Activating PA10BMZ
In 2019 we took part in the celebration of the WW2 Liberationmuseum which is specialised on “the Battle of the river Scheldt”.
PA10BMZ was there
On October 26, 2019, the Liberation Museum opened its extension to the public. This was also the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the museum in Nieuwdorp.
The park, which is part of the Liberation Museum Zeeland, is unique, nowhere in Western Europe is there such a design. The park visualizes the war period 1939-1945 and the Battle of the Scheldt in particular, amidst the Zeeland elements of water, beach and dikes.
To add lustre to this opening, special event station PA10BMZ was active on October 26, 2019 between 08:00 – 17:00 local time. We worked with original equipment from WWII on 80 meters (AM and CW) and with some more modern equipment on the other HF bands (SSB and CW). There was also a station active on the 2 meter band.
Enigma replica
In addition, an explanation was given, using an original Enigma replica, about the secret crypto machine that was used by the Germans, especially in submarine warfare.
Of course, the museum was open all day and we were able to welcome many visitors as they explored the 3-hectare park and the new exhibition space.
History
The museum originated from the private collection of Kees Traas (1958). The village of Nieuwdorp in Zuid-Beveland was liberated on October 30, 1944. Kees’ father, Lau Traas, was 18 years old at the time. In order to help liberate the Netherlands, he decided to sign up as a war volunteer with the Canadian army and was sent later on to the former Dutch East Indies.
Because of father Lau’s stay in the Dutch East Indies, Kees quickly became interested in the Second World War and the Battalion Zeeland. He received a Canadian helmet from his fellow villager Klaas Schoolmeester, which he had found on the Sloedam in 1944. It became the first piece in an impressive collection that eventually included no fewer than 40,000 objects.
In 2001, Kees decided to place his entire collection in a foundation to ensure that not only the objects, but also the stories will be preserved for future generations. This was the beginning of the museum as we know it today.
Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet opened the new Liberation Museum Zeeland on Friday 25 October 2019, as she did with the official start of the museum in 2009.
