Veterans unveil new Airborne memorial at start Renkum Airborne Event

A special moment this year during the Renkum Airborne is the unveiling and blessing of an Airborne Memorial on the edge of drop zone-X.

This will give the village of Renkum its first and only Airborne monument. On the spot of The Battle of Arnhem began.

On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd of September the village will again be all about the Renkum Airborne Event.

Friday at 12.30 hours there will be a special moment on the program. The unveiling and blessing of the new Airborne-monument.

The monument is partly financed by the municipality Renkum and the A.C. van Deventer Foundation but a large amount the inhabitants of Renkum have brought together their selves, throughout Renkum Leeft who started a crowdfunding campaign .

The blessing of the monument is done by the preacher of The Royal British Legion Holland Branch, Reverend Canon Geoffrey Allen. The monument itself is revealed by the Veterans Frank Ashleigh and Steve Morgan.

[caption id="attachment_40318" align="alignright" width="232"]

Frank was a glider pilot and Steve was dropped as parachutist during Operation Market Garden. Both men have fought until they were captured by the Germans.

The remaining time of the war they were in German prison camps, in miserable conditions.

But they were lucky to survive the war and now be able to unveil the monument in a place where so many of their comrades landed.

Both are very honored and look forward to this beautiful moment.

Frank attended the Renkum Airborne last year

too. He landed again, but in a a modern one of course, with a glider on the Heath.

Renkum Airborne starts Friday 21 September at 12.30 pm with the unveiling of the monument. Everyone is welcome to this ceremony and is welcome to bring flowers to lay them, at the right time, at the monument.

Although the unknown weather conditions prevent to ensure this: after the ceremony, a Dakota is planned to fly over at 13:00 from which paratroopers of the Pathfinder Group Europe will be dropped.

Around the same time the allies landed on the 17th of September in 1944.

The activities are partly weather dependent and therefore subject to change.

For the sixth time Renkum Leeft organizes, with many volunteers, Renkum Airborne Event. Two days full of a large diversity of activities on the program for young and old.

There are air shows, a living history Basecamp with various displays, a Music Canteen, a photo exhibition and a field museum.

DJ D – day offers various music shows and in between you can watch video images of activities in the Airborne Region on a big screen. There is a militarily-market, a tour with GMCs, you can shoot and climb and listen to stories in a walk-in cinema.

In addition, you can participate in a Paper Wing Contest on Saturday, watch LIVE video footage of the Race to the Bridge on big screen and performances of the Police Big Band. Like every year, there are droppings of the Pathfinder parachute Group.

With a splashing party on Saterday-evening in the style of the fourties with Dutch singer Huub Peters, the Renkum Airborne edition 2018 ends.

Renkum Leeft (Renkum Lives) is an initiative of enthusiastic people of Renkum to connect, mobilize and activate people. A nice village you develop together, is their motto.

Look for the detailed program on renkumleeft.nl .