In Memory of
Cyril Starling
Lance Serjeant
1892766
80 Assault Sqn., Royal Engineers
who died on
Wednesday, 26th October 1944. Age 25.
Additional Information:
Son of Royal and Mary Ann Starling, of Isleham, Cambridgeshire.
Commemorative Information
Memorial:
GROESBEEK MEMORIAL,
Grave Reference/
Panel Number:
Panel 2.
Location:
Groesbeek is located 10 kilometres south east of the town of Nijmegen and close to the
German
frontier. Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery is 3 kilometres north of the village and 1500
metres
east of the main road to Nijmegen.
On leaving the A73 motorway at the junction Overasselt-Mook-Groesbeek, follow directions
to
Mook. Follow direction signs towards Mook War cemetery. After passing Mook War cemetery,
continue to the village of Groesbeek to a set of traffic lights. Turn left at the lights
onto
Dorpstraat passing through Groesbeek. The road name then changes to Molenweg. A Commission
direction sign indicates the right hand turning from Molenweg onto the Zeven Heuvelenweg.
The
cemetery lies 1 kilometre after entering this road on the right hand side of the road.
Historical Information:
During the Second World War, many thousands of men and women from all countries of the
British
Commonwealth and Empire lost their lives in trying to repel the German invasion of the
Netherlands and Belgium in 1940, and in the ensuing struggle to liberate the occupied
countries.
Some 11,000 of these have their graves in Belgium and nearly 20,000 lie in the
Netherlands. Of
this number, there are over 1,000 who have no known grave.
The Groesbeek Memorial which stands in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, commemorates by
name those members of the Commonwealth land forces who died during the campaign in
North-West Europe between the time of crossing the Seine at the end of August 1944, and
the
end of the war in Europe.
The Memorial consists of twin colonnaded buildings which face each other across the turfed
forecourt of the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, between the entrance and the Stone of
Remembrance. The names of the men commemorated are inscribed in panels of Portland stone
built into the rear walls, and within each building are inscribed the words:
THE WALLS BEAR THE NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND EMPIRE
WHO FELL IN THE ADVANCE FROM THE RIVER SEINE THROUGH THE LOW COUNTRIES AND INTO
GERMANY BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED A KNOWN AND HONOURED GRAVE
30TH AUGUST 1944 - 5TH MAY 1945
Outside, on the friezes above the columns, is carved the inscription "Pro amicis
mortui amicis
vivimus" (we live in the hearts of friends for whom we died), and the names of the
great rivers
which marked the progress of the campaign, i.e. Seine, Scheldt, Maas, Rhine and Elbe.
Copyright The Commonwealth War Graves Commission