Scottish Memorial Best

In the Koetstuin in the centre of Best is a memorial to honour the 120 Scottish casualties that died during the 7 days liberation of Best. The liberation of Best was a hard stuggle, the losses were big by the Allies, German and also among civilians.
Each year at Oktober 24th a memorial service is kept at this memorial. This was the day the city was liberated. The memorial was added to the garden in 1994, 50 years after the liberation of Best.

The memorial represents 3 Scotts jumping through Tartan.

On the plaque on the ground is the following writing:
In honour to the
15th Scottish Division
who liberated Best
24-10-1944 24-10-1994

Plaques bearing the names of the 171 fallen British servicemen were installed at the monument in 2024. A sign was also erected with the following text:

‘This memorial pays tribute to the 15th Scottish Infantry Division and the 51st Highland Division who liberated Best from the German yoke on 24 October 1944. They fought under difficult conditions from 17 September to 24 October. That battle cost the lives of at least 171 young British soldiers, in addition to many wounded both physically and mentally. Most of the deaths occurred during the capture of the brickworks ‘The Lark’ and the storming of the station area. But hard guerrilla warfare also had to be fought in De Vleut and De Scheeken. Best was too important for the German occupiers to give up easily.

The monument was designed by Antoinette Briët. Using steel and marble, she constructed a Scottish diamond through which 3 Scots jump to freedom unarmed, hoping for peace. The plaques were designed by Antoinette Briët in close collaboration with Toine van Baalen.

The monument was unveiled on 28 October 1994 in the presence of many veterans. In 2024, 5 plaques were added with the names of the 171 killed’

‘If you don't name the people, they are no longer there’

Foundation for the History of Best Municipality of Best

The QR codes on the middle plaque allow you to access more information about the design and underpinnings of the monument.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar.nl
• Photos: TracesOfWar.nl
• - https://www.schotsmonumentbest.nl/het-monument