"Liberators captured on film, portraits of members of the Allied Forces in Nijmegen, 1944-1945
Het Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (the regional archives of Nijmegen) has received a collection of 684 pictures of Allied soldiers who were involved in the liberation of Nijmegen in World War II, or who were stationed at Nijmegen afterwards. The collection was donated by ‘Foto Verweij’, a photography shop in Nijmegen. The photos were taken following Operation Market Garden, at the end of 1944 and in the beginning of 1945, when Nijmegen was a frontline city. A number of photos depict soldiers and Dutch civilians, probably citizens of Nijmegen. Some soldiers have been photographed several times. In total the collection contains more than 650 soldiers, most of them British.
Not many Americans have been photographed. This has to do with the way the war developed in Nijmegen. Although the city was liberated by the Americans, they were replaced by the British and Canadian troups in november 1944. These troups were part of a new front, intended to liberate the part of the country that was still occupied. This could explain the large number of British soldiers amongst the photo collection.
Little is known about the identity of these soldiers. In some cases we have established that they are British or American, but that is all we know.
All pictures are categorised according to names, nationalities, army divisions or other specifications. If you recognise a person, you could help us in our search for more details. With your help we can identify these soldiers.
If you have any photos of Nijmegen during the years 1940-1945, we would like to receive a scan. You can use this form.
Do you recognise anybody?
It will be very difficult to describe every photo in detail. However, each contribution enriches the digital memory of our liberators. A name can mean a lot to somebody who is searching the internet for information on the Allied Forces and on the Second World War. Thanks to you someone may obtain a picture (maybe the last one ever taken) of a family member which was taken in Nijmegen over sixty years ago. If you have any information about one of the unknown soldiers, please add it.
Show more
625 photos · 14,196 views
By: Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse"
