De Tennisbaan

On the old tennis court of Hartenstein estate, just behind the fence, German prisoners of war were kept. The tennis court was close to the British headquarters in Villa Hartenstein and because the tennis court had a fence already, it was an easy spot for a provisional prisoner of war camp.  

More than 200 prisoners of war were held at the tennis court. Over a 100 of them were part of the Dutch SS-battalion. The prisoners of war faced the same dangers as the British troops; continuous artillery- and mortar fire and a lack of food. The prisoners got a shovel to dig trenches to create some shelter. Some of the prisoners complained about the bad circumstances they were kept in but general Urquhart ensured them they received just as much food as the British troops.