Following the Normandy landings of June 1944, the Allied advance through northern Europe was extraordinarily rapid and on 11 September 1944, the Second Army entered the Netherlands just south of Eindhoven.

Their next aim was to cross the Rhine before the Germans had time to reorganise after their recent setbacks, securing crossings over the rivers and canals that stood in their path at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem. 'Operation Market Garden' would involve the United States 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the Commonwealth 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade.

On 17 September 1944, the 1st Airborne Division began landing west of Arnhem, but German resistance, bad weather and problems with supplies and reinforcements led to heavy losses, and their objectives were not taken. They were forced to form a perimeter at Oosterbeek which they held stubbornly until 25 September, when it was decided to withdraw the remnants of the division across the lower Rhine. 

Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery contains the graves of most of those killed during the September landings, and many of those killed in later fighting in the area. Both the Polish victims who fell on the north side of the Rhine and those who died near Driel on the south side found their final resting place at the Airborne War Cemetery in Oosterbeek.

From Driel to Oosterbeek
The Poles who died in Driel were – with one exception – buried in 1944 at the Catholic church in Driel. In August 1946, these victims were also transferred to Oosterbeek. They were buried at the edge at the back of the cemetery.

Driel sentiment
The transfer of the victims from Driel to Oosterbeek caused great commotion among the people of Driel. They felt that “their Polish dead should rest in Driel soil”. Their appeal: “leave them as a precious entrusted property in our midst. It is a dear duty for us to care for these graves”. This appeal was not heeded.

When the Poles visited their fallen comrades at the Oosterbeek cemetery of honour in September 1946, they found white and red geraniums, planted by the people of Driel at the graves.

Polish sentiment
For a long time, the Poles felt abandoned by their British allies when it became clear that Poland was coming under Stalin's sphere of influence. This sentiment is reinforced for the Poles of Driel and those involved because the British general Montgomery put forward general Sosabowski as a scapegoat for the failure of Operation Market Garden. Against this background, it is understandable that (older) Poles look with mixed emotions at these Polish graves that are - somewhat in retrospect - located to the left and right of the entrance.

There are now 1,684 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 243 of the burials are unidentified and two casualties are commemorated by special memorials. There are also 79 Polish, three Dutch and four non-war (including three former Commission employees) graves in the cemetery.