British Forces

Liberated at last...

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Sherman tanks of the British 8th Armoured Brigade (possibly 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards) and a Chevrolet truck leading ambulances through Amsterdamerstraße in Kevelaer, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 4 March 1945. Local 17 year old Kevelaer eye-witness, Heinz van Lipzig, "My father wanted to buy a caravan and horse to move away from home and the fighting, but I was able to talk him out of this idea by telling him that the end could not be far away. I did not know what was to happen a few days later. On the morning of the 3rd March 1945 I woke up to find myself surrounded by British soldiers. The war was over, at least for my family and me." "Armed with machine guns mounted on a pram the soldiers made their way through Kevelaer – the first town they had found which was reasonably intact. Soon the people of Kevelaer put out the white flags and tried to adapt to the new situation. A camp for displaced persons, mainly Dutch, French and Italian was set up. They were housed in tents, hotels and churches and my job was to find plates and cutlery for them. I remember one morning I went into a bombed hotel which had a bowling club. Hearing shots I was curious to find out what was going on. Two British soldiers were enjoying themselves playing 'bowls' in their own way – namely firing pistols at the pins!" (read more -http://bills/-bunker.de/185101.html) (Source - IWM B15147) Sgt. Hutchinson No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit (Colourised by Richard James Molloy from the UK) taken fromFB