Relatives

Relatives whose loved ones rest at the Loenen Field of Honour are the most important guides in this extraordinary memorial project. They share their story with us. Tell us what is and isn't possible. They tell us about their loved ones that they have lost. They share how a hole was punched in their family by the violence of war. About their own journey on being able to cope with and answer to this loss, so that their lives can go on. Even if a part of it seems to have stopped forever. With these families as our guides we explore the boundaries of the new way of commemorating and keep looking for a language which is able to reach the youngsters and make them a part of this experience for now and for the future

If you are a relative and wish to contact us you can do so by e-mailing us at: info@herdenkenvolleven.nl

The relatives are eternally bound to the Field of Honour. Not only during Remembrance Day on the 4th of May. At the grave of their loved ones they tell us about who they were: They tell about the demolished life and the impact of the loss on their own life, and the lives of their partners, parents, brothers and sisters and the generations to come. It are these stories that testify how the loss caused by war violence persists through multiple generations and also how these younger generations and so-called 'children of peace' are connected and stay connected with the Field of Honour.

Peace and Freedom don't come naturally

'Why are you standing here?' a student asks a soldier who is standing behind the grave of a VN-soldier who was killed in 2009. 'I'm a soldier myself' is the answer. 'That means that the soldiers who are buried here are actually my colleagues. They've killed in their battle for peace and freedom in a foreign country and I know that if I am deployed the same could happen to me. Would that happen then I would like to be honoured myself. I would want people to commemorate me. That's why I'm standing here, I think it's an honour to stand here and commemorate my fallen comrades. For many in The Netherlands, and especially the post-war generation, peace and freedom come naturally. But they don't. Battles were fought over them, there was a time when other countries helped The Netherlands to be able to live in peace and freedom. Just like The Netherlands now partakes in International peace operations to help others.'