Upkeep and Maintenance of the cemetery

The Canadian Cemetery in Holten, where 1394 soldiers were laid to rest, is an impressive reminder of the Second World War. A place like this deserves dedicated care and maintenance.

For years now, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission( CWGC) is the organization that has seen to the upkeep of the graves and the maintenance of the gardens and lawns of all the graves of the Commonwealth around the globe (1.7 million graves in 147 countries).

The Netherlands and the Commonwealth

So the upkeep and maintenance are fully administered and paid for from and by the Commonwealth countries ( The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). There is no role for the Netherlands in this. However, there are various small groups of graves of allied soldiers on General Cemeteries in our country. These graves are looked after by the Oorlogsgravenstichting ( the War Graves Foundation). In return, the CWGC maintains Dutch graves abroad.

How can you help?

The CWGC maintains over 19,000 graves in the Netherlands. The 16 gardeners who do this work are employed and paid by this organization. No volunteers are involved in this. But the information center is run by volunteers. And so is the Stichting Viering Nationale Feestdagen (SVNF). They organize the annual 4th of May commemoration and the candle ceremony on Christmas Eve.

Please contact the SVNF or the ICB if you want to keep alive the stories of these soldiers.