Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial (French:
Le Cimetière de Guerre Canadien Groesbeek) is located about three kilometers north of the village of Groesbeek
, Netherlands
. The cemetery contains 2,338 Canadian
soldiers of World War II
.
The cemetery is unique in that many of the dead were brought here from nearby Germany
. It is one of the few cases where bodies were moved across international frontiers. It is believed that all fallen Canadian soldiers of the Rhineland
battles, who were buried in German battlefields, were reinterred here (except for one who is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery). General H.D.G. Crerar, who commanded Canadian land forces in Europe, ordered that Canadian dead were not to be buried in German soil.
Thousands of Dutch children tend the graves of the soldiers buried here as they do throughout the Netherlands.
land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe
between the time of crossing the Seine River
at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe. There are 1,103 names on the memorial; although since the date of completion of the name-panels, graves have been found for four men commemorated by it. The Bayeux Memorial in Normandy, France honours 103 Canadian servicemen and women.
The memorial consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the grass forecourt of the cemetery, between the entrance and the "Stone of Remembrance." The names of the men whose graves are unknown are inscribed in panels of Portland stone
built into the rear walls.
of the Queen's Own Rifles, who won the Victoria Cross
leading an attack against Mooshof where he was killed by a sniper in February 1945.
Memorialized are Gustave Biéler
, Frank Pickersgill
, and Roméo Sabourin
, Canadian members of the Special Operations Executive
who were sent undercover into occupied France
; all three were caught by the Germans and sent to Concentration Camps, where they were executed.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Le Cimetière de Guerre Canadien Groesbeek) is located about three kilometers north of the village of Groesbeek
Groesbeek
Groesbeek is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.-Description:Groesbeek is named after a small stream called the Groesbeek, which in its original form doesn't exist anymore...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The cemetery contains 2,338 Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldiers of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The cemetery is unique in that many of the dead were brought here from nearby Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is one of the few cases where bodies were moved across international frontiers. It is believed that all fallen Canadian soldiers of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
battles, who were buried in German battlefields, were reinterred here (except for one who is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery). General H.D.G. Crerar, who commanded Canadian land forces in Europe, ordered that Canadian dead were not to be buried in German soil.
Thousands of Dutch children tend the graves of the soldiers buried here as they do throughout the Netherlands.
Commemoration
Within the cemetery stands the Groesbeek Memorial, which commemorates members of the CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
land forces who died during the campaign in north-west Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
between the time of crossing the Seine River
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
at the end of August 1944 and the end of the war in Europe. There are 1,103 names on the memorial; although since the date of completion of the name-panels, graves have been found for four men commemorated by it. The Bayeux Memorial in Normandy, France honours 103 Canadian servicemen and women.
The memorial consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the grass forecourt of the cemetery, between the entrance and the "Stone of Remembrance." The names of the men whose graves are unknown are inscribed in panels of Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
built into the rear walls.
Notable graves
Among those buried here is Aubrey CosensAubrey Cosens
Aubrey Cosens, VC, was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Military service:Cosens was 23 years old and a sergeant in The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada...
of the Queen's Own Rifles, who won the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
leading an attack against Mooshof where he was killed by a sniper in February 1945.
Memorialized are Gustave Biéler
Gustave Biéler
Gustave Daniel Alfred Biéler DSO MBE was a Special Operations Executive agent during World War II.Gustave Bieler was born in Beurlay in France. At the age of twenty, he emigrated to Canada where he settled in the city of Montreal working as a school teacher and then as an official translator for...
, Frank Pickersgill
Frank Pickersgill
Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill is a Canadian hero of World War II....
, and Roméo Sabourin
Roméo Sabourin
Roméo Sabourin is a Canadian hero of World War II.Lieutenant Sabourin joined the Canadian Army, serving in the Canadian Intelligence Corps...
, Canadian members of the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
who were sent undercover into occupied France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; all three were caught by the Germans and sent to Concentration Camps, where they were executed.