Personal Pictures of Alfred Stanley Hope

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 1759 graves from the Second World War. Most of the men buried in the cemetery were Allied servicemen killed in the Battle of Arnhem, an Allied attempt to cross the Rhine in 1944, or in the liberation of the city the following year. Men killed in these battles are still discovered in the surrounding area even in the 21st century, and so the number of people interred in the cemetery continues to grow.

The Resurrection

Monument in honour of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Arnhem in 1944 and were buried in the Airborne Cemetery of Oosterbeek.

Every year a commemoration is held at this cemetery, a very impressive and moving one, as we then realise that all those young soldiers, some not older than 18, died for our freedom. We relive the tragedy of this battle and honour the dead in our thoughts. We bring them back to life lest we forget.

This monument visualizes what it would be like, if these soldiers really came back to life, emerged out of their graves, in their full glory, young and strong just as their mates, now veterans, their families, and relatives remember them. Unarmed, of course, as war is over. They would hug their beloved ones, and join us all in the celebrations of the 70th commemoration, and grab a pint at Schoonoord. Wouldn’t that be full of wonder…..

Monument in terracotta by Fransje Povel-Speleers, photography by Silvester Povel