Comité Airborne Herdenking Arnhem-West
Website of the Annual Airborne Commemoration in Arnhem-West
The Airborne Tulips, an initiative of the Airborne Tulips Memorials a British-Dutch organisation that aims to involve young people and schools, around Arnhem, in commemorating and keeping alive the memory of the Battle of Arnhem in 1944, have come into full bloom! Here is a picture of the tulips planted near the Elisabeth Hospital in memory of the fallen paratroopers
On Tuesday 31 October 2023, the first tulip bulbs were officially presented at Montessori College Arnhem, marking the start of the planting of the famous “Parachute Flower Bulbs” to commemorate the deployment of The Parachute Regiment during the Battle of Arnhem.
Over ten thousand of these tulip bulbs will be planted in the coming weeks at schools in Arnhem and Oosterbeek, and at Airborne monuments. This planting campaign is an initiative of the Airborne Tulips Memorials a British-Dutch organisation that aims to involve young people and schools, around Arnhem, in commemorating and keeping alive the memory of the Battle of Arnhem in 1944.
The pupils and teachers of Montessori College Arnhem are the first to receive the tulips, as this school is heavily involved in the Airborne commemoration in the Lombok district, which is organised annually by the Airborne Commemoration Arnhem West Committee.
The MCA adopted the monument “Remember September 1944 “on the Nassauplein in Lombok in 2017 and received the official recognition of the National Committee 4 and 5 May for this.
This year in september as always there will be the traditional Airborne-commemoration at
the “Remember September 1944 Monument” on Nassauplein, West Arnhem.
The ceremony will be held on Friday the 15th of September at 15.00 hours.
The West-Arnhem Airborne Commemoration Committee has the pleasure to invite you to this
commemoration.
During the wreathlaying ceremony standardbearers of The Royal British Legion, The
Parachute Regimental Association as well as De Nederlandse Bond van Wapenbroeders
(The Dutch Union of Brothers in Arms) and other Dutch veteran organisations will be in
attendance.
Like every year our committee has the intention to give the veterans, who fought in the
West Arnhem region, the respect and appreciation they so deserve. This in great
recognition for the immense sacrifice they gave for the freedom of the Netherlands.
Kind regards,
Ben Kolster,
The West Arnhem Airborne Commemoration Committee
Below is an Impression of the planting of so-called “Maroon Tulips,” an initiative of The Arnhem Boys to commemorate the victims of the Battle of Arnhem.
The well-known British Airborne organisation The Arnhem Boys will offer hundreds of Airborne Tulips as part of the recently launched Airborne Tulips Memorial Appeal on Tuesday 1 November 2022, to the pupils of Montessori College Arnhem. The plan is to plant the tulips, which have the familiar colour of The Parachute Regiment, in the garden around the Montessori College Arnhem on the Utrechtseweg. The school will receive the floral tribute as thanks for the annual participation of the pupils and their teachers, in the Airborne commemoration at the nearby Nassauplein in the Lombok district. Invited by the Comité Airborne Herdenking Arnhem-West, Montessori College Arnhem takes part in the commemoration in memory of the British paratroopers and Arnhem civilians, who died fighting during the Battle of Arnhem in and around the Utrechtseweg and in Lombok.
With their Airborne Tulips Memorial Appeal, The Arnhem Boys want to keep alive the memory of all Allied soldiers, who fought during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. In doing so, according to this Manchester, UK-based organisation, the involvement of young people in particular is of great importance in keeping the history of the Battle of Arnhem alive.
On behalf of The Arnhem Boys and the Airborne Tulips Memorial Appeal, Ms Amanda Slotboom will present the tulips to the pupils and headmaster of Montessori College Arnhem on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at 14.00. The festive handover will take place at the MCA building, Utrechtseweg 174, Arnhem.
The annual Airborne commemoration took place again on Friday afternoon 16 September 2022 at the “Remember September 1944” monument, on Nassauplein in the Arnhem district of Lombok.
In the past two years, only a small limited commemoration was possible due to Covid measures, but this year the commemoration was held again with a large audience.
During this commemoration, all British servicemen and also Arnhem civilians are commemorated, who fell or died during the Battle of Arnhem, in the area between the railway yard of Arnhem station, in the Lombok district and on and around Utrechtseweg and Onderlangs.
This commemoration is an initiative of the Comité Airborne Herdenking Arnhem-West. In this committee, the Arnhem-West district (Lombok), the West Arnhemsche Muziekvereeniging and the Montessori College Arnhem work together. This Utrechtseweg-based educational institution has also officially adopted the monument.
During the commemoration, an important role was played by the pupils of Montessori College Arnhem. After all, it is they who will have to keep the memory of the sacrifices of the allied soldiers of September 1944 alive in the years to come. So almost literally; “Remember September 1944”. Alderman Marco van der Wel of the Municipality of Arnhem, the Second Secretary of the British Embassy in The Hague, Alex Keighley and Lt Colonel Liam Cradden of The Parachute Regiment also laid a wreath.
More photos and video on the media page
I regret to advise you of the passing of Luis DiMarco, Signals Platoon, HQ Coy, 1st Parachute Battalion at Arnhem. Luis was personal signalman to Lt Colonel Dobie and got as far as the Onderlangs (the lower road) with the 1st Battalion on their push towards the Arnhem road bridge. Luis eventually made his way back into the perimeter and crossed the Rhine in Operation Berlin.
Luis has been a regular attendee at the September commemorations for many years and will be greatly missed. Luis passed away peacefully on Wednesday 5th May aged 98. Our thoughts are with his family.
May he Rest in Peace.
Les was a member of HQ Company of the 3rd Parachute Battalion and was wounded on the Onderlangs in Arnhem on the 19th September 1944 and taken prisoner when wounded. He was 99 years old.
Our thoughts are with his familie and may he Rest In Peace
The war memorial “Remember September 1944” on Nassau square in Arnhem (Lombok) has been provided with a so-called QR code. The sign with a special digital code is attached to the fence at the front of the famous monument. Using a telephone, the QR code can be scanned to contact the website of the Airborne Commemoration Arnhem-West, where extensive information can be found about the monument and the annual Airborne commemoration in September. A lot of information can also be found about the events in the Lombok district and the area around Utrechtseweg during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.
Each year on the Friday afternoon of the Airborne weekend, a commemoration takes place at the monument “Remember September 1944”, in memory of the fallen British soldiers and the Arnhem civilian victims in the district. This commemoration is an initiative of the Committee Airborne Commemoration Arnhem-West.