Battlefield Tours Veritable

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20/09/2026

Hass tötet, Liebe versöhnt. (Hatred kills, love reconciles.)
Today, 20 September, a short remembrance service was held in Kranenburg, Germany.

This service usually remembers two American crew members who were killed in cold blood by a German officer. The story has now been expanded after another account was discovered, by the Groesbeek Airborne Vrienden, two crew members from a different American aircraft who were also murdered nearby.

Their photographs are now displayed and their stories are told. This makes the monument even more moving.

The artist who created it, a former German soldier who is now 100 years old, was also at the ceremony. His presence gave the ceremony and this new part of the word in the monument tells even greater meaning.

20/09/2026

Another example of a ceremony that takes place on the spot where history was written is the ceremony at the Royal Engineering Monument at the Rhine d**e in Driel. This to remember the actions by the Field companies of the British and Canadian Royal Engineers that evacuated he airborne troops from the small Oosterbeek perimeters in the night of 25/26th of September.

The ferries their storm boat with their unreliable Evinrude out board engines under fire and relentless till dawn.

The Airborne riders visit the graves of the Canadian Engineers that lost their lives. And they support this ceremony over 13 years now.
3 Chelsy Pensioners attended the service too. They were able to come over due to the volunteers of the Taxi Charity that enable retired soldiers to come over, when they are not able too by standard transport.

It is nice to see that a small event like this is also a moment to ty long lasting bond and creating new ones. We all know why we are here, that makes it easier to actually be their and contemplate about the brave men that were “ …just whisperers and shadows in the night”.

It was a windy event, but Henk Duinhoven would have loved this, the flags waved well.

20/09/2026

The remembrance ceremony at Polenplein in Driel has a long history. Even when the authorities did not recognise the bravery of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade and Major General Sosabowski, the people of Driel continued to fight for their rehabilitation. They never forgot the troops who landed among them and did not receive the recognition they deserved.

The Polish Ambassador stressed this in her speech. Thanks to this persistence, both the Polish Airborne Brigade and Sosabowski were rehabilitated and honoured. For Sosabowski, who was born in what is now Ukraine, this came too late. He died in 1976 after working as a factory worker.

Today, the Polish forces proudly remember the events of 82 years ago. They honour the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives, as well as Major General Sosabowski.

The Dutch Defence Minister, Mrs Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, spoke about the cooperation and connections between countries at that time. Sometimes these connections came together in one soldier, such as Richard Tice. She also linked this to the present day, saying that only unity between countries and armed forces can protect our nations and way of life from powers that oppose our values. Ukraine is only 1,700 km away, and the borders between Poland and Ukraine and with Romania are even closer. War may seem far away, but it is not.

A short story was told about the local football club, RKSV Driel, which was founded in 1945 and wears Poland’s colours, red and white. For this remembrance ceremony, the players shirts showed the Dutch and Polish flags, symbolising the bond between Driel and Poland.

Many wreaths were laid. The first flowers were laid by the Sosabowski family on behalf of their ancestor, Major General Stanisław Sosabowski. Many others followed.

It was a memorable ceremony full of symbolism.

20/09/2026

I attended a very special remembrance ceremony in Kessel, Germany, on the 18th of September. It is always moving to stand at the place where an event happened—in this case, a plane crash—and to hear the story told by descendants of the people who lived on the farm.

A new plaque was unveiled, with information about the plane and their crew members.

The Groesbeek Airborne Vrienden organised a beautiful remembrance ceremony at the Gossens family farm, with music by the Barbarossa Brass Quintet and Choir Néj Héjs.

The colour guard of the 82nd Airborne Division also paid their respects to the fallen crew members of the B-24 Rum Runner.

The local heritage association gave us a very warm welcome.

11/09/2026

Over the past few weeks, I have been riding my bike, which is unusual for me, as you may know. During my rides, I visited a Russian cemetery and a memorial to Russians who were killed.
After the regime invaded Russia, many people were taken prisoner. They included both soldiers and civilians. They were sent to Germany and forced to work. Many were badly treated, starved and made to do hard labour. Many died, and their bodies later disappeared.

