On Sunday, May 4, starting at 11:00 AM, the annual commemoration of war victims will take place at the Roll of Honor of the Fallen in the States Passage of the House of Representatives. Speaker of the House Martin Bosma and former Speaker Wim Deetman will give a speech. This will be followed by several wreath-laying ceremonies at this national monument. You can follow the ceremony via the livestream and the Debat Direct app.
Poems and Wreath Laying
After the speeches, students from the Johan de Witt Scholengroep in The Hague will recite poems, followed by the turning of a page from the External link:Roll of Honor of the Fallen. After this, the Speaker of the House, together with Jan Anthonie Bruijn, President of the Senate, will lay a wreath on behalf of the States General. Prime Minister Dick Schoof and State Secretary Vincent Karremans will lay a wreath on behalf of the Council of Ministers. There will also be a wreath from the Johan de Witt Scholengroep. The ceremony will conclude with a minute of silence.
Roll of Honor of the Fallen
The Roll of Honor contains the last names and first names, place and date of birth, profession or military rank, place and date of death or passing of nearly 18,000 fallen soldiers – as far as known. Since 1960, a page from the Roll of Honor has been turned every day. The Roll of Honor has been supplemented in later years in collaboration with the NIOD and was fully digitized in 2010. Family members of individuals listed in the Roll of Honor will also be present at this years commemoration.
Follow Live
You can follow the May 4 commemoration starting at 11:00 AM via the External link:livestream and the Debat Direct app.
Commemoration at the Dam
The Speaker of the House will be present in the evening of May 4 at the National Memorial Day at the Dam in Amsterdam. There, he will also lay a wreath on behalf of the States General together with the President of the Senate. Check External link:the program of the National Memorial Day.