The story of an end but also of a beginning of 80 years friendship

The end occurred on 12 October 1944 in a minefield near Overloon, Boxmeer Municipality, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. The news reached Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, sometime later via telegram. Local Mrs Joyce Yapp told me that she never forgot, as a young girl, seeing Bill’s mother Nellie Lucas, and Bill’s wife Emma Beatrice “Cis” Lucas, telegram in hand coming down Bishop’s Castle High Street in their great distress. Thomas Lucas, Coldstream Guards 4th Battalion, Sergeant 2660946 in command of a tank, was KIA (killed in action).

Young Nellie Akkermans, aged about 13 or 14, from Maashees en Overloon embraced the invitation to care for two graves of the fallen soldiers at Overloon on behalf of the British families who lived far away. A connection blossomed via correspondence with Bill’s widow and his parents Thomas and Nellie Lucas. 

Nellie took on the tending of two graves, keeping them tidy and taking flowers. To this day, 80 years on, members of the Akkermans family living in Maashees still send photos of the grave of Thomas William Lucas which they have decorated with flowers during remembrance events.

A tragic event in war cemented a friendship between families which has lasted nearly 80 years.

Read about the life of Thomas and the friendship that started after he was killed in action, between his British family and the Dutch family of Nellie Akkermans in the biography of Thomas Lucas.