Memoirs

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World War II memoirs offer personal insights into the experiences of soldiers, civilians, and leaders. These accounts preserve firsthand memories of the war’s horrors, heroism, and enduring human impact.

The 6th Guards Tank Brigade emblem and the cities on their route

Tank Driver Bob Dare recounts the fate of the Jackal in the Battle of Overloon, Netherlands

John Collier was a wireless operator/ loader on Cheetah of Number 2 Squadron of the Coldstream Guards of …

Posted June 15, 2015 (updated March 5, 2025) by Patrick

Jan van Driel – How a Forced Labourer ended up in Sweden during 1944

A few years after the outbreak of the second world war, probably around 1943, the Germans ordered all …

Posted July 3, 2014 (updated May 1, 2025) by Patrick

Arbeitseinsatz – Forced labour at the Sigla Sicherheitsglas G.m.b.H. company in Gross Kunzendorf N.L. – Poland

Hendrik (Henk) Hoogendoorn was born on the 1st of February 1921, my grandfather was just 19 years of …

Posted February 7, 2014 (updated February 14, 2025) by Patrick

The Jackal; a Churchill tank left behind in the forgotten Battle of Overloon

On 27 may in 2013 the Scouts received an email from Christine; "My mother and I are travelling …

Posted September 17, 2013 (updated May 5, 2025) by Patrick

Arbeitseinsatz II – Forced Labour at Sigla in Poland

In August 2012 Landmark Scout received an email from a descendant of a survivor of forced labour in …

Posted October 26, 2012 (updated February 13, 2025) by Patrick

David van Dam; The cousin of my granddad – Gouda, the Netherlands

The name “David” was used a lot in the family. My granddad, like David, has the same second …

Posted October 25, 2012 (updated May 1, 2025) by Patrick