Whemerstraat, Aalten
The war memorial on the Wheme was erected in memory of all fellow citizens who died during the occupation years as a result of acts of war. The memorial also commemorates the liberation.
The establishment of the memorial was an initiative of the Monument Foundation 1940-1945 committee. Immediately after the liberation, the population of Aalten felt the need to honour the war victims with a monument.
The monument consists of a statue of a male figure with a woman and child. The sculpture of French limestone is placed on a terrace. The pedestal consists of masonry, concrete and natural stone. The memorial is 1 meter 31 high, 1 meter 43 wide and 90 centimeters deep.
The monument was unveiled on 16 June 1956 by Hendrik Jan (Uncle Jan) Wikkerink, leader of the former resistance movement in Aalten.
The text on the pedestal reads:
OM TE DOEN
GEDENKEN
1940 – 1945
(‘TO COMMEMORATE’)
The group faces south from where the tribulation, but also the deliverance, came. Artist Bé Thoden van Velzen described the sculpture as follows: “… representing man, woman and child, as a symbol of the entire Dutch people, expectantly looking forward to liberation, unbowed and unweakened.”
Features
| Function | Monument |
| Disclosure | 1956 |
Sources
- National Committee 4 and 5 May
- Aalten in Wartime, J.G. ter Horst
- Man & Animal in Stone & Bronze, by Peter and René van der Krogt
- National Hiding Museum, Aalten
- De Gelderlander, 18 June 1956
- De Graafschapbode, 18 June 1956
