Vera Revill and Jean Brown are just two of those who remember watching the parachutists practising for the
drop into Arnhem. Vera used to cycle from Oakham to watch and Jean recalls the excitement when a parachute
didn’t open “Never a thought for the poor soul on the end of it!”
Zetten (Holland) 17th September 1944 - Sophie Hendricks
It is Sunday lunchtime: a beautiful sunny day. My brother (aged 11) and I (aged 15)
interrupt our meal to investigate outside what all the noise is about.
Just at that moment, a low flying plane flies over our house, towing another one.
We surmised that one had engine trouble and the other one was helping him out by
throwing a line to him. Then we saw several planes in a like state. We didn’t realise at
that moment that what we were seeing were gliders.
We dashed off to a high building and stood on top to observe the most marvellous of
spectacles: gliders and parachutes falling down over Arnhem - a dream come true
because we now believed that our liberation had become a reality. However, we had to
wait another six days before the main army entered our village and we met our first
“Tommies”.
It was not the end of the war for us yet, but the Germans had gone and we could put
up with a few “problems” like falling shells, flooding and evacuation.
Peterborough 4th May 2000
These memories are still very vivid. The soldiers have become elderly gentlemen with whom it is good to
reminisce, and I only have to look in the mirror to be reminded of my own age and to be grateful for all those
years of freedom.
Today we remember our fallen and remind ourselves, and our next generations, of the duty of care we have to
preserve this freedom.
Memorial in Parish Church
Langham Village History Group
