MEMORABILIA MOBILIZATION AND MAY DAYS

Although the fighting lasted only a few days in May 1940, the events changed the lives of thousands of soldiers. The mobilized soldiers and men experienced impressive and traumatic things that they would never forget. More than 500 soldiers died in the Grebbe Line alone.

Memorabilia was sold on the Grebbeberg; objects that were supposed to keep the memory of May 1940 alive. Collectors searched the battlefield for pieces of equipment.

Top display plate

The top display plate contains bookends and books that appeared shortly after May 1940.

Two middle display plates

The second display plate shows a gas mask, a storm dagger and a prayer card.

On the plate below is a memorial plate in Delft blue colors. The sign was made in 1995 for veterans who were stationed in Scherpenzeel in May 1940. A second memorial plate bears the text ‘Lost young, early with God’ (‘Jong verloren, vroeg bij God’). The soldier shown is Kees de Jong who was killed at De Klomp. The photo frame, a prayer card and his last letter from the trench also remind us of him.

Bottom display plate

On the base plate is a memorial stone with a lion, which was bricked into a reconstruction farm in the Voorposten between Ede and Veenendaal. This sign was allowed to be applied during the occupation, but the crown and the bundle of arrows are missing.