BIDBOOK Visitors centre War Cemeteries Bergen op Zoom

B Visitors centreWarCemeteriesBergenopZoom I D B

S T I C H T I N G O O K

PREFACE Attached, you will nd the bid book of the Brabant Wal Such a visitors' centre will bring the goals set by the SBBW in Liberation Foundation (SBBW in Dutch) for an information 2014 closer. centre at the two war cemeteries on the Ruytershove Road in Bergen op Zoom. Purpose « Remembrance of all war victims - civilians and military Nearly 2,500 allied soldiers, mainly Canadian and English, who personnel - who have died or been killed throughout the died during World War II, are buried here. The vast majority of world since the outbreak of WW2, in any war or during any them died during the Battle of the Scheldt (September- subsequent peace missions on behalf of our government. November 1944). « Creating interest in the Battle of the Scheldt. « Underlining the value and importance of living in peace and This battle was the longest and most violent battle fought on freedom. Dutch soil in the Second World War. Its outcome was crucial for « Contributing to the transfer of knowledge and learning in the advance of Allied troops in Western Europe and for the primary and secondary education. liberation of West Brabant and . (see Attachment 1) « Developing and expanding international contacts whose origins lie in WO2. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the libera- tion of Western Europe in 1944 and 1945, both at home and Everyone living in the should be aware that in abroad. In addition, these special cemeteries for allied soldiers order to achieve our current state of freedom, great sacrices form the basis of new initiatives to put the themes of peace, were necessary. Personal stories about allied casualties, security, freedom and democracy in a contemporary context. recounted by family, colleagues or eyewitnesses at the time, all contribute to a broader and deeper awareness of these sacrices. Efforts are being made via educational programmes and economic exchanges to actively involve younger generations. With a combination of images, pictures and sound, the audience This is to make a wider public aware that the above-mentioned in the visitors' centre can learn directly about the liberation of themes should not be taken for granted, in whatever commu- Southwest Netherlands through a form of multimedia story- nity; a form of cultural transfer that makes the connection telling. between then and now, old and young, oppression and free- dom. This all stems from an intimate wish, which is so poignantly displayed on the wall in the information centre at the Canadian In line with this, the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation is Cemetery in Holten, . This wish is that younger advocating the creation of a visitors' centre at both locations on generations will evermore be able to say: "We live in post-war the Ruytershoveweg in Bergen op Zoom. Such a facility will times. Let it remain that way." offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the backgrounds of the fallen soldiers on-site; about how their ultimate sacrice led On behalf of the the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation, to the liberation of the region in 1944/45. And about what their commitment means to our present freedom and peace in Frans de Vos, Chairman; Western Europe. [email protected]

1 2 THE WAR CEMETERIES IN BERGEN OP ZOOM Bergen op Zoom enjoys a situation which is unique in our There has also been a new development: groups of students, country. On the Ruytershove Road, barely 50 metres apart, there both from their own country and from Canada, have also started are two great war cemeteries: the Canadian War Cemetery, with to visit the war cemeteries. Although exact numbers have not 1,119 graves and the adjacent War Cemetery, where 1,296 fallen been registered, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission soldiers are buried. (CWGC), the management foundation of these cemeteries, reports that the number of visitors has increased signicantly. Over the past decades, the cemeteries have been visited regu- larly by veterans, relatives of the soldiers, friends and acquain- tances. Prof. Wim van den Donk, the King's Commissioner in At ofcial commemorations of the liberation of the Brabant Wal, 'We must learn to be free, to practice it, defend it, develop and share wreaths are placed at the war cemeteries. At the 5-yearly it. Time and time again. Freedom does not grow nor thrive in an commemorations, this happens in the presence of high-level obligation-free context. Freedom obligates; how contradictory that administrators from Canada and representatives of the Dutch sounds at rst hearing. The freedom of expression, for example, pre- Royal Family. supposes that we have learned an opinion, and also that we realise that it is dependent on dialogue, debate and democracy. Liberate; that's a verb." MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

The 2014 commemoration of 70 years' liberation in West Brabant living memory. The mutual social, cultural, educational and and Zeeland extensively illustrated the Battle of the Scheldt, economic ties are also strengthened, to enable work to continue which took place in 1944. There was, for example, an impressive on peace and security, wherever possible. procession by old army vehicles to Bergen op Zoom, culminat- ing in a military parade in the city and an international com- The origin of the connection is, and remains, the commitment of memoration at the Canadian cemetery, in the presence of Canada during WW2. The bond becomes more substantial with Canada's Governor-General and Prince Maurits, the Dutch every exchange that takes place at commemorations and King's Adjutant. through keeping alive the memory of the Battle of the Scheldt.

