Liberation Route Marker 171: Those who fell

Those who fell
The British military cemetery in Mierlo was put into use during the fight for the liberation of the southern Netherlands. It was later put under the official supervision of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

As in every war, during the operations to liberate the southern Netherlands there was soon need for somewhere to bury the dead. Mierlo seemed a good place as a few field graves had been found near a piece of undeveloped land on the Geldropseweg.

Later it would become apparent that the site was the property of the Philips family from Eindhoven. As the advance of the Allies progressed and more and more graves were needed, the area grew into a war cemetery. After the war, the land was donated by Philips to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the body that manages these cemeteries worldwide.

The cemetery is the last resting place of 665 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 5 from Australia, 4 from Canada and one Dutchman of the Royal Dutch Brigade Princess Irene. The identity of seven soldiers is unknown. In 1982 the English veteran Lewis Tombs was buried there, too. He had been the cemetery’s custodian for many years.

Audiospot - Those who fell

Liberation Route Europe is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route links the main regions along the advance of the Allied Forces in 1943-1945.
The entire route consists of themed routes that can be travelled by by hiking, walking, cycling and car. These routes pass numerous historical and interesting sites and tell stories from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the final phase of World War II.
Many routes feature listening spots, offering the opportunity to listen to a historical story at a location. In addition, many ‘Vectors of Memory’ have been placed, indicating that the passer-by is on one of the Liberation Routes.
The routes can be found on the Liberation Route Europe website or in the app through which many stories can also be listened to.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Liberation Route Europe
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes