Commemoration and Exhibition Opening Friday 20 June 2025 | Pauluskerk, Raalte
Organised by Raalte Foundation for Freedom in cooperation with the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN)
On 20 June 2025, we cordially invite you to the opening of the international exhibition Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom.
This impressive exhibition tells the story of Polish soldiers and civilians during World War II and their fight for freedom. Previously on display in London, New York and Johannesburg, and now in Raalte to highlight the importance of freedom and solidarity.
We reflect on the role of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and the resistance, along with Arnhem Postal History’s False Hope and Lasting Thanks exhibition. We commemorate the crash of the Polish Wellington Z8339 near Raalte on June 20, 1942, in which four airmen lost their lives. These four Polish airmen are buried, along with 23 other Allied airmen, at Raalte Cemetery. We remember all 50 Allied airmen who fell in the area.
Special speakers and participants from the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and the United States, including representatives of the OSS Society, Arnhem Postal History, the Polish delegation and relatives of veterans and resistance participants, join us in reflecting on resistance, international solidarity and the sacrifices of our liberators.
Summary Programme:
- Morning programme (start 10:30): Lectures and remembrances with: Frank van Riet (historian), Barbara Jansen, Coen Hilbrink, Peter Rekers and Paul Tielbeek (children of local resistance fighters), Wim Hoogeland (on the Wellington Z8339, which crashed near Raalte on 20 June 1942) • Afterwards, we leave for the Raalte cemetery
- Commemoration ceremony incl. wreath laying at the cemetery (start 12:15) followed by lunch at Paulus Church – Fly Past by Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight.
- Afternoon programme (start 14:00):
- Film screening: Fighting for Poland, Dying for Others by filmmaker Bart Verstockt
- Presentation by Tim Gale (Arnhem Postal History)Talk and film by Paula Doyle (OSS Society)
- Remarks by the Podgórski family (children of a Polish liberator)
- Introduction of the Trails of Hope exhibition by a representative of IPN
- Official opening with various speakers, including local and international guests
- Informal opening and discussion
Location:
20 June 2025
Pauluskerk (formerly St. Paul’s Church) Westdorpstraat 122 Raalte, Netherlands
Start times:
10:30 Start of morning programme (walk-in from 10:00)
12:15 Commemoration cemetery followed by lunch in Pauluskerk
14:00 Start afternoon programme (walk-in from 13:30)
16:00 End of programme and discussion
We cordially invite you to join us in honouring the legacy of those who fought for our freedom and to reflect on the lasting significance of their sacrifices.
Due to the lunch, please register at https://tinyurl.com/toh-20jun
More information and contact: info@raaltevoorvrijheid.nl
Exhibitions (on view from 20 June – 11 July 2025):
- Trails of Hope – The Odyssey of Freedom (collaboration with IPN)
- Arnhem Postal History – False Hope and Lasting Thanks
- War in Salland – OSS operations and resistance movements
- Raalte in wartime 1940-1945 – Banners from Richard Woolderink’s book
- De years 1940-1945 in Raalte – photo and document exhibition from Jos Segbers
- Outdoor exhibition: War in Salland around Pauluskerk
Trailer Fighting for others dying for Poland