in detail
The Netherlands War Graves Foundation was established in 1946. Throughout the world it sees to the upkeep and tending of the graves of Dutch war victims who died after 10 May 1940. The War Graves Foundation laid out cemeteries in the Netherlands and in other European countries (in Germany in particular) as well as in former Dutch colonies in Indonesia in the years following the Second World War.
A 42-volume commemorative book was issued between 1966 and 1971 listing the 125,000 names of those victims who have no final resting place or whose graves are unknown. The majority of these are people who were deported from the Netherlands and were killed during the Second World War in concentration and extermination camps. The commemorative book also includes the names of approximately 100,000 Dutch Jews and German Jews who had fled to the Netherlands.
From 1955 to 1986 remembrance trips for survivors were conducted to concentration camps and cemeteries in Europe. Since 1969 there have been annual trips to war graves in the Far East. Apart from these tasks, the Foundation organizes annual memorial services and the laying of wreaths to commemorate the dead, the provision of information to family members as well as providing information about the Foundation's work.
The Netherlands War Graves Foundation sees to the upkeep and tending of the graves of Dutch civilian and military war victims throughout the world who died after 9 May 1940. A 42-volume commemorative book includes details of those war victims who have no final resting place or whose graves are unknown.
The commemorative book also includes the names of approximately 100,000 Jews who were deported from the Netherlands to concentration and extermination camps.
13 September 1946
Establishment of the War Graves Foundation (OGS) in The Hague.
22 December 1948
Signing of the agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the War Graves Foundation, which regulated the transfer of the maintenance and upkeep of military and civilian Dutch national graves to the foundation.
21 March 1949
First burial on the ‘Dutch Field of Honour’ Loenen, (Appeldoorn).
18 October 1949
Opening of the ‘Dutch Field of Honour’ Loenen by Her Royal Highness Princess Wilhelmina.
1948 to 1951
Transfer of the mortal remains of war victims from Germany to the Netherlands.
1957/58
Laying out of Dutch cemeteries in France, Norway, Austria and the United Kingdom.
1966 to 1971
Preparation of a series of 41 (later 42) commemorative books with the details of 125,000 war victims whose final resting place is unknown.
1 January 2001
Digitization of the information of war victims.
Grebbeberg, 1950, Military Cemetary of Honour, Institute for Military History Den Haag (IMG).
Groningen, 2004, Restoration of letters on a war grave, OGS.
The Hague, 1994, Head Office of the Dutch War Grave Foundation, OGS.
Loenen, 1999, Central Memorial on the Dutch Field of Honour, OGS.
