Special events and ceremonies 2007

ROYAL AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT’s BAND  in concert

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Royal Air Force branch of Luxembourg, the British Embassy in Luxembourg had offered the Royal Air Force Association President’s Band for concerts.  The city of Diekirch was truly privileged as a venue  for one of the concerts to take place on Sunday, August 26, 2007.

Upon arrival of the band, a special ceremony was held at the final resting place of Flying Officer Douglas Cameron at the Diekirch cemetery.  F.O. Cameron died in a crash of his Fairy Battle plane on May 10, 1940 in the perimeter of Diekirch, while attacking German ground units.  After a dedication by Brian Darke, President of the Luxembourg RAFA chapter, taps and musical honors for this fallen British hero, wreaths were place on his grave, as the entire band in uniform had gathered around the grave to pay silent tribute.

The RAFA President's band gathered around the grave of Flying Officer Douglas CAMERON (KIA May 10, 1940) in grateful remembrance of this fallen British hero".

A 90-minute concert attended by many Diekirch citizens and numerous tourists followed thereafter in the main town square.  Band director Peter Stockdale and the RAFA band musicians gave a high quality performance with numerous “evergreens” and a potpourri of modern classical and popular pieces.  This was indeed a great honor and token of friendship to the community of Diekirch.

Because of the "heavy sun" on August 26, 2007, the RAFA Presidents band played under the large umbrella on the concert square in the center of Diekirch.

Solo performers gave a special touch to the high-quality concert..

A tour to the National Museum of Military History with reception and brief visit to the nearby Vianden castle concluded this memorable day.

Thank you again RAFA President’s Band.

BIG MESS KIT BASH

It has become a tradition since the 60th anniversary for the National Museum of Military History to throw at party at the end of the summer season to thank all its dedicated volunteers, staffers, supporters and friends with their families for their great contributions.  This party  - entitled “big mess kit bash” has become very popular indeed, as catering is done in WWII-style GI mess kits and tableware.  The idea was that all volunteers and VIP guests of honor, would enjoy an elaborate meal together as a large museum family out of a simple GI mess kit to underline that “all ranks” participate in a joint effort to promote the museum.  The other idea is to be united in mind and in remembrance of those men and women, who more than  60 years ago had to eat out of mess kits every day during the liberation of Luxembourg.  Finally, as a military museum, there should also be a military touch to social functions, organized by the museum.

This year’s mess kit bash took place on August 25, 2007 in beautiful late summer weather at the NCO club of the Diekirch army barracks and drew close to 60 participants. 

The museum staff thanked all volunteers and their families for their restless efforts and toasted to the success of the museum in an international environment of cooperation and mutual assistance.

The following pictures portray the super atmosphere of a GREAT event to be repeated in 2008, for sure.

Roland RACH, organizer of the 2007 mess kit bash, explaining to "use" and "finer points" of a GI mess kit to the attendees - - some of them had never held a military mess kit in their hands, before.  A great discovery, as the remaining pictures show ....".

May 2007 commemorations

Just as September and December are traditional months in Luxembourg, where the nation remembers the 1944 liberation by U.S. forces and the "Battle of the Bulge", the month of May is another time period with several occasions to pause and reflect on WWII history.

In the context of the “Victory Day in Europe“ commemorations observed throughout Europe, a sizeable tour group of “The Greatest Generations Foundation” visited the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch on May 8, 2007, where they were welcomed by staff members and the museum volunteers. The group consisted of a total of 31 American and Canadian WWII veterans (most of them in their mid- late 80s), escorted by board members of the foundation. The museum’s balanced exhibits were of special interest to the veterans and numerous personal stories emerged. As a special token of appreciation, the veterans were presented with the museum coin and a gift that had been made especially for the 60th anniversary.

The visit was also meant as a first trip overseas in line with the foundation’s goals to bring back to the battlefields veterans and their families. Along that line, a future cooperation between the foundation and the museum was thus begun on that memorable anniversary day, which is May 8.

