Balfort Bridge

This monument on the Balfort Bridge in Breda commemorates the 20 victims who fell during the bombing of the Balfort Bridge on 23-12-1944 in the Second World War.

On December 23, 1944, an English bomber was chased by a German fighter. To gain speed, the British aircraft dropped its bombs, probably with the intention that they would land on the uncultivated meadows of Boeimeer. They fell on and around the Balfort Bridge. The unintentional bombing left 20 dead and wounded.

The monumental concrete lampposts on the bridge were swept away by the bombing and were not repaired after the war. In 2006 the bridge was renovated and two reconstructions of the old lampposts were placed. On Friday 23 December 2006, 62 years after the bombing, a plaque with the names of the victims was unveiled by Mayor Peter van der Velden.

Wim Blankers