War Memorial WWII

 memorial, Second World War 1939-1945, place with historical importance, war memorial

The Memorial Royal Engineers (RE) and Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE) Driel commemorates the evacuation of the survivors of the 1st British Airborne Division from Oosterbeek. This evacuation with the codename operation 'Berlin' took place on the evening and night of the 25th and 26th of September 1944. The storm and assault boats which made it possible to evacuate the troops on the north side of the river, went back and forth over the river along two routes.
Along the western route boated the 553rd Field Company RE and the 20th Field Company RCE. Along the eastern route were the 260th Field Company RE with the 23rd Field Company RCE. When the evacuation was halted around 06:00 approximately 2,400 men who had been held up at the North side had been transferred. Those who remained at the North side waiting to be picked up were made prisoners-of-war.
The front of the memorial states:

"25/26 SEPTEMBER 1944"
"...THEY WERE JUST WHISPERS AND SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT..."

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