On October 27, 2014, Mayor Frank Petter from Bergen op Zoom, the then Canadian Ambassador, Mr. James Lambert, and the King's Commissioners for Brabant and Zeeland Prof. Dr. Wim Dr. Frank Petter, van de Donk and Drs. Han Polman, signed a 'Memorandum of Mayor of Bergen op Zoom Understanding'. The Mayor of Bergen op Zoom did this on “Together with our Municipal Council, I see the importance of behalf of the two other Brabant Wal municipalities: keeping the focus on our achievement of freedom. Especially during Woensdrecht and Steenbergen. the annual commemorations, it becomes clear that a high price has been paid for that freedom. We are duty-bound, both to ourselves In this document, the intention is declared to better highlight the and to the ones who perished for our freedom, to handle that freedom Canadian war effort in Southwest Netherlands and to keep it in in a responsible manner."

3 4 BRABANT WAL LIBERATION FOUNDATION Within that framework, the Municipality of Bergen op Zoom tion and economy, with the eventual aim of a Canada-wide took the initiative to establish the Brabant Wal Liberation exchange. For educational and economic exchanges, an amount Foundation. One of the purposes of this Foundation is to of € 35,000 is reserved annually. organise the celebration of 75 years of Liberation in 2019-2020. The Foundation maintains close contact with the provinces of In concrete terms, the Mayor and Aldermen of Bergen op Zoom North Brabant and Zeeland and works with associations and also want to investigate whether the Council museum, Het organisations in its eld: the Municipalities of Woensdrecht, Markiezenhof, can become the main starting point of routes Bergen op Zoom and Steenbergen. associated with the Battle of the Scheldt. These will include museums and war-artefact collections in West Brabant and Under the auspices of the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation, Zeeland and also relics in the area, which are linked to the Battle every year this same Municipal Council earmarks €25,000 for of the Scheldt. the annual memorial programme. Supplementary to the existing exhibition on "The Battle of the Scheldt" in the Museum of the Liberation of Zeeland In the spring of this year and in line with of the Memorandum of (Bevrijdingsmuseum Zeeland) in Nieuwdorp, the construction Understanding, the Municipal Council of Bergen op Zoom of an information centre at the war cemeteries on the declared the intention of further expanding the existing friend- Ruytershove Road is being investigated in consultation with the ship with the Canadian city of Edmonton in the areas of educa- Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation.

WHY HAVE A VISITORS' CENTRE? At the war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom, there is scant refer- Route Europe (see Appendix 2). ence to their origin, their location and the ranks and army units This can be achieved by creating an information centre in the of those buried there. At both locations, there are plaques form of a visitors' centre, such as at the one at the Canadian showing the invasion routes from the beaches in . cemetery in Holten and the American graveyard in Margraten. But these references, especially those at the War Cemetery, don't stand out sufciently. The centres there provide visitors with space for reection and give the cemeteries informative and educational added value. Furthermore, visitors to the site are left without sufcient The memories of WWII are kept alive with personal stories, information about the advance of the Allies towards West from generation to generation. Brabant after the invasion (D-Day). It is clear that such a centre is an enormous pull for visitors to the For a wide public, there is also insufcient well-documented cemeteries. A free, accessible and welcoming all-weather locale and well-ordered background information in the region around clearly offers added value. Visitors to the cemeteries can, Bergen op Zoom about the Battle of the Scheldt and the subse- through on-site multimedia presentations, acquire a deeper quent liberation of West Brabant. understanding of the battle scene, the casualties and the liberation of the region. From the Foundation's contacts, including related organisations elsewhere in the province, it is now clear that the connection of In Holten, the visitors' centre at the Canadian cemetery helps to the two war cemeteries with the Battle of the Scheldt should be make historical information about the local region more the focus of more attention. This would also t in with recent accessible, allowing it be enjoyed by a wide public, including developments (such as Crossroads, Faces to Graves, Liberation young people.

