#Arnhem76
Day 8
Sunday 24th September 1944.
Today we are looking at the eastern flank of the Oosterbeek Perimeter (circled in purple) on the map. This section of the line was being held partly by men of the 11th Parachute Battalion.

The defensive line ran along Weverstraat, the street used extensively during the shooting of the film ‘Theirs is the Glory’. With my friend, Scott @SB_Anzac whose father fought in Oosterbeek with the Independent Company, we walked in the footsteps of men from the 11th Battalion.

The often seen shot of German soldiers outside of 118 Weverstraat, then and now.

Another ‘then and now’ with Scott admirably filling in for the German soldiers. This was taken at the side of the house at 118 Weverstraat near the window and looking across at the Boarding House 'Hugo'

This ‘then and now’ is of a STuG III advancing down Weverstraat. You can only marvel at the drivers sense of the history in where he dropped the skip.

One of the houses the 11th Battalion held was called 'Vredehof' (to the left on the photo) On this day, 24 September, in the cellar of the Vredehof, 3 soldiers of the 11th Battalion, RQMS Dave Morris, L-Cpl Harold Cook and Pte Jimmy Kerr were sheltering with some Dutch Civilians

To spare the Dutch from having a Grenade tossed amongst them in the cellar from above, Morris, Cook and Kerr surrendered. As they emerged, they were searched. A cigarette case given to Dave Morris by his wife was taken by one of the Germans searching them.

Dave Morris complained to a German Officer that this case had been given to him as a present on his last period of leave before Arnhem. The Officer took the case, struck the German soldier who had taken it in the face and handed the case back to Morris.

The three men were marched away from Vredehof and were pictured passing 118 Weverstraat. Here’s Scott again in roughly the same spot. Left to right in the original shot are Kerr, Cook and Morris.

This is the route they were taken from Weverstraat, along De Dam and turning left on to Fangmanweg.

It was on Fangmanweg that they were again filmed for a German newsreel. Here are some more ‘then and now’s’ with Scott in the boots of Dave Morris outside 35 Fangmanweg.

Shortly afterwards, RQMS Dave Morris was separated from Cook and Kerr. He was then photographed next to a German Officer. The following is Dave’s recollections of the conversation that followed.

“I was handed to a German officer, who could speak perfect English. He asked me the usual questions, my name, what unit, how many comrades I had left behind, etc. Of course, he only got my Army number, rank and name. He did not pursue his questioning...

...In fact, he became quite pleasant. He said, ‘You must feel quite proud to be a Red Devil’ & insisted that I posed with him for a photograph. When in front of the camera he asked me why I did not speak German. I replied 'Why should I speak German when you can speak English?'..

...I think he appreciated that for he patted me on the shoulder and took me inside the house. There I was offered a mug of tea and a piece of bread. I could not believe what was happening!”

Dave Morris spent the rest of the war as a POW. After the war he lived in Hove, Sussex and passed away in 2001. His Granddaughter, Carolyn, once told me he was a man who did not suffer fools gladly. He is on the left in this photo at the cemetery in Oosterbeek.