The Dutch in Dulwich

[steveslack]

Does anyone know why the estate between Dulwich Hospital and Alleyn's School has loads of Dutch street names?

Arnhem Way. Delft Way. Nimegen Way. Isel Way ....

They look like post-war buildings, but I've no idea why some town planner decided to name the new development after Dutch places. Anyone got any info on that?

[macroban]

Twinning. I think it was Deventer.

[taper]

Second world war, presumably. My grandad was at Arnhem and Nimegen.

[Jah Lush]

Another possible connection.

During World War ll, Tappen House on Dulwich Common (formerly Glenlea) was leased by its owner to the Dutch Government. It was used as a base for the Dutch Secret Service for agents who were trained as radio operators before being parachuted into German-occupied Holland to work with the Resistance.

[steveslack]

Thanks for these suggestions.

Twinning - I can't find any reference to us being twinned with anywhere in the Netherlands, though.

Second World War - yes, I thought that too when I first walked past. Nimegen and Arnhem. But then there's Kempis Way as well, which has nothing to do with the war, so I got a bit confused.

Dutch Government - I'd read about them being in Dulwich too, but still wonder why they named an estate after them.

The mystery continues ....

[EDOldie]

Apparently the old Camberwell Council was twinned with Deventer in Holland and the development was named after several Dutch towns because of this connection.

I don't know if Camberwell Council was twinned because of the Glenlea connection which could be a possibility. But it's worth mentioning that quite a few of the agents stationed there lost their lives, I copied this from the Dulwich Society website, I found it quite moving.

Huize Anna

During World War ll, Tappen House on Dulwich Common (formerly Glenlea) was leased by its owner to the Dutch Government. It was used as a base for the Dutch Secret Service for agents who were trained as radio operators before being parachuted into German-occupied Holland to work with the Resistance. Many of these young patriots were captured and executed by the Nazis and the full story is described in the Dulwich Society's World War ll history - Dulwich- the Home Front 1939-1945 (published in 1995 and reprinted in 1998) . A new book by Henri van der Zee which highlights the life of Dutch exiles in Britain during the war was published in Amsterdam in April. Mr Van der Zee recently returned to Dulwich together with a representative from the official Dutch Archives with a view to compiling a book of sites such as the one in Dulwich, aimed at Dutch visitors to Britain on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.

Glenlea was given the code name Huize Anna (House of Anna), by the Dutch when they took possession in January/February 1943. The first agent was dropped into Holland in March 1943, the last in the spring of 1945. Of these young men, two were killed when their plane was shot down on the way to their mission; 14 died in action - either resisting arrest or in subsequent concentration camps; 6 were arrested while in action but survived the concentration camps; 5 completed their mission and returned to allied territory; 8 completed their mission but remained in Holland until the liberation.

In 1985 the Dulwich Society invited one of the survivors, Mr Bram Grisnight, to speak to members on his experiences both at Glenlea and in Occupied Holland. The Society, at the end of the evening presented Bram with a watercolour of Glenlea commissioned from local artist Audrey MacLeod. The Society continues to keep in touch with him and his wife Ann. Ann met Bram (then aged 20) when he was at in training at Glenlea and she was a sixteen year old JAGS schoolgirl. They married in 1945 after his release from Auschwitz.

[steveslack]

That's an amazing story and a great example of another link between Dulwich and the Dutch.

Thanks for finding it, EDOldie.

[mlteenie]

It is known as The Dutch Estate and the houses are actually made from those orange/red bricks but for some reason took a lot of blackening pollution. They were built around 1966.

[steveslack]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this post. I was so interested in what you had to say, I wrote it up as an article for online magazine Dulwich OnView ....

http://dulwichonview.org.uk/2008/09/26/story-behind-the-street-the-dutch-estate/

Cheers,

Steve

[Jah Lush]

And, just as I was going to to say bloody journalists... Thanks for the mentioning contributors on the EDF at the end of the article. Nice touch.