5 It also means that educational institutions have access to Each of these considerations contributes to the argument for a interesting material which helps to make history lessons more visitors' centre at the war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom. In tangible. Breda, the same framework is also being used for the establish- ment of an information centre at the Polish cemetery. Social institutions, associations and companies invite guests and relatives to go there, giving them the opportunity to become Further to the west of the province, a specic regional informa- more familiar and more involved with the recent WWII history tion centre for WWII and the liberation of West Brabant is of the region. missing. That is remarkable. Indeed, the presence of two major war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom is, according to national Without compromising the special character of the cemetery, standards, totally unique. this information centre claries the context of the burial ground. In addition, these cemeteries bear witness to a crucial battle, It also strengthens the innate appeal of the surrounding coun- which has remained underexposed in the publicity surrounding tryside and recreation area. WWII.

SET-UP COSTS The draft plans for the visitors' centre on the Ruytershove Road The total cost of the visitors' centre (construction and facilities) is in Bergen op Zoom locate it on the green strip between the two estimated at 1 to 1.2 million euros, including unforeseen costs. war cemeteries. This land is now owned by the Ministry of To arrive at this gure, the SBBW has used data from the Holten Defence / the State Property Authority and the Brabant site. Landscape Authority. For the Holten visitors' centre, the province of Overijssel and the Municipality of -Holten jointly approached for The aim is to make the contours of a visitors' centre visible by a so-called LEADER subsidy, a European subsidy programme means of a temporary construction in October 2019, at the start for Rural Development. of the celebrations of 75 years of Liberation. By 2020, the centre For nearly € 900,000 (2010/11 price scale), an information centre should be nalised. was built at the Canadian cemetery. The cost was broadly divided as follows: This is all closely tied in with the funding of the centre as well as « Cost preparation / planning: 10 percent its facilities, together with its maintenance and supervision once « Land and buildings costs: 60 percent open. « Facilities: 30 percent

6 FINANCING With the creation of a visitors' centre on the Ruytershove Road, Educational institutions can also play a role, for example, the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation wants to link up with through project-based research into the history of militants ongoing provincial and national initiatives in the run-up to the killed in this area. (Also see Faces to Graves) 75-year anniversary of liberation. This also applies to co- In the near future, the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation hopes nancing via the aforementioned Crossroads, specic funds to present a detailed roadmap / timetable together with a and Liberation Route Europe. Contacts have already been made project schedule for the realisation of a visitors' centre. with various potential partners both at home and internation- ally. Dr. Steven Adriaansen, Mayor of Woensdrecht In order to create social involvement, we are also looking at 'The port of Antwerp was the gateway to liberation for our region. (regional) businesses for (monetary) contributions. The Brabant With committed determination, the Allies were sent through Wal Liberation Foundation currently has ANBI status. This Woensdrecht to Zuid-Beveland to achieve free passage from the means that contributions by businesses are tax deductible. mouth of the River Scheldt to the port of Antwerp. Known as "The Battle of the Scheldt", a ferocious battle was fought Also under consideration is the creation of a regional support in Woensdrecht. It is one of the bloodiest chapters of World War II in committee, which can carry out various activities amongst the our country, with long-lasting clashes in and around Woensdrecht. population and make a big dent in the sum required. In other We must not forget that in the Battle of the Scheldt many soldiers parts of the country, service clubs have contributed to the and civilians sacriced their lives for our freedom and continued development of a visitors' centre. existence. "

VISITORS 'Holten' reports that 30,000 people visit the information centre The prospect of more public interest seems favourable. It is not on an annual basis. These include young people who learn only the Brabant Wal municipalities who are striving for the about WWII and the consequences for our contemporary upgrade of regional war history and military cemeteries; work society at school. is also being done on a provincial and (inter) national scale.

Developments in "remembrance and battleeld tourism” show The Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation is, for example, that visits to former battleelds and war artefacts from the First working together with top regional marketing and media and Second World Wars are increasing. It is probable that visitor initiatives in the run-up to the celebration of 75 years of libera- statistics such as those for Holten are also possible for Bergen op tion. In addition, the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation is Zoom once there is a visitors' centre here. In addition, the intensifying its cooperation with the Liberation Museum in visitors' centre here will refer to two war cemeteries, one Zeeland (Bevrijdingsmuseum Zeeland) in relation to the Battle Canadian and one British, instead of only one, as in Holten. The of the Scheldt. position of the two war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom in relation to those WWl and WWll cemeteries in northern and (including Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele), Dr. Leon de Rond, Rector of 't Rijks' school community coupled with route of the Allied march in 1944, reinforce the “We can't change the entire world just like that. But together we can assumption that the number of visitors to the war cemeteries in become a small oasis, at school, at home and on the streets.” Bergen op Zoom will increase.

