The Netherlands
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The monument in the hamlet of De Donk commemorates five Scottish soldiers who were killed in the area in the days around the liberation of Kessel in November 1944. The soldiers were originally buried in 'De Donk'. In October 1946, they were reburied in the British war cemetery in Venray.
On 21 November, the Scots moved northwards after the liberation of Kessel, towards the hamlet of De Donk. They encountered German resistance in the nearby woods. A gun battle ensued, in which four Scots were killed. The fifth was killed because of a misunderstanding when he returned from a reconnaissance mission on the still-occupied east bank of the river Meuse on that same 21st of November. He was trying to rejoin his unit. He was shot because he had forgotten the password or because he did not respond to a recognition signal or instruction from the guard.
Address
Bevrijdingsweg, Kessel