Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial ( French:''Le Cimetière de Guerre Canadien Groesbeek'', Dutch:''Canadese Oorlogsbegraafplaats Groesbeek'') is a Second World War

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

military

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

cemetery, located in the village of

Groesbeek Groesbeek () is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. In January 2015 the former municipality merged with Millingen aan de Rijn and Ubbergen. The larger area was known as Groesbeek until January 2016, when ...

, southeast of

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Of the total 2,619 burials, the cemetery contains 2,338

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

soldiers. It was built to a design by Commission architect

Philip Hepworth Philip Dalton Hepworth (12 March 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a British architect. He studied in both the UK and France, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and the École des Beaux-Arts, and returned to work as an archite ...

History

The cemetery is unique in that many of the dead were brought here from nearby Germany. It is one of the few cases where bodies were moved across international frontiers. It is believed that all fallen Canadian soldiers of the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

battles, who were buried in German battlefields, were re-interred here (except for one who is buried in

Reichswald Forest War Cemetery A or imperial forest was an area of historic woodland which existed in the Holy Roman Empire and was under direct imperial control, protection and usage. may refer to: * , a nature reserve near Nuremberg ** , a section of the Nuremberg , which ...

). General Crerar, who commanded Canadian land forces in Europe, ordered that Canadian dead were not to be buried in German soil. The cemetery also has a

Cross of Sacrifice The Cross of Sacrifice is a Commonwealth war memorial designed in 1918 by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). It is present in Commonwealth war cemeteries containing 40 or ...

within it. Thousands of Dutch children tend the graves of the soldiers buried here as they do throughout the Netherlands.

Commemoration

Within the cemetery stands the ''Groesbeek Memorial'', which commemorates members of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe between the time of crossing the

Seine River ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributaries ...

at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe. There are 1,016 names on the memorial; although since the date of completion of the name-panels, graves have been found for four men commemorated by it. The Bayeux Memorial in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France honours 103 Canadian servicemen and women. The memorial consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the grass forecourt of the cemetery, between the entrance and the "

Stone of Remembrance The Stone of Remembrance is a standardised design for war memorials that was designed in 1917 by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC). It was designed to commemorate the dead of World War I, to b ...

." The names of the men whose graves are unknown are inscribed in panels of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

built into the rear walls.

International Four Days Marches Nijmegen

On the third day of the

International Four Days Marches Nijmegen The International Four Day Marches Nijmegen ( nl, Internationale Vierdaagse Afstandsmarsen Nijmegen) is the largest multiple day marching event in the world. It is organised every year in Nijmegen, Netherlands in mid-July as a means of promoting ...

, the route leads along the Canadian military cemetery, and the military participants commemorate their colleagues from the Second World War during an impressive ceremonial gathering.

Notable graves

Aubrey Cosens Aubrey Cosens VC (21 May 1921 – 26 February 1945) was a Canadian posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

(1921–1945) of the

Queen's Own Rifles of Canada ("In peace prepared") , colours = None (Rifle regiments have no colours) , march = , mascot = , battle_honours = See #Battle honours , website ...

VC * John Baskeyfield (1922–1944) of the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

VC is remembered on the memorial. * Gustave Biéler,

Frank Pickersgill Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill (May 28, 1915 – September 14, 1944) was a Canadian Special Operations Executive agent. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pickersgill graduated from Kelvin High School in that city. Holding an English ...

and

Roméo Sabourin Lieutenant Roméo Sabourin (January 1, 1923 – September 14, 1944) was a Canadian soldier and spy during World War II. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Sabourin joined the Canadian Army, serving in the Canadian Intelligence Corps. Because ...

, Canadian members of the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

who were sent undercover into occupied France; all three were caught by the Germans and sent to

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

, where they were executed. They are remembered on the memorial * Terrence Hicks GM (1920–1944) of the 1st Parachute Squadron, Corps of Royal Engineers is remembered on the memorial (Hicks was killed in action on 19 September 1944, aged 24, in the Marktstraat area of Arnhem and has no known grave). Awarded the GM for an act of conspicuous gallantry in Gibraltar in 1942.WO 373/67 Pt.2 and London Gazette dated 10 July 1942

Images

File:Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Memorial, Netherlands.jpg, Memorial File:Field of Honor Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.jpg, Field of Honor File:Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Memorial, Netherlands, inside.jpg, Memorial, inside

Nearby Commonwealth War Graves

Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery The Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, more commonly known as the Airborne Cemetery, is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Oosterbeek, near Arnhem, the Netherlands. It was established in 1945 and is home to 1764 graves from the Secon ...

Jonkerbos War Cemetery The Jonkerbos War Cemetery and Memorial is located in the town of Nijmegen, Netherlands. The cemetery contains 1,643 British Commonwealth and foreign service personnel of World War II. It was built to a design by Commission architect Philip Hepw ...

Mook War Cemetery Mook War Cemetery is the final resting place of 322 soldiers killed in the Second World War, situated in the Netherlands, Dutch municipality of Mook en Middelaar. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the cemetery. It feature ...

References

External links

*
Government of Canada website for the Groesbeek Memorial
*
British Pathe news clip of the dedication ceremony
held on 5 May 1947 at the cemetery's

with

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

{{Second World War military cemeteries in the Netherlands Canadian military memorials and cemeteries 1945 establishments in the Netherlands World War II memorials in the Netherlands Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the Netherlands Cemeteries in the Netherlands Cemeteries in Gelderland Berg en Dal (municipality)