'Driven out in dire need, you gave us shelter'

This text is now engraved on the bench at the De Wieken community centre, but used to be on two stones on either side of a bench that was ceremonially unveiled on Saturday afternoon 3 October 1948 on the Oudeweg in Hulshorst. This bench was a gift to the people of Hulshorst from residents of the Veluwezoom, who were evacuated in September 1944 from the war zone, which is now mainly known as the Battle of Arnhem (17-25 September 1944). After a tough journey, some of the evacuees found shelter in Hulshorst and the surrounding area. After the war, these evacuees wanted to ‘show their gratitude by means of a material tribute’. This is evident from the speech that Dr. J. J. P. Oort from Wageningen gave at the unveiling of the bench. He thanked the designer of the bench, ir. Gerritsen and Mrs. Vooglenzang who had maintained contact between the ‘Veluwezoom’ and ‘Hulshorst’. Messrs. Biemond and Holstege were thanked for placing the bench. Mayor Martens unveiled the bench by pulling away the Dutch tricolour.

After having stood on the Oudeweg for seventeen years, the bench was restored in 1965 and replaced with the stones at the De Wieken community centre. The unveiling was performed on 5 May 1965 by mayor H. J. Langman. It is no longer known why the bench was moved. But things were not going well at the De Wieken community centre either. At some point, the bench had disappeared without a trace. This may have happened when the paper and glass container was placed at that location. At the initiative of the Hulshorst Neighbourhood Association, a new bench was installed and unveiled by mayor Kees de Kovel on Thursday 4 May 1995. Henny Berends read the poem ‘De achttien doden’ (The eighteen dead) by Jan Campert.