Nijmegen Jonkerbos War Cemetery

Nijmegen was the central zone during Operation MARKET GARDEN, through which British XXX Corps were to pass in order to link up with British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. Ultimately, probably the most critical tactical failure of the operation was thinking that XXX Corps could fight their way up the narrow road corridor in time to relieve the lightly armed paratroops. The Germans very soon realised the importance of the road and cut it, isolating the brave airborne units at Arnhem. 

The Jonkerbos War Cemetery and Memorial is located in Nijmegen and was built to a design by architect Philip Hepworth of the CWGC. The cemetery was built on the site of a camp used in preparations to cross the Waal river during Operation Market Garden. 

Approximately 400 Army casualties were buried at a different site locally nearby but were reburied at Jonkerbos in 1947. The cemetery now contains the graves of 1,643 British Commonwealth and foreign service personnel of World War II including: 

1,389 Britons

88 Canadians

34 Australians

21 New Zealanders

7 Polish

5 Belgians

1 Dutch and

1 Russian (source CWGC website).