The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

This commemorative march is a tribute to the sacrifices of the allied soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem (Sept. 17-26, 1944). The march is held annually on the first Saturday in September.

To highlight the start of the commemorations, a special arch is placed in Oosterbeek on the first Monday of July, drawing attention to the Airborne March and the subsequent commemorations.

Walkers, individuals, groups, and families can choose from four routes. Each route passes historical locations. Among them are the landing zones (Wolfheze and Renkum) of the paratroopers and the gliders, the advance routes, the Airborne Cemetery, the Old Church (used as an emergency hospital) and Museum Hartenstein (the British Headquarters). At the official start at 11 a.m., English and Polish Airborne veterans will be the first to lay a wreath at a small monument. On the routes, only on that day, there will be large frames with photos from 1944 with further explanation. At the cemetery, the walkers will be guided by means of text and explanation and a hand-out with stories about the fallen. A visit to the Airborne Cemetery is a moving and emotional moment for everyone during the march.

The entry of all walkers is graced by approx. 25 bands. Everyone receives a medal upon entry.

Young people are involved in the historical ideas of the Airborne March through a special youth project. By answering questions, they gain insight into the history, at schools drawings are made with the theme Freedom, the maker of the best drawing lays a wreath together with the mayor on September 17. The side activities that are organised are always in the spirit of the project.

Community

The march is organised by the Politie Sport Vereniging Renkum (Police Sport Association Renkum) with the assistance of many volunteers.

The walkers come from about 25 countries. They participate individually, in organised groups (civilian and military) or in family groups (often with three generations together). The foreign, mostly military, participants see their participation as an enrichment of their knowledge of local and international history.

By being present at the opening and also walking along, the mayor and the aldermen of Renkum and the councillors show their involvement.

The long-standing co-operation with scouting shows their dedication and commitment to the Airborne March.

Also Scarabee/ ArtBorne has been an indispensable partner for the marching day for years. In a creative way, they focus the walkers on themes such as peace, safety, and justice.

History

The Airborne March has been held in groups and associations since 1947. In the early years, the organisation was in the hands of the local/municipal police and the tour was quite basic.

From the very first tour, Dutch soldiers and veterans have participated, but in the course of time, because of the historical connection with England, many British soldiers have also participated. For the English Arnhem/Oosterbeek is a kind of 'holy' ground, the sacrifices in 1944 still appeal to the imagination of almost all English. From the 1960s onwards more and more British veterans came to Oosterbeek. They stayed with guest families and were involved in all memorial activities in the month of September.

As a result of the increasing interest, in the 1950s and 1960s the Airborne March was also opened up to individual walkers and the number of routes was increased to four.

Since the Dutch missions in, for instance, Lebanon and Yugoslavia (in the 80s and 90s) more and more Dutch soldiers and veterans who served in later missions also participate. Commemorating other missions is personal; everyone can commemorate whatever they want during the Airborne March. Through word-of-mouth, interest has continued to grow each year. At the 70th edition in 2016, 36,000 walkers participated. The most important innovation in 2015 was inviting Airborne veterans from 1944. They were already often present at the commemorations, but from 2015 they will be invited on a structural basis. Their presence has greatly increased the emotional value of the heritage and the march.

In recent years German military groups have also taken part in the Airborne March, which in the past was very emotionally charged, but has now been fully accepted.

Safeguarding

Safeguard actions 2021-2024

  • As part of the communication plan, a communication and social media plan was drawn up, in which the activities are mentioned per period, per target group.
  • More attention will be paid to expanding/deepening the youth project.
  • There will be more consultation with the Airborne Museum about the historical context and possible ways to transfer knowledge.
  • The cooperation with scouting and ArtBorne will be continued. We are going to look at how the cooperation can be deepened.
  • New volunteers will be actively recruited and investments will be made in the retention of current volunteers.
  • In cooperation with the municipality, a solution will be sought for people with a small budget in order to keep the event accessible for all target groups.
  • Internally, we are thinking about how the income can be allocated to other purposes after the loss of the last surviving veterans.
  • The coming period will be used to extend the range of ideas, including a broader commemoration month. We want to do this carefully.

Contact

Politie Sport Vereniging 'Renkum' /Airborne Wandeltocht
Oosterbeek