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London cabbies take Second World War veterans back to Netherlands for emotional Market Garden tribute
Volunteer London taxi drivers helped take military veterans to the Netherlands for commemorations marking the 82nd anniversary of Operation Market Garden.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans brought a group that included eight Second World War veterans. Their visit included a mass parachute drop at Ginkel Heath on Saturday 19 September and the Airborne Memorial Service at Oosterbeek Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery on Sunday 20 September.
According to the charity, more than 60,000 people attended the parachute drop. Thousands attended the cemetery service, where local schoolchildren placed a flower on each of its 1,764 Second World War graves.
Market Garden veteran Geoff Roberts MBE, the only veteran of the operation able to attend the service, laid a wreath at the Cross of Sacrifice. The charity said he rose from his wheelchair with help from his family before standing to attention and saluting.
Colin Mills, a London taxi driver and chair of the charity, drove Roberts from his home to the Netherlands. He said: “The mass parachute drop at Ginkel Heath is an incredible sight, but it is the moments of quiet remembrance that stay with you.”
“Geoff’s determination to stand, despite being in a wheelchair, and pay his respects to his fallen comrades was a moment that none of us will forget,” Mills said.
British cab drivers, carers, medics and other volunteers supported the trip alongside Dutch organisations. The charity said the annual visit also helps maintain friendships between veterans and people in the Netherlands.
Run by volunteer licensed London taxi drivers, the Taxi Charity has supported veterans since 1948. It arranges free trips to commemorations in the Netherlands and France, as well as events in the UK, and relies on donations, grants and sponsorship.
