Remembering Together

In the 11th and final episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan speaks with Gerben van den Berg, Director of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May.

They discuss the tradition of annual commemorations and celebrations in The Netherlands and the key role the Committee plays in them. While coordinating these events is a key function, the Committee’s work goes beyond that. Gerben describes their mission to preserve the memory of the Second World War, particularly among younger generations, and how they realise meaningful and diverse ways of remembrance.

In this episode, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan visits the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek and speaks with museum Director Esther Horsten who grew up in the region.

The Freedom Museum is located in the area of two of the most important operations on the Western Front during World War 2: Operation Market Garden and Operation Veritable.

The museum not only remembers the liberation of Groesbeek and the Netherlands, but highlights a broader theme of war and freedom. By offering interactive exhibits and telling personal stories, they aim to bring history alive for their visitors, encouraging reflection on the Second World War but also making connections with today's world and more recent struggles for freedom.

In the 9th episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan was in Oosterbeek to speak with Sophie ter Horst, whose mother became known as the ‘Angel of Arnhem’. 

Sophie and her family took in over 300 wounded soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem. They discuss the history of the Battle of Arnhem through touching personal stories of the soldiers that were taken care of by Sophie’s family.

In the 8th episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan speaks with Simon Bendry, Head of Education and Volunteering at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

Keith and Simon discuss the important work of the CWGC and their care for 23,000 war memorials and war cemeteries around the world. They also discuss the public engagement work of the CWGC in telling the stories of those that sacrificed their lives for our freedom and their other efforts to ensure they are not forgotten.

Through personal stories, Keith and Simon reflect on why it is important to keep the memory of this period alive today.

In this episode, Ambassador Joanna Roper speaks with UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues and current Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Lord Pickles and General Director of the Jewish National Quarter Emile Schrijver and visits the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam. They delve into the work of the National Holocaust Museum, the role of the UK in remembrance and tackling antisemitism through their Presidency of the IHRA, the importance of commemorating and of educating and involving the younger generation.

In this episode, Deputy British Ambassador Keith Allan interviews Hiltje van Eck, also known as ‘mother of the veterans’.

For over 40 years, Hiltje has received and helped veterans as they return to Arnhem for the yearly commemorations of Operation Market Garden and has built close friendships with British war veterans. Hiltje also works closely with the Airborne Commemoration Foundation.

In this episode, Keith and Hiltje discuss her personal stories of working with the veterans and the importance of remembering and commemorating the Second World War.

In this episode, Deputy British Ambassador Keith Allen commemorates the 80th anniversary of Operation Market Garden. He interviews Arno Baltussen, chair of the Driel-Poland Foundation.

The Driel-Poland Foundation honours the Polish parachutists that participated in the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Keith Allen and Arno Baltussen talk about Arno's personal connection to the war and the commemoration plans for Market Garden in Driel.

September 2024 marks 80 years since Operation Market Garden, an airborne operation involving 10,000 soldiers. Whilst the operation was unsuccessful, it became legendary for the bravery shown in an attempt to liberate the Netherlands. Today commemorations of the operation are some of the largest in the Netherlands.

In this episode, Deputy British Ambassador Keith Allan interviews Ronnie Weijers, the Director of the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek. The Airborne Museum is located in the former headquarters of the British troops during the Battle of Arnhem, as part of the Allied Operation Market Garden. Keith Allan and Ronnie Weijers discuss how the museum has changed over the years and the importance of appealing to audiences to tell the stories behind the collection. 

In this episode, British Ambassador to the Netherlands Joanna Roper delves into the impact of the occupation and the Holocaust on the Netherlands. She focuses on the Dutch resistance during Nazi occupation, whilst highlighting the significant and lesser-known role women played in this movement. She speaks with the Director of Museum Engelandvaarders Paul Bartelings, and the Director of the Resistance Museum in Amsterdam Liesbeth van der Horst, to uncover the stories and experiences of those who fought back against oppression. 

In the second episode of Remembering Together, Deputy Ambassador to the Netherlands Keith Allan visits Amsterdam to learn more about the history and impact of the holocaust in the Dutch capital. As well as the ways people and the community remember this dark chapter in history.

In this episode, Keith Allan speaks to Esther Shaya, author of two books documenting individual stories of resistance, who tells the story of Jewish educator Henriëtte Pimentel. She was a key figure that saved hundreds of children during the Nazi occupation. Keith also speaks to the Head of Coordination and Production of Stolpersteine Benelux, Alexander Stukenberg, about the history and importance of Stolpersteine as an act of remembrance.

Find out more about Esther Shaya's book 'Wacht Maar' here (in Dutch) - https://amphorabooks.nl/product/henriette-pimentel/ 

For more information about Stolpersteine - https://stichting-stolpersteine.nl/the-stichting/?lang=en

Find out more about the Holocaust here - https://www.hmd.org.uk/

Find out more about the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance here - https://holocaustremembrance.com/

Original music from Auri Forda