Valkenswaard war cemetery is a Second World War 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

Valkenswaard Valkenswaard () is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of in and spans an area of of which is water. The name Valkenswaard ...

, south of

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

Eersel Eersel () is a municipality and a town in southern Netherlands in the province of North Brabant. Eersel is situated in the Campine (Kempen) area. Eersel is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Beatitudes) and known for its attractive market. Thi ...

and

Bergeijk Bergeijk () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. It consists of an area of and had a population of in . It is one of 21 municipalities, including Eindhoven, that make up the Eindhoven Region Co ...

). The soldiers were killed between 14 September 1944 and 29 November 1944 with the exception on one soldier who died on 21 January 1945. The majority of the soldiers come from the

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...

and

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

. A temporary field burial site at Valkenswaard was set up at the beginning of October 1944 by No. 55 Graves Registration Unit. The earliest casualty interred in the cemetery dates from 14 September 1944. The liberation of Valkenswaard on the 17 September 1944 is where the majority of the soldiers fell in battle. In early May 1945 the first mention of a permanent British war cemetery on the site is recorded. Additional fallen soldiers from northern Belgium and southern Holland were removed from their field burial sites and re-interred at Valkenswaard by the graves concentration unit of the British Army. The local community initially took care of the graves until the cemetery was officially passed to the then

Imperial 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 ...

on 15 June 1946. The Cross of Sacrifice was erected in 1949 and the replacement of headstones was begun. Commemoration ceremonies occur twice a year in the cemetery. On the anniversary of the liberation of Valkenswaard on 17 September and on May 4, the Dutch national day of remembrance.

Location

The burial ground was an open field close to a forest between the villages of Valkenswaard and

Westerhoven Westerhoven is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Bergeijk, about 15 km southwest of Eindhoven. History Westerhoven lies in a valley between the rivers Keersop and Beekloop which flow just ...

References

External links

{{Second World War military cemeteries in the Netherlands British military memorials and cemeteries 1944 establishments in the Netherlands Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the Netherlands Cemeteries in the Netherlands