Overloon War Chronicles Foundation

Overloon War Chronicles Foundation was established in late 2020 initially as Overloon War Cemetery Working Group. Its main objective at that time was to retrieve the photographs and stories of all 281 British servicemen buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Overloon. Soon more initiatives and goals arose, separate from the cemetery.

To this end, the Overloon War Chronicles Foundation was established on 7 July 2021 to bring all projects under the foundation now and in the future. The diversity of tasks and projects, expertise and specialist knowledge are brought together and coordinated here.

The basic aim of all our projects is to keep the history of the Battle of Overloon alive and to propagate it. Both nationally and internationally, also focusing on future generations.

Our Team

Our foundation consists of a diverse number of volunteers who together take care of all the activities and projects we initiate. We can also always count on the support of a number of permanent staff we can call on.

Within the foundation, we work together a lot to find photos and information for biographies, to organise an activity or to chart even better what happened during the Battle of Overloon. In addition, each of us also has our own speciality and interest. We would like to introduce the team to you.

Kamil Aerts

General board member, researcher Overloon inhabitants

Tonnie Ebben

Allround supporter

Hennie de Hoog

Chair

Anny Huberts

General board member, researcher, website publisher, social media

Oscar Huisman

Treasurer, researcher, social media

Sjors Loonen

Allround supporter

Harry Lutters

Adoption project, researcher

Piet Peters

Secretary, researcher Battle of Overloon, Battlefield tours

Gerard Berkers

Allround supporter

Arno van Dijk

Author, Researcher, Special Projects

Iwan van Dijk

Researcher, Special Projects

Projects

Photo project

The said photo project regarding the 281 war graves.
In addition, record the stories of the servicemen concerned for, among others, the relatives of the servicemen concerned. This through our own independent research.

Archive and knowledge projects

Setting up a digital archive relating to the Battle, accessible to all, from the various private archives. Unlocking all digital information.
Setting up a central knowledge centre on the Battle of Overloon and Venray in all its aspects, setting up study groups on specific parts of the Battle and inviting national and international guest speakers. For the time being, the knowledge centre will be located in Groeningen, in the Museum van Postzegel tot Tank.
Setting up education projects for primary and secondary schools.

Grave adoption project

In which individuals, businesses, schools and organisations can adopt one or more British graves in the CWGC cemetery and thus contribute to keeping the memory alive and offering lasting tribute to the servicemen concerned.

Battlefield-tours

Set up battlefield tours for visitors to Overloon and Venray, telling the specific stories at the sites.