Eyewitnesses WWII - Liberation in Reek

Text on the memorial:

A warm welcome for our liberators
A 15-year-old boy tells his story

When I wake up on Tuesday morning on 19 September 1944, I have no idea that this third day of Operation Market Garden will have such a big impact on my life. For the past two days English military columns have been travelling along the nearby corridor towards Grave. I want to see the allies with my own eyes and give them a warm welcome. Early in the morning and full of expectation, my father and I and some of the neighbours set off for hotel-café De Kleine Elft in Reek.

Anxiously, we all make our way there as quickly as possible, knowing that it is quite a dangerous undertaking. A few days earlier there had been a heavy confrontation between the Germans and Americans. We arrive at De Kleine Elft at around 10 o'clock. The hotel holds a strategic position in the allies' military plan. This is where the corridor branches off from Zeeland to Grave and Nijmegen.

De Kleine Elft is therefore the place to greet our liberators from England. It is a hive of activity. Despite the risks involved, people of all ages and from all around have flocked there. Everyone wants to cheer on our liberators and express our gratitude for their heroism. We find it very special that the English soldiers are putting their lives at risk to liberate the Netherlands from the hands of the Germans. Like the other spectators, I cheer, applaud and shout encouragement to them. I feel incredibly happy. I am amazed at the never-ending column of military vehicles and tanks as they drive by. The liberators greet us with the V-sign and give out chocolate, biscuits with marmalade, white bread and English cigarettes to everyone lining the route. I accept these treats with gratitude.

Later in the day, once I am home, I realise what a special morning it has been. The troops' arrival has made enormous impression on me. I keep telling my mother and younger brothers and sisters about the experience. Naturally, I also give them some chocolate, biscuits and white bread. I am determined to cherish that memory and keep recounting the story to anyone who will listen.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar.nl
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes