South Kesteven: Tulips bloom in honor of the connection to World War II

Maroon tulips bloom across South Kesteven to celebrate the area’s World War II heritage.

The British 1st Airborne Division trained there for Operation Market Garden, also known as the Battle of Arnhem.

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) funded 1,000 tulips from the Netherlands, where the fighting took place in 1944.

The exhibit will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the battle, which will take place in September.

After training, the men were airlifted from Barkston Heath and Saltby airfields for the mission, which was immortalized in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far.

Approximately 10,600 Commonwealth soldiers took part in the operation, but only 2,400 returned home. Thousands were captured by German forces.

The Imperial War Museum lists a memorial at RAF Barkston Heath designed to commemorate those who “spearheaded the attack from airfields in South Lincolnshire”.

The color of the tulip, which reflects the color of British paratrooper berets, was chosen by Cheshire man Darren Key, whose grandfather fought at Arnhem.

He started a commemorative trail last year at locations around Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Councilor Richard Dixon-Warren, SKDC’s military champion, said: “This is a unique local tradition of hosting and training paratroopers here for the largest ever airlift of troops and equipment to Arnhem during wartime. “There is,” he said.

“Seeing tulips bloom in their honor is our tribute to their courage and sacrifice.”