Operation Manna / Chowhound memorabilia

Collection: Eric Heijink

As you have seen on this website, the food drop missions ment a lot for the people in holland.

The people wanted to remember the event with memorabilia.

The following items are from my own collection:


Postcard 1945


Postcard 2000 The American veterans handed these cards out at the commemoration in May 2000


Tile of the Swedish Red Cross food aid in early 1945.


Tile commemorating the food drop missions.


Liberation newspaper containing the food drop cartoon.


Welfare Biscuits cans. The cans where packed per two in wooden crates as you can see on the photo. On top of the crate you can see the original biscuits. The biscuit cans where not dropped by the aircrafts but they came into Holland during operation faust.

Food ration coupons from 1944.

Pictures of other items where send to me:

RAF Operation Manna 45th Anniversary Plate 1945-1990 - Boxed
Front - Back Fine Bone China plate approximately 9.5 inches diameter
Made in England by W Bates & Co, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Inscription on back of plate reads
'As a remembrance to that magnificent operation "Manna", Food from the air for the starving Dutch in the west of Holland. Really "Manna from Heaven" for the Dutch, which will never be forgotten by them and the crews who flew on those mercy missions from the 29th of April to the 8th of May 1945'
Designed by Ex-Rear Gunner Jim Davis who flew on Operation Manna in 1945.

If you have a tile, postcard, or else that remembers of the food drop missions, than please send me a picture of the item and I will post it here.

More documents and memorabilia here

 

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The Manna Monument at Terbregge

Place of commemoration

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

Belly turret gunner, 390th Bomb Group

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."