Three Cadets recently returned from the annual Arnhem March here are two accounts of their experiences
An account of the 2018 Arnhem March
August 2018, myself and three other cadets: Cdt Ailish Burke, Cpl Rose Johnston, and Cdt Louie Burn went to Arnhem and completed the Arnhem march.The march is to remember the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. It is the largest one day march in the world and is held every first Saturday of September. We walked 15 kilometres. During the week, we visited two commemorative memorials and placed a cross on one of the graves with our own names on it. We visited two museums and were able to see what life was like in the battle of Arnhem in 1944. Hartenstein airborne museum was one of the many museums in Arnhem; we were lucky to visit it. Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery was the other museum that we visited.On the march, we saw lots of German and Dutch soldiers and were able to swap our goods with them. We visited the John Frost bridge which was rebuilt and was one of the last bridges left from Arnhem battle. The bridge was a fantastic experience - it was eye opening. All in all, Arnhem was brilliant and I would definitely recommend it for anybody that is thinking about going - it is a great opportunity so take it!
Cdt Anna Burke, 495 Squadron
Real Life Tales
We were accompanied throughout the trip by Flight Lieutenant Carpenter, the Wing Sports Officer. She shared her stories that her Granddad use to tell her, about the war and how he survived such a dangerous battle. This was so interesting!
Flt Lt Carpenter told us about her Granddad getting shot and how he
always wore his shirt to hide his scar. However one summer it was extremely warm that he took off his shirt. She described the scar and said she could fit her two fingers inside the hole in his shoulder.
We visited a museum where Flt Lt Carpenter's Granddad was on a video describing his time in the war. Usually i wouldn't like listening to the voice recording and i prefer looking at visual objects form the war, however her Granddad's event changed my opinion. It was so engaging and informative! One event he told was when he was injured and was laying on the floor on the battlefield. A German soldier stood over him and he said in the video "I thought this was the last of me", but it wasn't instead the German soldiers helped him up and brought him to hospital. This shocked me a lot because everyone believed that an enemy wouldn't help. Flt Lt Carpenter also told us about her Granddads time in hospital after his injury. She said "while laying in a hospital bed a German man in the other bed placed his hand out and my granddad and this German solider laid there holding hands". Offering each other comfort.
Having listened to the events shared by Flt Lt Carpenter's Granddad, it helps us fully understand their feelings of that period and some of the emotions they felt.
Cpl Rose Johnston, 495 Squadron
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