Nijmegen Bridge
During a recent visit to Germany I went with my friend Peter Donnison to the Marina Strijensas in Holland to spend a couple of days fixing a winter cover over his and his wife Petra's Hallberg-Rassy 352 yacht. It just so happened that our route from Meerbusch (near Düsseldorf) to the marina took us via the Dutch town of Nijmegen and over the famous Nijmegen bridge (a Google search for "Nijmegen bridge" reveals why the bridge is so famous).
We stopped whilst I took a few photographs of the bridge, because my father, Kenneth Taylor, spent a few weeks there and in Nijmegen itself during the Allied advances in 1944. His experiences are recorded in his war diary. Since then he has never returned to Nijmegen so I took the photos for old times' sake.
The Nijmegen bridge crosses the Waal river, which in Germany is the Rhine (Rhein) and on whose banks stands Düsseldorf and further south, Cologne (Köln). It seems rather odd that the great river Rhine never makes it to the sea in its own name, much better known than the Waal (unless you were defending the Nijmegen bridge in 1944).
Under the bridge: "Jonathan" (Seagull)
In 2003 Peter and Petra took six months off to sail their yacht – "Jonathan" – from Düsseldorf through Holland (passing under the Nijmegen bridge), along the English Channel, down the Bay of Biscay and into the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar, then returning northwards (under engine power) up the Rhone and other rivers and finally passing again under the Nijmegen bridge en route back to their starting point at Düsseldorf. Of course they stopped at various interesting places along the way, and in Peter's words, a good harbour has to be earned. An online illustrated diary of their trip – in German – can be found here.
"Jonathan" (photo by Patrick Taylor)
Pictured above is "Jonathan" (Seagull) in dry dock at the Marina Strijensas on 12th October 2005, before we put the winter cover on. The yacht is beautiful inside and out. Its name comes from a 1970 story by Richard Bach called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Pete and I slept very comfortably on board (see Hallberg-Rassy 352 interior) but apparently this is not the same as sleeping on the boat when it is actually at sea.
The wooden struts visible in the picture are not part of the boat but are to support the two-piece cover which is draped over the boom and spinnaker pole, which are also supported on wooden struts. A commercially manufactured cover would be very expensive because of the complexity of fitting it around the shape of the boat and all the shrouds and other wires. So, with just a little help from me, Pete has made the cover from a large rectangular plastic sheet cut into two, one part in front of the mast and the other behind. It was fun, but not as much fun as when we flew our model aeroplanes and boomerangs together in our early teens 45 years ago.
Personally, I could never take on the responsibility of a sea-going yacht, even if I had the time and money. For me, sailing is (or was) a contact sport and a boat – a racing dinghy in my case – just a weapon. But I can understand the satisfaction in the challenge of mastering seamanship and navigating the world's oceans not only oneself but in harmony with a crew of like-minded people.
hello,
My name is Anton Kuipers and I live in Nijmegen.
I read youre story about the Nijmegen Bridge (liberated by the famous 82-th airborne division).
Much to my surprise I read that you think the rhine doesn't reaches the sea by its own name. The Rhine however does reaches the sea by its own name, only it floads unther the even more famous Arnhem Bridge (the so called bridge to far…) which is situated 20 KM to the north. The Waal is a split from the Rhine. For your information in 1944 the allied forces had to cross 3 dutch rivers and two canals to get to Germany.
Greetings
Greetings, and thanks for the comments. About two thirds of the Rhine's water volume does become the Waal, going west where the river splits just before Nijmegen. The other third goes north to Arnhem where it divides again, part going west as the Neder Rhine (Nederrijn) and reaching the sea at Rotterdam (by which time is has become the Lek), and part going north as the IJssel to the IJsselmeer (all this is according to my atlas).
Although he wasn't there under ideal circumstances in 1944, at the time my father became fond of Nijmegen and its people, and thought it would be a nice place to live. He was the Signals Officer in the 6th Battalion of Green Howards and he remembers that when he arrived at Nijmegen with the advancing British land forces in September 44, he found a lot of radio equipment abandoned at the bridge by the US 82nd Airborne.
As an aside, I wonder if Rembrandt van Rijn's name somehow relates to the Rhine (van Rijn = "from Rhine?").
I am interested in gathering information on Navigating on the River Rhine. Can you help me please?
Elmo, it wasn't me who sailed down the Rhine. It was my friends Peter and Petra Donnison who live in the Rhineland. I'm not a sailor myself, so I'm sorry I can't really help.
I would begin by searching Google, Yahoo! and MSN Search for phrases like "navigate rhine", "rhine navigation charts", "rhine sailing navigation", etc. Good luck!
I found your website whilst "googling" for two of the place names (Conde-sur-Noireau and Nijmegen) where I knew my grandfather, George Jackson, had been whilst serving in the Army as an Ack Ack gunner. We have a photo of him on the gun which we got from the Imperial War Museum Archives. It is taken in the height of a battle at Conde-sur-Noireau. Your father mentions "our guns" in his diary.
I have so little information about my grandfather's war service that I was absolutely delighted to have found your father's War Diary [see Friday 11 August, 44] and your excellent explanation of the organisation of the Allied Expeditionary Force. My grandad was a Yorkshireman from Leeds but somehow or other ended up with a Middlesex RA HAA regiment (we think!). It is very difficult therefore to trace his service record.
