Kate ter Horst
Encyclopedia
Kate ter Horst MBE was a Dutch
full-time housewife and mother who tended wounded and dying Allied soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem
. Her British patients nicknamed her the Angel of Arnhem.
Ter Horst was born Kate Anna Arriëns, daughter of Pieter Albert Arriëns and Catharina Maingay. She married Jan ter Horst, a lawyer from Rotterdam
, with whom she had six children. One of her daughters, Sophie, still resides in the family home in Oosterbeek.
, the British 1st Airborne Division
parachuted to capture the Arnhem bridge but was outgunned by the German army. Captain Martin asked the Ter Horsts permission to set up a regimental aid post in their house at the Benedendorpsweg in Oosterbeek. The family consented.
During the eight days of fighting, Ter Horst tended to about 250 wounded British paratroopers herself. Some of her most famous actions in looking after the British troops included walking around her home reading the Bible to dying soldiers and finding water in the most unlikely places (such as the boiler and toilet) when the house was at the center of conflict. Mrs. Ter Horst wrote about these experiences in a book called Cloud Over Arnhem.
She starred in Theirs is the Glory
, a film made directly after the war about the battle of Arnhem in which survivors were asked to re-enact the parts they played in the battle.
In 1980, the British ambassador to the Netherlands decorated Kate and her husband as Honorary Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
In 1992, Kate ter Horst died after she was struck by a car outside her home. Jan died at the age of 98 in 2003.
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
full-time housewife and mother who tended wounded and dying Allied soldiers during the Battle of Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
. Her British patients nicknamed her the Angel of Arnhem.
Ter Horst was born Kate Anna Arriëns, daughter of Pieter Albert Arriëns and Catharina Maingay. She married Jan ter Horst, a lawyer from Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, with whom she had six children. One of her daughters, Sophie, still resides in the family home in Oosterbeek.
World War II
During Operation Market GardenOperation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, the British 1st Airborne Division
British 1st Airborne Division
The 1st Airborne Division was a division of the British airborne forces during the Second World War. The division was formed in 1941, after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill demanded an airborne force...
parachuted to capture the Arnhem bridge but was outgunned by the German army. Captain Martin asked the Ter Horsts permission to set up a regimental aid post in their house at the Benedendorpsweg in Oosterbeek. The family consented.
During the eight days of fighting, Ter Horst tended to about 250 wounded British paratroopers herself. Some of her most famous actions in looking after the British troops included walking around her home reading the Bible to dying soldiers and finding water in the most unlikely places (such as the boiler and toilet) when the house was at the center of conflict. Mrs. Ter Horst wrote about these experiences in a book called Cloud Over Arnhem.
Post-war
In November 1947 her oldest son, Pieter Albert, was killed by a left over anti-tank mine in a meadow along the Rhine.She starred in Theirs is the Glory
Theirs is the Glory
Theirs Is the Glory , a Rank production, is a 1946 British film about the British Airborne element of the World War II Operation Market Garden, and specifically the Battle of Arnhem. It was the first film to be made about this battle, and the biggest grossing war movie for nearly a decade...
, a film made directly after the war about the battle of Arnhem in which survivors were asked to re-enact the parts they played in the battle.
In 1980, the British ambassador to the Netherlands decorated Kate and her husband as Honorary Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
In 1992, Kate ter Horst died after she was struck by a car outside her home. Jan died at the age of 98 in 2003.
Cultural depictions
In the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far her character is played by Liv UllmannLiv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
.