GUARDS' REMEMBRANCE ASSOCIATION OF THE NETHERLANDS

The Guards' Remembrance Association of the Netherlands (GRA) is special part of the Trooping the Colour Table of the 'Nieuwe of Littéraire Soci?teit De Witte' (De Witte Society), a private members club in The Hague. 

The Trooping the Colour Table was established in 1992 and comprises professional men from both military and civilian backgrounds who are closely involved with or have a strong interest in the ceremonies and protocol of the armed forces of the Netherlands and Great Britain, and their traditions and history. 

The Trooping the Colour Table grew from a company who have had the privilege to visit the Queen’s Birthday Parade at Horse Guard Parade in London over a period of almost forty years, regardless of the weather.

With dining and socialising as another raison d'etre of the club, the table has monthly meetings at De Witte Society in The Hague. 

In preparation for the celebrations of 75 years of liberation, in 2020 the Table has established the Guards' Remembrance Association of the Netherlands (GRA). The GRA sets out to commemorate the many British Guardsmen who sacrificed their lives during the Second World War, both during May, 1940, and during the Liberation of the Netherlands in 1944 and 1945. 

Therefore we have adopted three Guards' war graves in the Netherlands.

Last weekend, on Dutch Remembrance Day, 4th May, members of the Guards’ Remembrance Association of the Netherlands held a ceremony at the graves of the guardsmen who sacrificed their lives for the safe escort of members of the Dutch Royal family from occupied territory. On May 13th, Queen Wilhelmina left for England from the Hook of Holland on board a British destroyer. She was escorted to Hook by Royal Marines, and Irish- and Welsh Guards. Eleven Guardsmen lost their lives then and were laid to rest in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Hook of Holland.

In addition to these activities, the GRA is researching the history of Guards Regiments in the Low Countries from the Eighty Years' War onwards, and raising awareness of the role the Guards have played through the recent history of the Netherlands.

The Guards' Remembrance Association of the Netherlands works together with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Dutch War Graves Foundation and the Royal British Legion

Committee Members 

J.J. (Jan Jaap) van Weering, Chairman

H. (Hubert) van Veen LLM, Vice Chairman / Secretary

M.J. (Thijs) van Leeuwen, Committee Spokesman