Page 11 - Police World Edition 1 2014

Four members from Shropshire branch boarded a low flying campervan and took off from Shrewsbury,
Shropshire to be dropped directly into the Arnhem area of Holland - made so famous by Operation Market
Garden of World War 2.
This trip had been months in the planning
and each one of us was looking forward
to a few days away from work to do
some exploring and to meet up with a Dutch
counterpart. We had set ourselves an ambitious
itinerary, which we knew would involve covering
a lot of ground and potentially visiting a large
number of locations.
After a substantial breakfast we set off from
Calais for the starting point of our tour. This was a
road bridge on the Belgium / Dutch border known
as Joe’s Bridge. On 17 September 1944 this was
the departure point for 30 Corps and we intended
to follow in their tank tracks.
After many stops for the odd photo and to locate
the many information boards littered throughout
the area we got to the American Airbourne
Museum at Best. Whilst there, we made our
first contact on the phone with Jos - our Dutch
IPA friend.
The museum is situated in the area of the
American drop zone and contained a large
number of vehicles and aircraft from the
operation. As we approached the last of the
buildings we met a military signals enthusiast,
who was very proud to show us round his room
which was tightly packed with military comms kit.
On learning that we were British and some of us
ex-military he was very keen to ensure we
viewed as much of his collection as possible
before we left!
We then departed for what was going to be our
home for the next 3 nights, a campsite on a farm
just outside Oosterbeek.
Upon our arrival we booked in and set up the van.
We then had to identify which one of the many
Dutchmen could be our IPA friend. After spotting
a large gent with an impressive moustache,
we decided he was worth approaching with an
outstretched arm and indeed we were right. Jos
was a retired Chief Inspector of Arnhem police
and was used to guiding parties of English
war veterans and their families. He was also a
seasoned IPA member who told me that he had
travelled all over the world with the IPA. We didn’t
know it at the time but we could not have wished
for a better person to show us round the area.
He kindly offered to collect us the following
morning at 9am and drive us round for the
day. With that he left and we headed off to
the nearby village for a meal and a few beers.
The next day, Jos arrived, after breakfast,
and we set off for Ginkell Heath, one of the
main drop zones on the morning of 17 - 18
September, 1944. The area today is a military
training area and is still used as a DZ on the
anniversary of the Operation.
Jos then drove us round Oosterbeek and
showed us various locations where significant
fighting took place.
We made a point
of visiting the
immaculately kept
British Military
cemetery just outside
Arnhem.
He then took us into Arnhem so we could visit
the Hartenstein Hotel, the British HQ during
the fighting. It is now a museum which houses
many relics from Market Garden and is a must
see for anyone wanting to study the battle. More
sightseeing followed which included the John Frost
Bridge and then lunch with Jos. We got to learn
a little about the Dutch police and afterwards
Jos very kindly showed us his super modern
home built very close to the Polish drop zone. He
introduced us to his family and we were genuinely
touched by the hospitality he extended to us. Jos
then returned us to our campsite which gave us
the opportunity to show our appreciation to him
by presenting him with a West Mercia Police IPA
limited edition framed print by the artist Jedd.
Jos, not being a man prone to big cheesy grins,
seemed very pleased when we handed it to him.
Our fourth day gave us the opportunity to do a
little driving and visit Overloon and the largest
military vehicle museum in the Netherlands. We
were fortunate that it hosted a large number
of vintage half-tracks and trucks which were in
working order and offered rides round an off road
track. There was a large number of international
visitors for this special open day but the
permanent exhibits were highly impressive. We
left having taken hundreds of photos with which to
bore wives and friends back home.
We barely had time to reflect on our four days
before hitting the road to catch our return train
by Eurotunnel. We emerged back in the UK
feeling tired but pleased with our first IPA trip. The
planning for the next one has already begun!
Dave Meyer, Shropshire branch
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Article
POLICE WORLD Vol 59 No. 1, 2014
Jos and Dave with the Jedd print
Some of the hardware on display