The Netherlands Carillon

An often overlooked historical landmark, the Netherlands Carillon lies just a few hundred feet west of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. I had some free time to venture that way, and although my destination was the aforementioned War Memorial, the towering carillon caught my eye. The front of the carillon simply reads, "From the People of the Netherlands to the People of the United States." Regretfully unaware of the significance of this gift, I sought to learn of its origin.

During World War II, the United States came to the aid of the Netherlands, especially in Operation Market Garden and Operation Aintree. Operation Market Garden, although largely unsuccessful, opened the door for liberation from German forces in the Netherlands. In Operation Aintree, the Americans and the British worked to rout other German forces west of the Meuse River. In addition to this aid on the battlefield, the United States helped the Netherlands recover after the war ended.¹²


As a result of the United States' brotherly support, the people of the Netherlands felt an extreme sense of gratitude. A Dutch government official named G.L. Verheul proposed the idea of a gift symbolizing friendship with the United States. Queen Juliana backed the proposal, and even travelled to the United States in 1952 to present President Truman with a small bell, which represented the greater gift to come. In 1954, some 49 bells arrived to supplement the original one and were placed in a tower before a permanent one was constructed adjacent to the Marine Corps War Memorial. In 1960, fifteen years after the Netherlands had been freed from the Nazis, an official dedication took place. Presently, American patriotic music can be heard coming from the Carillon twice daily (once on Sundays), and the Dutch National Anthem plays once a year on Dutch Liberation Day.³  Next time you find yourself in Arlington, take an extra minute to check out this special symbol of brotherhood.



1: http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5222.htm
2: https://worldhistoryproject.org/1944/10/18/allied-forces-liberate-the-town-of-venray-battle-of-overloon
3: https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/netherlandscarillon.htm