There were three more unusually shaped headstones at Oosterbeek War Cemetery. Looking at their dedications and dates of death I assume these are the graves of caretakers employed by the Commision to tend the cemetery. There is a tradition of these caretakers marrying locally and, especially in Northern France, of their children taking over the job on their retirement.

Herbert Alaster Denham, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 31/8/1963, aged 49.

Percy Henry Dawson, 24/5/1987 aged 71 and William Gregory, 20/10/1988, aged 80:-

And here’s another panorama of war graves within the cemetey:-

At Oosterbeek I found three graves of Dutch soldiers. Again with distinctive headstones, this time rounded.

J Groenewoud, 8/11/1916-18/9/1944. (He was the only Dutchman to fight at John Frostbrug):-

A M Bakhuis Roozeboom, 10/7/1922 – 19/9/1944:-

S Swarts, 26/7/1917 – 20/9/1944:-

Commonwealth War Graves near entrance:-

Three soldiers known only unto God:-

Panorama showing Cross of Sacrifice and back to entrance buildings:-

East edge:-

Panorama towards entrance:-

Jewish Grave. G A Emmanuel, Parachute Regiment, 20/8/1944, aged 28:-

Unusually this headstone has marbling at its top. Private A W Penwill, Parachute Regiment, 18/9/1944, aged 28:-

I couldn’t visit Arnhem without going to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery near Oosterbeek, the place where many casualties of the attempt to capture the John Frost Bridge during Operation Market Garden are buried.

The cemetery is in a quiet location off a side road up a side road.

The path from the car park takes you past the cemetery identifier:-

Beside that is this domed pillar marking local children’s annual commemoration of the battle:-

This plaque beside the entrance informs us that 1754 soldiers or airmen are buried within:-

War Graves Commission information board. More than 90 Polish members of the Parachute Brigade are buried here. I also noted three Dutch graves while walking round:-

View of cemetery from gates, Stone of Remembrance to fore and Cross of Sacrifice behind:-

Cross of Sacrifice. British poppy wreaths with Netherlands wreath on grass:-

As in most Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries the gates are flanked by two buildings which usually contain lists of the buried and the locations within the cemetery of their graves:-

On the wall of one of these were two plaques describing the Arnhem Battle and its place within the wider campaign to liberate Western Europe:-