Relation with Lake (class): No. Other cemetery in area (Ot)  
Total nr. of casualties buried here (TC): 2 end WW2, today 2.
Lake casualties, initially, end WW2 (LC-I): 0
Unknown today: 1.
of which unknown from Lake (LC-U): 0
of which unknown from North Sea (NS-U): 1
Initial burial site in WW2.
Post war burial site for collection and reburial from other sites: no.
Cemetery with Lake casualties today: no.


                
BLOEMENDAAL (AAN ZEE) GENERAL CEMETERY

Bloemendaal (upon Sea) has a relative small section of North Sea Beach. Dead Allied servicemen that washed ashore here were usually moved by the Germans to Amsterdam, just like most victims washed ashore south of here at Zandvoort-beach and to the direct north at Velsen-Zuid (IJmuiden).
 
Sgt. Mackay crashed early in the war in the North Sea (August 8/9, 1941) and at that time burial in Bloemendaal itself was apparently still possible. But the area here was already restricted for entrance as the beach and dunes were fortified by the Germans in preparation for defence in case of an Allied attack from sea. A member of Mackay's crew, F/Sgt. F.J. Wood was found also near here, but was buried August 18 1941 in Amsterdam as was common from then on. 

   
Dutch name cemetery: Bloemendaal Alg. Begr. pl. 
Full name: Bloemendaal General Cemetery.
Address (usable for car navigation):
Bergweg 66.

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see address and info at CONTACT.
Please use as subject title: 'Bloemendaal'.











In September/October 1944 the situation was very different. The Allied forces advancing from the Normandy beaches had approached Antwerp and an operation was ongoing to open the route to the Antwerp harbours, known as the battle for the Scheldt estuary. This was not far from here and just south of this location. The northern moving current had brought the body of this Royal Marine (Commando) onto this beach on October 9th 1944. In that period with the frontline not far away and with complete Allied air superiority over this part of Holland, the Germans in their bunkers and strongholds here must have chosen to bury him locally in stead of the then too far away Amsterdam. Postwar identification has not revealed the Royal Marine's name.

The cemetery is huge and the way to and location of the war graves is not signposted. However, walking 50 meters down the main entrance road, reveales the graves on the left hand side of the first junction.












































































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© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War).
Text and images.