The annual commemoration of war victims takes place at the Roll of Honor of Fallen Soldiers in the States Passage of the House of Representatives on Sunday, May 4, starting at 11:00 AM. 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 of the External link:Roll of Honor of Fallen Soldiers. Afterwards, the Speaker will lay a wreath on behalf of the States General together with Jan Anthonie Bruijn, President of the Senate. 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 ends with a minute of silence.
Roll of Honor of Fallen Soldiers
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 demise – as far as known – of nearly 18,000 fallen soldiers. Since 1960, a page of the Roll of Honor has been turned every day. In later years, the Roll of Honor has been supplemented 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 from 11:00 AM via the External link:livestream and External link:Debat Direct.
Commemoration at the Dam
The Speaker will be present at the National Memorial Day at the Dam in Amsterdam on the evening of May 4. 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.