White Ribbon Mile

White Ribbon Mile is more than a white ribbon. It is the lifeline of Hope!

Imagine you are a soldier during the Battle of Arnhem. The battle is fierce, bitter and hopeless. Many of your comrades have been killed or wounded. You are exhausted, hungry and think you won’t survive. Then word comes that the operation is being called off and the remaining soldiers are being evacuated. Market Garden failed. It is Monday, September 25, 1944.

That night it rains heavily and it is pitch dark. That’s a good thing, because the British, Dutch and Polish soldiers are surrounded by Germans who are still fighting the fierce battle. From Hartestein via the Oude Kerk in Oosterbeek, the harsh return journey goes through the forests and meadows to the Rhine. There the soldiers will cross the river to liberated territory. Leaving their wounded comrades behind. They see almost nothing and don’t know the way. And the enemy is everywhere. Rain hits their faces. It’s hard to be silent. Some take off their boots. A brilliant find is the white ribbon of parachute fabric that marks the route. A beacon that you should not lose sight of.

The White Ribbon Mile is a short walk that symbolizes the harsh journey and is marked with a white ribbon, just like then. The route from the Oude Kerk in Oosterbeek to the memorial monument near the Rhine is only accessible for three weeks a year. The ultimate opportunity to experience, learn, remember and honor on site.

The White Ribbon Mile Silent Tour takes place every year on September 25 at 9 p.m. from the Oude Kerk in Oosterbeek. After playing the “last post” and observing 1 minute of silence, you are invited to lay a flower at the monument in memory of this period. It is the formal conclusion of the Airborne activities in the municipality of Renkum.