Remembering Together

In the 11th and final episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan speaks with Gerben van den Berg, Director of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May. They discuss the tradition of annual commemorations and celebrations in The Netherlands and the key role the Committee plays in them. While coordinating these events is a key function, the Committee’s work goes beyond that. Gerben describes their mission to preserve the memory of the Second World War, particularly among younger generations, and how they realise meaningful and diverse ways of remembrance.

In this episode, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan visits the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek and speaks with museum Director Esther Horsten who grew up in the region. The Freedom Museum is located in the area of two of the most important operations on the Western Front during World War 2: Operation Market Garden and Operation Veritable. The museum not only remembers the liberation of Groesbeek and the Netherlands, but highlights a broader theme of war and freedom. By offering interactive exhibits and telling personal stories, they aim to bring history alive for their visitors, encouraging reflection on the Second World War but also making connections with today's world and more recent struggles for freedom.

In the 9th episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan was in Oosterbeek to speak with Sophie ter Horst, whose mother became known as the ‘Angel of Arnhem’.  Sophie and her family took in over 300 wounded soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem. They discuss the history of the Battle of Arnhem through touching personal stories of the soldiers that were taken care of by Sophie’s family.

In the 8th episode of our Remembering Together podcast, Deputy Ambassador Keith Allan speaks with Simon Bendry, Head of Education and Volunteering at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Keith and Simon discuss the important work of the CWGC and their care for 23,000 war memorials and war cemeteries around the world. They also discuss the public engagement work of the CWGC in telling the stories of those that sacrificed their lives for our freedom and their other efforts to ensure they are not forgotten. Through personal stories, Keith and Simon reflect on why it is important to keep the memory of this period alive today.

In this episode, Ambassador Joanna Roper speaks with UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues and current Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Lord Pickles and General Director of the Jewish National Quarter Emile Schrijver and visits the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam. They delve into the work of the National Holocaust Museum, the role of the UK in remembrance and tackling antisemitism through their Presidency of the IHRA, the importance of commemorating and of educating and involving the younger generation.