[Hanno Spoelstra]

For those who "don't do Facebook", here's an update from the LTF website: https://www.ltf-hq.com/News.htm

Breaking news from the Boars mouth ...
Announcement 27/12/2023

Garden 80 -2024.

For those that are participating on the XXX Corps military remembrance commemoration tour of the Netherlands, we have pleasure in revealing the what’s on where. :

• Saturday 7th September: Base camp Leopoldsburg; gathering of management team & MP unit.
• Sunday 8th: Preparations of base camp ready for arrivals. Newcastle & Hull ferries ship out.
• Monday 9th: Arrivals; Newcastle & Hull ferries, registration and allocation of convoy places. Dover>Dunkirk ships out & arrives pm. Registration & allocation of convoy places. Harwich ferry ships out.
• Tuesday 10th: Arrival; Harwich ferry, registration and allocation of convoy places.
• Wednesday 11th: Fueling & preparations. Optional arrival of EEC participants. Briefing. Recon 2 Dingos to Suykerbuyck Café. Wreath laying. (Press opportunity).
• Thursday 12th: Display; public admission, schools, media – PRESS. Final arrivals of EEC participants. 40’s Dance.
• Friday 13th: Preparations; fueling & briefing. Evening ceremony (details to follow).
• Saturday 14th: Operation Garden 80 commences: Occupation of Valkenswaard town centre. Overnight in the streets of Valkenswaard.
• Sunday 15th: Movement via, Leende, Heeze, Geldrop, Mierol, Mierlo Hout, Helmond Son en Breugle. Overnight Son en Breugle. Two wreath laying ceremonies en route. Lunch time stops in several towns (details to follow).
• Monday 16th: Son en Breugle – Camp open to Public, schools and dignitaries. Partial fueling available. PM Two units depart for Sint Odenrode & Eerde Mill (details to follow).
• Tuesday 17th: Movement from Son en Breugle to Grave & Overasselt (details to follow in due course); Overnight in both Grave & Overasselt. Wreath laying at Grave bridge pm and Balgoij (final details to follow).
• Wednesday 18th: Grave & Overasselt to Groesbeek. Partial fueling available. Overnight at Kleine Amerika camp on drop zone area for General Browning’s team.
• Thursday 19th: Groesbeek; camp open all day to public and schools etc.
• Friday 20th: Groesbeek to end camp on Island in the sector of Bemmel. (this is where XXX Corps ended up in 1944 (further details to follow in due course).
• Saturday 21st: End of commemoration – return to docks all ferries overnight with the exception of Dunkirk.

As time goes on the details of camps etc. will be communicated. At this time the details of the program are still being evolved. Whilst we have the route itself and the events on the route we still have to deal with the respective towns and communities to tie in with local happenings and timings for passage etc.

And from their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LTFHQ

A joyous New Year to one and all, as we prepare for Normandy and the XXX Corps military commemoration in the Netherlands. In many respects it will be a challenging year and also an emotional one.
2023 has been somewhat frustrating for some of us involved in planning, as things have dragged on! We are full of anticipation for the event itself and there has been this momentary need to start the “engine” and drive up that historical route in memory of those that “journeyed” in 1944. Trudging through excel sheets and checking details can be a tiresome occupation which is only relieved by occasional inspection of some of the photos of the 2019 event. This is sometimes a worthwhile exercise if only to relieve us of the monotony and remind us of the good times ahead. We are very much looking forward to seeing all of our XXX Corps family again in 2024 and of course welcoming our new fellow adventurers. We are privileged to have several persons on the event who will be on a family pilgrimage and we need to be mindful that this will at times be very emotional for them.
It all sounds very nice and exciting, but there are considerable challenges ahead of us; notably the increase of ferry costs and other costs too. Quite how we deal with this at the moment remains a subject that is under discussion at this time. It may be that we will have to impose a surcharge for UK participants, but we will clarify this in due course.
We are being faced with unprecedented costs and added to this there is the new EEC tax this is known as “ETS” (Emission Trading System). 'ETS Surcharge' on all journeys starting from January 2024 (on ferries). This surcharge is passed on to the EU as part of its Emissions Trading System (ETS), designed to combat climate change and effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this respect, this is not all as there is also a fuel surcharge that can be imposed on all vehicles traveling on the ferries and this may not be calculated until one month before departure date. With regard to one ferry company in particular, their fuel surcharge was £49 per vehicle last month so we do not have any idea of the final costs until the month before departure.
There is also the cost of transport for all of the vehicles from and back to the docks on the continent. One thing that we may have to consider is that all vehicles apart from armoured tracked vehicles will have to drive from the docks to the start point and return to the docks from the end point of the commemoration (this would be a worst-case scenario). We have calculated that we will have sufficient fuel in reserve to cover this.
An additional matter that requires attention; those who have reserved space and paid for only themselves with their vehicle and not having any crew (this applies to UK participants only). This concerns people that have sent in their initial booking with crew mentioned and no news of their crew or any payments have been received to date! For those that have registered and are in arrears with their payments; we would like you to clear this by the end of February please. Otherwise, this will carry on for months and the more delays we have, then the more the final routing plan will be delayed. Once we are dealing with the movement plan details (and additionally the communes), then we will not have time to continue chasing people. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. Please bear this in mind. We are of course aware that there may be some that have a temporary cash flow problem, so please keep in touch and let us know so that at least we know that you will be participating. We all have problems from time to time and we are here to help if need be. To all of you that are supporting this substantial event we would like to thank you all. Without your support and encouragement, it would not be possible to contemplate such an undertaking.
It is essential that all UK participants supply us with their passport details as per the original booking in mail. This is required for border force and customs. If you have not sent this, then you will possibly be refused access to the ferry upon your departure. Please act now before we all get caught up in last minute necessaries.
In terms of the program for the commemoration itself, nothing has changed in respect of the localities to be visited and the guideline for the event can be obtained here;