Remembrance & Liberation Day; 4 & 5 May 2008

[lucien]

HM The Queen and Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima will attend the Memorial Ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk,Amsterdam tomorrow may 4th,the Day of Remembrance of the Death that fell during WW II,both military and civilians,and during all missions since.

After the Memorial Ceremony HM and TRH will walk to the National Monument at the Dam Square to lay a wreath,followed by two minutes of
silence at 08.00PM,after which wreaths will be layed by representatives of the Government,Parliament,the Forces,the Merchant Fleet,the Resistance,representatives of the Jewish community,all other denominations,survivors of the concentrationcamps,the Gay community and many,many other groups/foundations involved with the upkeep of the memory of the attrocities,so we shan't forget......

Always a most impressive ceremony,attended by tens of thousands.

On monday may 5th,we here celebrate Liberation Day,as it was on this day in 1945 the war ended,here,not in our Netherlands East-Indies,
as the japanese didn't loose & surrender untill august 1945.

From a day of deep mourning,burst into a day of great nationwide celebrations.In the evening Her Majesty traditionally attends the concert at the Amstel River here in Amsterdam,in front of the Royal Theater Carré,just a beautifull setting.After the concert HM will return by boat,floating on water AND the applause of all these people to the City Hall,Stopera,were her car awaits her to take her home.

HM has a busy schedule next week.

Het Koninklijk Huis



I expect ten's of thousands there again as the weather forecast is just great,a summer day in may

[Marengo]

I was last year at Dam squar, for the first time. Only a few glimpses of th royals but the entire event was more moving than I thought. Esp. when the national anthem was played.

I am looking forward to the liberation day concert, I might be going there this year. Does' t HM usually leave the concert in the boat under the ong ' we will meet again' by Dame Vera Lynn?

I was wondering, will Prof. van Vollenhoven be attending the ceremony on the Grebbeberg in Rhenen this year again?

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Marengo

I was last year at Dam squar, for the first time. Only a few glimpses of th royals but the entire event was more moving than I thought. Esp. when the national anthem was played.

I am looking forward to the liberation day concert, I might be going there this year. Does' t HM usually leave the concert in the boat under the ong ' we will meet again' by Dame Vera Lynn?

I was wondering, will Prof. van Vollenhoven be attending the ceremony on the Grebbeberg in Rhenen this year again?

Beautifull isn't it,goosebumps and an intens awareness of what event one attends.

Yep,dear old Dame Vera Lynn's "We"ll meet again" is the sign for HM to leave by boat,and as you know she's cheered at by the ten's of thousands,another goosebumps moment as far as I'm concerned don't you agree?She's really taking a bath in wellwishers who show their
love & respect for her there and then.I think she just loves it as one of THE favorite/warmest moments in the year,and she so deserves it.

Don't know on Pieter van Vollenhoven tho,might very well be there even tho it is not announced.The Grebbeberg,the venue for one of the fiercest battles before The Netherlands had to surrender.It was at the Grebbeberg HM Queen Wilhelmina would have wished to go and die like a soldier,instead of being forced to leave.The Netherlands had to surrender as the Germans bombed the city of Rotterdam and treatened to bomb Amsterdam,The Hague and Utrecht as well if we didn't.Much of the material in use in our army was old and out of date,much to Wilhelmina's chagrin.But then again,I did hear,thrustworthy,stories that there was this old fortress near there,just stacked with the latest of the latest,guarded but un-used.Odd,don't you think?

Anyhow,it will be very impressive and solemn again,remembering all those that perished.Not that we've learned all that much from it over the decades,it just goes on and on and on,a never ending circle of death and fear & destruction.Such a hard-headed bunch we all are.

And at the Dam Square will be a man who knows all too well,as it's still so fresh,how it feels to loose a child,a son,in battle.
The new Commander of the Royal Dutch Forces,General Peter van Uhm just lost his son,Dennis and his buddy Mark Schouwink,
two weeks ago in Afghanistan.My thoughts will especially go out to them,and through them,to all other less or even not known
soldiers and civilians.

[Marengo]

Author Marga Minco was supposed to hold the speech this year at the Nieuwe kerk, but sadly she is ill. Her daughter Jessica Voeten will speech instead.

[TLLK]

I find that these ceremonies become more important each year as there are fewer and fewer vetrans and civilians who fought and particiapated in WWII.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by TLLK

I find that these ceremonies become more important each year as there are fewer and fewer vetrans and civilians who fought and particiapated in WWII.