After the reception offered by the museum board, the tour group also visited the nearby partner -- the General Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbruck and the Luxembourg American cemetery in Hamm, where they were welcomed by a representative of the American Embassy and the superintendent.

Despite their advanced age those American and Canadian WWII veterans made the long trip to Europe, incl. Luxembourg to visit some selected battle sites included the Diekirch museum.

May 10, 2007

May 10 is another day remembered in Luxembourg – especially by senior citizens – as that fateful day (May 10, 1940), 67 years ago, marked the beginning of an almost 5-year nightmare when Luxembourg’s neutrality was violated on the first day of the German army’s campaign in the West and the country subsequently made part of the German national territory under the Nazi rule.

It was also on May 10, 1940 that Royal Airforce pilot Flying Officer Douglas Cameron of the 218th Squadron flew a bombing & strafing mission in his “Fairey Battle” light 3-amn bomber plane attacking advancing German columns. In the late morning, the aircraft was hit by German anti-aircraft fire and went down on the high-ground overlooking the small town of Bettendorf. The unfortunate crew member, F.O. Cameron, was very badly wounded, was attended by German medics and taken to the Diekirch hospital, where unfortunately he died a few hours later. The Germans thereafter buried him in the civilian cemetery of Diekirch.

After 1945 it was Madame Valérie Winter of Diekirch, who “adopted” the grave, where a “Commonwealth Military tombstone” had been erected, and who took care of F.O. Cameron’s final resting place for six decades. After her passing at a high age, Mr. John Neven, son of a Diekirch WWII Luxembourg allied veteran of D-Day 1944, continued her loving care of the grave until he himself died in 2006.

The National Museum of Military History thereafter made a promise to continue the tradition and pay tribute to F.O. Cameron’s grave every year from now on every other May 10. The wreath that was placed on May 10, 2007 on the grave in presence of members of the Royal Airforce association, Luxembourg, board members of the museum and the city Council of Diekirch.

A “crippled” propeller blade of F.O. Cameron’s unfortunate aircraft is still preserved at the Diekirch museum, today!

Flight Officer Douglas Cameron’s grave – visited and honored on May 10, 1940 exactly 67 years after his tragic death – the first day of  the German invasion of Western Europe.  His sacrifice will be remembered.

NB: The black and white pictures show FO Cameron’s crashed “Fairey Battle” aircraft on May 10, 1940 near “Hiertzenhaff” farm, Bettendorf, Luxembourg.

New German Ambassador visits museum

Since the official opening of the National Museum of Military History in 1982, it has become a tradition for newly-accredited German- and U.S. Ambassadors to visit museum, as it reflects on a common history of those dramatic facts that took place in Luxembourg more than 60 years ago.

As such, Dr. Hubertus von Morr was welcomed on March 28, 2007 by Diekirch Mayor Nico Michels as well as Roland Gaul and Dr. Marc Rosch of the museum board for a tour of the exhibits and briefing on the museum’s goals and future projects.  Ambassador von Morr also met with Martine Cellerani, a Luxembourg university student in Germany, currently working on an archival project at the museum’s office and Ashley Barnhill, a young volunteer of Miami University’s (Oxford, Ohio) Luxembourg center helping out with the exploitation of WWII records.

German Ambassador Dr. Hubertus von Morr (3rd from left), welcomed at the museum by Dr. Marc Rosch (Vice-President), Mayor Nico Michels, Roland Gaul (curator), Mariette Theisen (receptionist) and students Ashley Barnhill and Martine Cellerani.

The Ambassador was especially interested in the museum’s “oral history” collection and preservation efforts, which will be at the basis of the planned public “Bulge” documentation & research center.  He added that he would wish that more younger people of all nationalities should visit the museum to reflect on WWII history and the current international relations as an outcome of the WWII aftermath’s reconciliation and international cooperation process.