Liberation cycle route Roosendaal

Cycle along traces of war and liberation

At the end of October 1944, the municipality of Roosendaal was liberated from the German occupiers. British and Canadian soldiers fought for our freedom, especially the British soldiers of the 49th West Riding Infantry, also known as the Polar Bear Division. Their dedication and sacrifice put an end to five years of oppression. This cycle route takes you past the traces of war, to tangible damage and war graves, but also to monuments of freedom and peace and landmarks that commemorate victims. The war must never be forgotten.

Fierce fighting in and around Nispen preceded the liberation by the 49th West Riding Infantry Division on 26 October 1944. Even after the German troops had been driven back, they continued to fire grenades from the direction of Roosendaal at Nispen, which again claimed victims. In memory of the 22 civilian victims, the Peace Chapel, designed by the renowned architect Joseph Cuypers, has stood on the Heijbeeksestraat since 1946. The monument next to the entrance of the chapel commemorates the 50th anniversary of liberation. The church tower of the village suffered serious damage during the war and had to be rebuilt later. In the Roman Catholic Cemetery behind the church you will find the Dutch War Grave of resistance fighter AH Coenraads. At the beginning of the Bergsebaan, traces of the war are still visible in the road surface in the form of an asparagus barrier . Iron bars could be inserted into the slots of this barrier to stop enemy vehicles.

On the route to Wouwse Plantage you pass the area where one of the bloodiest battlefields in West Brabant took place in October 1944. British and Canadian soldiers were involved in a major tank battle with the Germans. After four days of fighting, during which the church was severely damaged, the village was liberated on 27 October. A Bailey bridge was placed over the Zoom, so that the Canadian troops could continue to liberate Bergen op Zoom. Just before you cross the Plantagebaan is the 'Monument for Freedom', which was placed in 2019 in honour of 75 years of freedom.

There are two military cemeteries on the Ruytershoveweg in Bergen op Zoom. The Canadian War Cemetery contains the graves of 1,116 mainly Canadian soldiers from the Second World War. The majority of them died in the Battle of the Scheldt at the end of 1944 and in battles in North Brabant. You will also find the grave of a Dutch pilot in the service of the RAF, 1st Lieutenant Pilot JGC Koes.

The British war cemetery contains the graves of 1296 fallen soldiers, seven of whom died in the First World War. The majority of the (mainly British) fallen soldiers died during the battles around the Scheldt and during the liberation of the south-west of the Netherlands.

During the war, a large part of the psychiatric centre Vrederust served as a field hospital for the German Kriegsmarine. After the war, evacuees from Zeeland and the immediate vicinity were received here.

On 29 October 1944, Moerstraten was liberated. Houses and farms were destroyed and the church and rectory suffered serious damage. Nine Canadian soldiers were killed. They were buried in a field grave where a memorial was later erected on the initiative of theology student C. van Bavel from Moerstraten. On 26 August 1945, this monument , made by Umberto Mion from Bergen op Zoom, was unveiled by Lieutenant Colonel Cromb, head of a Canadian delegation. This makes it the first war memorial in the Netherlands to commemorate the Second World War. In the middle of the monument is a gravestone with the names of the fallen soldiers. In the background is a high-rising cross, with the emblem of the Canadian armed forces in the heart. A memorial plaque has been placed at the foot of the cross.

The village of Heerle was also liberated on 29 October 1944. In memory of the civilian victims, a bronze plaque has been attached to the side wall of the Gertrudis Church, which was badly damaged during the war. The plaque was designed by Johan Werz from Roosendaal. The victims included brothers Peter (17) and Frans (19), who were shot without mercy by fleeing Germans on Dolle Dinsdag.

The liberation of Wouw on 28 October by British soldiers of the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers was preceded by heavy fighting. A number of English liberators and civilians were killed. Almost no house remained undamaged. A facade stone at Markt 10 commemorates the reconstruction of this building. The tower of the Sint-Lambertus church was blown up on 27 October, destroying the beautiful choir stalls. The wooden statues of the choir stalls remained undamaged, however; they had been buried shortly before behind the former brewery De Ster (Markt 27). After the war, the church was completely restored. In the 28 Octoberstraat is the monument \\\'Bevrijding\\\' by Hanneke Mols from 1996, consisting of four rings. In the cemetery at the Wouwse Doeldreef is the grave of the 26-year-old soldier Cornelis van Dorst, who died in Ostend on 25 May 1940, presumably while trying to flee to England. On February 27, 1945, a V1 rocket fired by German troops into the port of Antwerp hit the Doeldreef, claiming seven lives.

Via Burgemeester Freijterslaan you cycle into Roosendaal. The later mayor AMF Freijters, who was municipal secretary during the war years, was also active in the resistance. At Wouwseweg 36 is the former director's house of the Landbouwwinterschool. In the spring of 1944 this was the location of a satellite camp of concentration camp Vught. Prisoners who were employed there were used to dig a tank ditch around Roosendaal. After the destruction of the bridge over the Watermolenbeek/Vliet on the Kade in October 1944, the Polar Bears built a Bailey bridge over the water. That British division owed its name to an exercise in Iceland. The Polar Bear monument was unveiled on 5 May 1960. This monument consists of a high column with a polar bear on it and above the pedestal the coats of arms of the municipality, province and the regiments Duke of Wellington and Leicestershire. The Redemptorist Fathers placed the statue of the Archangel Michael in front of the Church of Our Lady (Kade 21) out of gratitude. They and the local residents found shelter in the monastery during the war.

Liberation poems

Along the route you will find stickers with a QR code to Liberation Poems of the Roosendaal Poetry Route at various locations. When you scan the QR code, you can read or listen to the poem directly.

85. Moerstraatsebaan 3, Moerstraten Leo Lotterman - Moerstraten 1944

71. Quay 35, Roosendaal Andre Verwijmeren - The Polar Bear

72. Kadeplein 3, Roosendaal Cees Sep - Roosendaal liberated

73. Kade 23, Roosendaal Babette van Rijt - 75 years of Freedom

Liberation Route Markers

The Liberation Route follows the path that the Allies took during the liberation of Western Europe. Listening points tell a story about the events during the last years of the war via a listening column. This gives a lifelike impression of what exactly happened at that location during the liberation. During the Liberation Cycle Route you will pass three listening columns.

153. Peace Chapel, Nispen - Longing for peace

152. Market, Wouw - Flying bombs

151. Quay, Roosendaal - Bombs and cigarettes

Shortened route - 29 km

For the shortened route, from junction 16, follow junctions 8 - 7 - 8 - 80 - 90 - 69 - 3 - 5 - 99 - 94

Along the way you will pass plenty of catering establishments where you can stop for a bite to eat and a drink.