He hardly ever talked about what happened to him other than refusing to take the copy of the photograph from the IWM Archives because it brought back so many bad memories for him. He was the only survivor of the crew pictured on it. My mum remembers him coming home from the war and having nightmares for months afterwards and terrible pains in his shoulder and arm (which plagued him for the rest of his years) from loading the shells.
Thank you for publishing the diary on your site. It is a very emotional account and a wonderful legacy of the bravery of so many men at that time.
Debbie, thanks for the interesting and generous comment. I'd love to see that photo – the battle at Conde-sur-Noireau. I'm sure my father would also. And yes, men were brave – women too.
Debbie, please could you contact me on tomrobinson1980 @ yahoo.co.uk (leave out spaces between the @). I am also researching my Grandfather's war history and he crossed the bridge at Nijmegen with a HAA regiment. If they were in the same regiment – great I have quite a lot of information obtained from the Royal Artillery Archives.
Patrick, if you could pass on email details of Debbie I would be very grateful!
Many thanks
Tom Robinson
Tom, I can't really pass on Debbie's email address without her approval as this would contravene my privacy policy. However, I have written to her saying she might be interested in your comment. Hopefully you will receive a response sooner or later.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your research!
[Debbie approved. Thanks Debbie.]
My late father in law Major General Anthony Jones MC was awarded his bravery medal for his action in defusing the Nimegen Bridge in 1944 as a young Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers attached to the Guards Armoured Brigade which was part of XXX Corps. In the book "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan, General Horrocks the Corps commander is quoted as saying "he is the bravest of the brave" when referring to my father in law.
To speak to him about his exploits was not easy as he was an extremely modest man. Apparently some days before, he defused two lesser unnamed bridges under withering fire but there was no one there to observe his brave actions!! How ironic. There is an excellent photo of him in the book.
I have a photograph of my uncle "tot", which was his nickname, surrendering to the germans, actually on the bridge with his hands up and a gun pointing at him. His version of events aren't quite the same as documented in the famous film, i would have to ask my Dad if any of you doubt me about actuall facts, but the true events that took place apparently differed from the ones widely portraid on TV and also in a lot of the history books.
Martyn, I'd very much like to see that photo of your uncle on the Nijmegen Bridge.
I've just seen alan westcob's post about Major General Tony Jones. I knew him quite well especially after he retired and I can absolutely confirm what an outstandingly modest and charming man he was. I'm ex-army (RE) and married to an army wife and I know what fatheads senior army officers can be when they like! But Tony was a hugely intelligent and educated man and his repution in the Engineers was without parallel – his bravery was a byword – we could never understand why Tony was passed over; he would have made a terrific Chief of the Army Staff.
bcowley@globalnet.co.uk
Bernard, I'd be happy to pass on your comment to Alan Westcob, in case he isn't keeping tabs on this page.
Patrick, that would be very kind of you. Best wishes
Update: "Jonathan", Peter and Petra Donnison's Hallberg-Rassy 352 yacht, is now for sale (located Holland).
I am writing a book about the wartime adventures of Lt.Cdr John Bridge RNVR who defused the mine under the bridge at Nijmegen. (Mentioned by Gordon Brown in his recent publication 'Wartime Courage.'
A week or so after the bridge had been captured by British and American troops 12 German frogmen swam down for Emmerich in Germany (about 12 miles away) and laid mines on the rail bridge and the road bridge at Nijmegen. The rail bridge blew up but only one section of the carriageway of the road bridge suffered any damage.
General Horrocks sent for John Bridge who was in Antwerp to come and deal with one of the mines which was seen below the water attached to one of the bridge's abutments and which hadn't exploded.
John was the longest serving member of the bomb and mine disposal section of the RVNR and was the most highly decorated naval officer(for bravery) with the George Cross, George Medal and Bar and King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.
The story of how he managed to get the one ton mine out of the river and defuse it was reported in The Times and other papers at the time but when he returned to his base in Antwerp his Commanding Officer said to him "I should like to recommend you for another gong but you have had your quota."
He left the Navy in 1946 and later became a much respected Director of Education for Sunderland. He died in 2006 at the age of 91. The naval diving centre in Portsmouth is named after him.
Alan, many thanks for your interesting comment. I wish you every success with the forthcoming book. I'd like to know its title, when it's available.
Update: the boat has now been sold.
Hi Patrick, I've only just discovered your website. My late father served with Tony Jones from sometime before D Day untill the end of the War. He spoke very highly of him and was very proud to class him a friend and army colleague. I have at least 2 photos, 1 of their unit (1 Troop, 14th Field Squadron Royal Engineers, Guards Armoured Div. 30 Corps) just before leaving for France in May 1944 & 1 of Tony Jones, my Father and another soldier. I'm sure Alan Westcob would be interested if you would be so kind as to pass this info. onto him.
just found your site whilst brousing what an interesting site.(ex army wallah REME)
Hi all, I am Dutchmen working on a webpage about the battle at Nijmegen, so if you are a veteran or are family of a vetaran that fought at Nijmegen then please please please contact me !
I do hope those already posted before me such as Paul Smith and Alan Westcob will contact me at abrg@planet.nl
A big THANKS in advance !
Patrick, if you want to know about British Royal Artillery units fighting in the Netherlands I suggest following page. Contact the webmaster, he is a good friend of mine.
http://www.royalartilleryunitsnetherlands1944-1945.com/