Oh I agree,and as there are fewer veterans each year,it becomes more important to involve the youngsters in this,make them aware that nothing is for granted,as is their widespread believe,and that there was a time not sooo long ago,where one nation thought they were above the other.

But then again,war never stopped,there always has been a war or more going on since 1945,but kids these days simply don't care occupied as they are with their nintendo's or whatever junk it is,a very superficial lot really,still,and probably ditto parents.

Yesterday at the Dam Square there was a huge group of young schoolchildren who could lay their flowers at the Monument.Children from all sorts of backgrounds,but mostly a mix of the multi-culti society we live in here these days.And they seemed proud to be able to participate too.I do hope however that their teachers know enough on the subject to really give them that awe feeling of respect we had as children when we were told/tought.Especially them,as there is little chance their older brothers will go and use the wreaths and flowers as footballs as they did several times already.Really,the wreaths and flowers have to be protected/guarded as that filistine lot abuses the memories of the ones who fell and kick the wreaths down the streets.

So,each evening for a week,the wreaths and flowers at the National Monument will be taken inside a building nearby,and put back in place early in the morning,guarded,as to prevent any infidel to go about as the filistine he is.Not joking here,but it does show the amount of total disrespect among a large,a way to large,group here,a group beyond the controle of their parents once outside their homes that doesn't respect anything at all of our customs and freedoms.Our freedoms.I haven't seen ever before in my life more disrespect then at this present time,nor officials doing so little about it either.

If there isn't enough respect towards the freedoms and traditions we hold dear here in The Netherlands by a vast group,that present day multiculti pet like thing,then what do you think they think on WW II and those who fell?They don't give a you name it.I demand respect and adjustment from each and everyone who comes to live here,and if not,go.

Another example of freedom crushed was on Queensday here in Amsterdam during an open air gay fashion show when 10 multi culti,as I will neatly call them here,filistines,pulled a gay model of the catwalk and beat him up just for the heck of it,with a lot of by-standers who didn't/couldn't do anything because they were 10 and it all happened so fast.No,none has been caught yet,but all they deserve is a kick and a one-way ticket.

Won't say more on it,nor on how much it is really needed to raise more awareness among youngsters.I'm sure you catched my drift.But isn't it sad that the wreaths for the deaths have to be guarded during the day and protected,taken inside,during the night?I think it just about says it all.
Awfull,just awfull.

[Marengo]

Some pictures of yesterday's ceremony:

Singing the national anthem

2 minutes silence

arranging the flowers

Walking to the monument

Beatrix and WA lying the wreath

View on Dam square from the roof of the palace

Another view

[Empress]

That last photo is very poignant. It really seems to capture the moment. I always avoided the square because of the crush, but I did camp out in the cafe in the Bijenkorf one year where you get the most amazing view of the entire proceedings!

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Empress

That last photo is very poignant. It really seems to capture the moment. I always avoided the square because of the crush, but I did camp out in the cafe in the Bijenkorf one year where you get the most amazing view of the entire proceedings!

That's a great idea!On crushing,this year there were 25000 attending at the Dam Square!Imagine.

[TLLK]

This is indeed a very moving sight. I shudder to think what our world would be like today if the Nazis had not been defeated.

[lucien]

HM attended the Liberation Day concert at the Amstel river,Amsterdam last night:

Het Koninklijk Huis

Curtesy ANP/Koen van Weel.

ANP Beeldbank

courtesy Royalimages/ANP/

[TLLK]

I like the balance between the two days. May 3rd is somber and a day of reflection. Then you have the happiness of May 4th.

[Hendrik-Jan77]

I think you got that wrong: on May 4th is the remembrance of all the war victims and May 5th is Liberation Day...

[SASSY]

Originally Posted by TLLK

This is indeed a very moving sight. I shudder to think what our world would be like today if the Nazis had not been defeated.

I shudder to think of how close they actually came to winning.
Some people don't like referring to WW2 generation as "the greatest generation", but after watching a documentary called "The War" I truly think the title is fitting.

[TLLK]

Originally Posted by Hendrik-Jan77

I think you got that wrong: on May 4th is the remembrance of all the war victims and May 5th is Liberation Day...

Whoops!!!!

[lucien]

Sorry,but the ppe pics just arrived today:

PPE Agency

courtesy PPE/ v/d Werf.

[Marengo]

Parts from the bevrijdingsdagconcert 2008.

The Arabian Dance from Peer Gynt:



A medley wih trombones:



'By Strauss' of Gerschwin:



And finally Bernstein: