who gave a reading during the service confessed; “We were just expecting a very small number of individuals but there were hundreds…” He shared that he knew little about his relative, for, it was a touching topic for his family, as he was “only 21 years old” when he lost his life in Arnhem. “I am very proud of his bravery as it must have been terrifying,” emphasised Snowdon.
The Minister of Defence Tracey Bowers added that it was a “privilege to identify these fallen soldiers and to give them the dignified burials they deserve while offering closure to their families,” using the occasion to foster international relationships and the global striving for peace.
