Of monks and bridges

The British liberated Mol on 13 September 1944. In the vicinity, there was fighting at every crossing point on the Bocholt-Herentals Canal in the Kempen. A number of attempts by the Allies to cross at the locks failed.

On 16 September, British tanks and reconnaissance vehicles set out from Mol-Rauw accompanied by a Resistance fighter from Mol. They reached the abandoned De Maat Castle without much difficulty. Before they had left, the Germans had blown up the tower to prevent it from being used as a lookout post. The bridge over the canal had been destroyed and the Germans started firing on the scouts from the other side. It was therefore also impossible to cross the canal there.

On 18 September, Lieutenant Colonel Von der Heydte and his staff occupied Postel Abbey. Cannons were set up at various locations in Postel. Sheds were converted into ammunition depots. British artillery fired on the abbey from Lock 3, Bladel and Bergeijk. The abbey was full of refugees because the monks had made an exception and allowed them to stay in the walled abbey gardens. The Germans left between 22 and 23 September and the Allies arrived on 23 September. The German withdrawal spared the abbey from becoming a battlefield.

Once the Germans had departed, the British built a temporary bridge at Lock 3. This ‘Bailey bridge’ still stands there today and is one of the few intact examples of this feat of engineering. The British engineer Donald Coleman Bailey designed the bridge in 1940 to assist military engineers in their operations. The bridge is modular and can be constructed without special tools or a crane, which is extremely practical in wartime situations.