Sometimes they are remembered in a small cemetery in Lower Saxony or at a memorial in a forest in the Sauerland. Even in these remote places, the signs show that they have not been forgotten. It is also a sign that says: ‘Follow this way, these people deserve to be remembered too.’

04/08/2026

I have been on the road for the last few days.

During my ride I visited the Hanover War Cemetery. It is one of those special places where not only victims of the Second World War are buried, but also soldiers, staff and family members who lived in the nearby barracks when the UK was helping to keep the peace in Germany. So you see over 3000 grave of soldiers who died in the 1950s, some spouses of those soldiers, and graves of children. It is a reminder that keeping the peace also comes with a price.

What was also special is that on the other side of the cemetery there was a “Mahnmal Ahlem”, a warning monument for the outside camp of Neuengamme. Many forced labourers and Jews died here under horrific circumstances. On the 6th of April, when the camp was about to be liberated, the ** forced the prisoners into another death march. Some who survived this march reached Bergen‑Belsen on the 8th of April. On the 10th of April American troops freed KZ‑Ahlem, but for many it was too late. They had suffered too much and died shortly afterwards.

I have seen this combination of camp and cemetery before. It is very poignant. It reminds us why liberation was so badly needed and what the cost was. It was not only a matter of pride to free Germany from the **‑regime, but also to stop the suffering.

Lest we forget. And we should vote wisely when we can. Simple solutions are often too simple. Democracy, where we live in peace with a fair balance between giving and taking, is not easy, but it is the only real option we have. I have seen the adverts for the upcoming vote in Germany in September. How simple answers and slogans can lead you into a trap, and what the consequences can be, is shown here on this ground in Hanover.

More about the Mahnmal (It is in German, but google can translate it) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/KZ-Au%C3%9Fenlager_Hannover-Ahlem
More about the Hanover War Cemetery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanover_War_Cemetery

27/07/2026

A special and enjoyable ride through an area I rarely visit. The Hürtgen Forest in Germany, the High Fens in Belgium, and the Ostkantons all carry a deeply tragic history.

On Saturday I visited the German War Cemetery at Vossenack. I would have liked to stay longer, but at least I was able to get a first taste of the area — its history, its landscape, and of course the pleasure of riding there.

On Sunday I visited the memorial for the Wereth 11. It had been on my list for a long time, and everything finally came together. It is one of those stories where the brutality of war and the cruelty of an evil regime stand in stark contrast to the bravery and kindness shown by the Langer family. Eleven African-American soldiers were murdered by the ** during a time when segregation in the US Army was still a humiliating reality.

The humanity shown by the Langer family ensured that these men were not forgotten. Today, the memorial honours the eleven soldiers and all other African-Americans who gave some, or gave all.

27/07/2026

On 30 June 2026, I had the privilege of attending the burial service for Private Robert Lock at the Warlencourt war memorial.

Robert was killed on 7 October 1916, when the 12th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, attacked the sunken road near La Sars, on the road between Albert and Bapaume. He was only 20 years old. His body was never recovered, so his name was recorded on the Thiepval Memorial.

In October 2022, a body was found after a farmer had been ploughing his field. Careful research and a final DNA match with a family member proved that the body was Robert Lock.
Robert now rests about a mile from where he died, after being missing for more than a century.

I cannot imagine what it means for a family to have someone missing. It leaves a gap in the family tree and an empty place around the table. Thanks to the good work of many people, that gap has now been closed. Robert is back.

26/04/2026

Preparations for an upcoming battlefield tour. Always nice to take the bike out when the sun is shining.

22/03/2026

A glorious day for a remembrance. 24th of March 81 years ago, operation Varsity took place. Today we went to the Reichwald war cemetery to remember the men that fell, the ones that were caught and had to endure a few month in PoW-camps and the wounded, mentally or physically. With a small group we stood still and remembered.

Then we rode to the "Liberation Tower". An electrical transformer station that stood in the middle of a landing zone. There was a small exhibition inside and a larger static show outside.

To finish the day off, I rode to the monument for the Dambuster AJ-E that crashed near Haldern.

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