Annual National Remembrance Ceremony in London - United Kingdom
Annual National Remembrance Ceremony in London
We wholeheartedly invite you to join us for the Annual National Remembrance Ceremony, the 'Dodenherdenking', at the Netherlands Field of Honour, Mill Hill, London, on 4 May 2022.
Location
Netherlands Field of Honour, Mill Hill Cemetery, London, NW7 2RR.
Time
Wednesday 4 May 2022 at 7.30 pm BST. Meet at the chapel, to then walk up to the Fields of Honour.
Please make sure to be at the Netherlands Field of Honour at by 7:50pm at the latset, so as not to disturb the ceremony.
The ceremony will be held in Dutch.
Dodenherdenking
The National Remembrance Ceremony, 'Dodenherdenking', commemorates all Dutch civilians and military personnel who have been killed as a result of hostilities, terrorism and during peacekeeping operations since the outbreak of WWII in the Netherlands and anywhere else in the world.
Every year, a National Remembrance Ceremony is held in Dutch at the Netherlands Field of Honour in London, England. The last two years have seen the ceremony take place online, but this year we are pleased to welcome attendance in person.
This beautiful poem was written by Eva Pronk (15) for Dodenherdenking in Amsterdam in 2020
Vrijheid
de oude man
verstopte joden op zijn zolder,
drukte illegale kranten
en hielp Engelse piloten.
hij loog voor het leven.
hij loog voor de vrijheid.
-
de vrouw
in de kelder
liet wanneer de vliegtuigen overvlogen
bange mannen, vrouwen en kinderen
schuilen voor de bommen.
zij stond voor het leven.
zij stond voor de vrijheid.
-
de jongen
net achttien
opgeroepen
om te vechten aan het front
nam afscheid van zijn moeder
en zou haar nooit meer zien.
-
hij vocht voor zijn leven.
hij vocht voor de vrijheid.
deze helden.
gewone mensen zoals jij en ik.
kozen ervoor te vechten
voor de vrijheid.
-
als een van deze helden
hier niet voor had gekozen.
was mijn opa dan geboren
had ik dan geleefd?
The ceremony at Mill Hill, London
During the ceremony at Mill Hill, pupils from the Dutch Regenboogschool will recite poems they have written. In the week before the ceremony, the Defence Department of the Netherlands Embassy and Ds Bertjan van de Lagemaat of the Dutch Church will discuss freedom and reconciliation with the pupils.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Karel van Oosterom will lay a wreath on behalf of the Dutch Government. Other wreaths will be placed on behalf of the Netherlands Armed Forces, Engelandvaarders, Vereniging Neerlandia and the Dutch Church.
Directions
By car from London
Take A1 towards the North until Mill Hill Circus roundabout. Take roundabout fully, return on A1 towards London for 50 metres. Turn left before Esso Station (Daws Lane B1416). Turn right at next T-junction, follow Wise Lane. Cemetry at the end, free parking.
By public transport
The closest station is Mill Hill East Underground Station on Northern Line. 15-minute walk to the cemetery.
Information about National Remebrance Ceremonies and more is available (in Dutch) from Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.
Poems
Pupils of the 'Regenboog School' (Rainbow School), a Dutch school in London, made poems to commemorate the victims.
