COMMEMORATIONS

On 28th April 1990 more than hundred British 'Manna-veterans' arrive in Holland for the forty-fifth anniversary of the mercy missions. This time they are accompanied for the first time by 84 American colleagues from the mighty eight of the USAAF. Veterans from the other countries who had been incorporated in the RAF and had taken part in the food drops, were again present like they were in 1985. These men were Canadians, Australians New Zealanders and Poles. Their visit would be a chain of commemorations and festivity as it had been in 1985.

Prior to the commemoration of 1990 the chairman of the Food and Freedom Foundation had expressed his expectation that it would be the last big commemoration of the food drops. The commemoration in 1995, which was bigger than ever before, proved him wrong. This year another commemoration will be held. This will definitely be the last commemoration on such a big scale.

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands concluded in an open letter to the Manna veterans in 1990:

"It is now known that thousands of lives were saved thanks to operation Manna. The people of the Netherlands will therefore be most grateful for their manna delivered in their darkest hour by the men of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command and the American Eighth Air Force. And they will never forget!"

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The Manna Monument at Terbregge

At the exact spot of one of the dropzones overlooking the freeway at Terbregge is the Manna monument located. It symbolizes the belly of an allied bomber filled with food parcels. The monument has been the central location of the Manna / Chowhound commemorations since its unveilling in 2006. One year later the Air Commodore Geddes footpath was opened next to the memorial.

Diary of Norman Coats

May 3 - "Another mercy mission to Holland. We went deeper into Holland today. Very low altitude. I believe I must have waved at everyone in Holland. It is really a shame the ocean being turned into Holland. The great fields of tulips are beautiful. They had, "Thank You" spelled out with rocks. They could see me waving at them because they would point each others attention to it. Some of them had American flags waving them."