The war graves of the liberators from the Second World War will be lit on Christmas Eve in Eindhoven and Mierlo. Candles will be placed at more than a thousand graves. “It is a moment for the community to reflect on the liberation and the sacrifices made.”
This tradition was started in 1991 by Leena van Dam. She placed candles on war graves throughout the country. It is now done at 485 locations and more than 26,000 graves worldwide.
Mierlo
In Mierlo, the liberation fire from Bayeux will be symbolically transferred to Mayor Jos van Bree and youth mayor Stan van Steenbergen. Together with schoolchildren, veterans, and other interested parties, they will light the candles. The British Field of Honour will be the graves of 655 soldiers.
The programme will be accompanied by music, including trumpeter Guus van Gogh and singer Audrey Smits. Lody van den Berg, who has been committed to commemorating the liberators for years, will give the welcoming speech.
After the vandalism of the British War Cemetery, Lody and his wife Johanna Stam Melanson have always striven for a commemoration in which children are a part. This year marks the eighth time that primary school children from Geldrop-Mierlo will place candles on war graves.
Van den Berg looks with pride at the tradition that he and his wife have set up. “It is essential to commemorate our freedom and show respect for the fallen,” he says.
Eindhoven
The tradition of lighting candles on Christmas Eve is now firmly established in Eindhoven as well. At the De Oude Toren cemetery, 686 Allied war graves will be illuminated. This symbolic action is organised by the 18 September Foundation and the Gravenstichting Brabant.
Fifteen minutes before the ceremony begins, they will ring the bells of the church tower at the cemetery. After the placing of the candles, a subdued ceremony follows, in which a Heritage Bearer, a young person who tells the stories of the elderly, will give a lecture. The meetings in Mierlo and Eindhoven both start at half past four.
Source: Studio040
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