edwin
Active member
It was in one of the books of Lyn Macdonald that I first read about the internment of British servicemen in the Netherlands during the great war. Following the fall of Antwerp in october 1914, about 1500 British soldiers of the naval division did not receive the order to retreat on time, resulting in the cut off of their escape route. In order to avoid imprisonment by the Germans, the British commander, Commodore Henderson, decided to cross the border with neutral Holland with his men. Here, the British were interned and moved to the city of Groningen, my hometown, located in the north of the Netherlands for the duration of the war.
Today, I finally had some time to visit the location of the former British camp, which was known as Timbertown or HMS Timbertown.
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Nowadays there is nothing left of the British camp and in fact this location is a huge construction pit. The only two reminders are a the local street name and a small stone memorial.
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During their interment 8 British soldiers died and are buried at the community cemetery, while a ninth soldier died a few weeks after war.
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These headstones are remarkably different from the white headstones found on the British cemeteries in France and Flanders. More information about the British camp and their occupants can be found at: http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/englishcamp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Regards,
Edwin
Today, I finally had some time to visit the location of the former British camp, which was known as Timbertown or HMS Timbertown.
DSC02966
Nowadays there is nothing left of the British camp and in fact this location is a huge construction pit. The only two reminders are a the local street name and a small stone memorial.
DSC02965
DSC02970
DSC02967
During their interment 8 British soldiers died and are buried at the community cemetery, while a ninth soldier died a few weeks after war.
DSC02976
DSC02977
DSC02975
These headstones are remarkably different from the white headstones found on the British cemeteries in France and Flanders. More information about the British camp and their occupants can be found at: http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/englishcamp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Regards,
Edwin