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Artist impression visitors centre Canadian War Cemetery in Holten

8 IMPLEMENTATION A well-equipped visitors' centre on the Ruytershove Road will In view of Bergen op Zoom's many strengths and its committed promote the wider transfer of information to visitors of the war community, which is endowed with many volunteers, the cemeteries. This facility will also serve as a catalyst for WWII- above scenario seems feasible. Perhaps in a number of specic related visits to the city and region. circumstances, professional support from the West Brabant Archives or by teachers of the Bergen op Zoom School of History In addition to this, a digital database is being considered, may also be given. Cooperation with the Stichting Bezichtiging containing facts and gures about the allied military soldiers Monumenten is still being investigated. (see also Faces to Graves), multilingual visual and audio information about the regional battleeld during WWII, the Due to status of the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation as movements of the troops during the Battle of the Scheldt and Public Benet Organisation (ANBI), those people receiving a references to artefacts from that period in the vicinity of the state benet may also work as volunteers under certain Brabant Wal. conditions. All of this contributes to their reintegration into society. Another good example of such a visitors' centre is the one at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer (Normandy). Again, visitors to these war cemeteries are given information via images, text and sound. Ruud van den Belt MBA, Mayor of Steenbergen:

(For a better idea of possible facilities, see Appendix 3) “I am pleased that here in the Brabant Wal region, we have rein- forced the contacts with our liberators in recent years. We regularly The visitors' centre on the Ruytershove Road must be easily receive guests from Canada here in West Brabant. It is partly accessible, also for groups. The road signs to the centre and the through them and their stories that our freedom is perpetrated. parking facilities must be well thought out. Likewise, the accessibility of the centre to visitors with a physical disability. Personal stories are the driving force which keep the memories alive This also applies to the toilet facilities. When open, supervision of all those who did not survive the Second World War and of all of the centre must also be arranged. those people who did not simply let it happen, but who actually took action to regain our freedom. From the point of view of cost-effectiveness, but also from a And of the ruined lives of the soldiers who'd only seen 19, 20 or 21 point of view of social embedding, the foundation chooses to summers, such as our liberators from faraway Canada; who never employ volunteers with the relevant skills, who can help and grew any older; who never had the chance to hear their own baby cry support visitors to the centre in word and deed. The coordina- or bury their parents. Like our own resistance ghters. And like the tion of group visits to the visitors' centre can probably take place millions who were killed and don't even have a grave." via the Brabantse Wal Tourist Ofce.

9 10 FACES TO GRAVES and YOUNG PEOPLE With the passing of the years, there are fewer people with their things, of compiling a personal database using the memories of own memories of WWII. The opportunities to hand down the descendants or witnesses of war operations. Dr. Leon de Rond, experiences from those years to younger generations are Rector of the Bergse school community 't Rijks', wants to portray thinning out. However, besides ofcial documents, photo- their personal stories through an open-air spectacle performed graphs, images and reference works, verbally related history by high school students. remains an important source of information. The idea behind this is that "we will continue to remember them, In addition to the summary information available about the especially since most of their comrades are no longer capable of soldiers buried in the military cemeteries, the SBBW therefore doing so". High-school students are actively involved in the wishes to give a face to the victims of the Battle of the Scheldt search for information about the buried soldiers, and they are through personal stories, and, after three-quarters of a century, doing this by way of multiple learning: acquiring knowledge of provide and answer to questions such as: the history of their environment, making connections between historical events and personal histories and understanding that « Who were the young people who offered up their lives in peace and freedom are costly and vulnerable achievements. 1944/45 for the sake of our freedom and security? « Where did they come from? Or, as H.E. Sabine Nölke, the Canadian Ambassador, said on the « What did they go through on their route towards Southwest Canadays.nl website: "Look at what is going on in Syria and Netherlands? Afghanistan, for example. Closer to home, some people are carrying out attacks because our freedom does not t in with The SBBW is already working with Holten and on their ideals. We may not, and cannot, ignore these atrocious the 'Faces to Graves' project, with the intention, among other happenings. "

COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an the wars fought there. inter-governmental organisation responsible for the designa- The management of the war cemeteries in Bergen op Zoom is tion and maintenance of the graves and military cemeteries of carried out by two members of staff (gardeners) who are the Commonwealth Forces that fell during the First and Second employed by the CWGC. The ofce in Ypres is largely responsi- World War. These cemeteries are spread across 150 countries ble for the graves in Western Europe. around the world. Almost every cemetery consists of rows of upright, white The Commission is also responsible for establishing and gravestones, engraved with the name, the rank and an engraved maintaining all monuments for the dead, even for those who cross, with the exception of those tombs where the family have a no known grave. Furthermore, the Commission holds indicated that they belonged to another religion. the registers of the 1.7 million victims from the Commonwealth The stones for unidentied desertions carry texts such as "A of Nations. Soldier of the Great War" or "A Soldier of the 1939-1945 War" and "Known unto God". The work of this organisation is the result of the policy that the At each cemetery there is a plaque with a brief history and dead of the then British Empire were to be buried in the region in overview of the war in which the soldiers died. There is also a which they fell. In this way, they provide a lasting testimony of guest book and a register with the names of those buried there.

11 Alderman Ben Beens, Municipal Council of Rijssen-Holten.

"I nd it surprising and moving that there is an increasing number of young people from both Canada and our region who visit the Canadian Cemetery and Information Centre in Holten. The youth is the future, as we so easily say. But what kind of future? Let the future be one of peace ".

Canadian War Cemetery Information Centre Holten

12 APPENDIX 1 The Battle of the Scheldt It took until 8 November 1944 for the Germans to be defeated in Zeeland. This was at the expense of substantial damage to the The Battle of the Scheldt, was of crucial importance during infrastructure and homes of Zeeland and Woensdrecht and the WWII to the defeat of Nazi . lives of some hundreds of civilians, 703 Ofcers and 12,700 injured or killed soldiers of the First Canadian Army; it also The purpose of this large-scale offensive: access to the seaports required the Allied bombing of the dykes around Walcheren, so of Antwerp from the North Sea via the Western Scheldt estuary. that the low parts of the island became ooded and forced the The accessibility of Antwerp, already liberated on 4 September Germans to retreat to higher ground. 1944, was of major strategic military importance. Finally, the game was up for the Germans after heavy ghting The fast-paced Allied troops advancing northward were still on the Sloedam. In total, around 41,000 German soldiers were designated to receive supplies from Normandy. At a certain taken as prisoners of war at the Battle of the Scheldt. point, those supply lines had to be signicantly reduced. Only the transhipment capacity of the ports of Antwerp could meet Due to the clearing of the mines and the sunken ships in the the demand for provisions for the attacking Allies. estuary, it took until 28 November for the rst convoy, led by the Canadian freighter Fort Cataraqui, to enter the port of Antwerp For this reason, it was necessary to drive out the German troops via the Western Scheldt. (90,000 men) from both banks of the Western Scheldt, which were riddled with German mines and sunken ships. This took place from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the south, from the Zeeland regions of Walcheren and the Bevelanden in the north, and in the east from West-Brabant (the Bergen op Zoom region). ______

13 APPENDIX 2 Cooperation Liberation Route Europe This bid book refers to some provincial and international Liberation Route Europe is an ever-expanding international initiatives with which the Brabant Wal Liberation Foundation is commemorative route linking important milestones in modern looking to cooperate. In particular: European history.

Thanks to Liberation Route Europe, interested parties can now Crossroads Brabant 40-45 discover and experience the routes taken by the Allies in the For the celebration of 75 years of liberation in 2019, Crossroads nal phase of World War II. Brabant will collect, preserve and make accessible personal stories about the Second World War: big or small, about mobili- The link is made between present-day Europe, together with sation, the resistance, collaborations and deployment. "Stories other parts of the world, and the past, emphasising the role of that often focus on life-changing choices". Seventy-ve stories – international reconciliation and a call for reection on the value one for each year of freedom – will be actively re-told, by of our hard-fought freedom. literally marking them in the Brabant countryside.

Crossroads Brabant is a partnership between heritage institu- tions in North-Brabant and is supported by the Provincial Council of North-Brabant. The Provincial Council has given the concept of Crossroads an important role in their planning. ______

14 APPENDIX 3 Canadian War Cemetery Information Centre in Holten

A. Wall of Introduction D. Showcases Showing the route of Allied troops, the dates on In the wall with a large panoramic photo of the which various villages and towns were liberated entrance of the cemetery, eight showcases have and information about places where heavy ghting been incorporated, in which various themes are took place. The number of fatalities are also given highlighted. There are also 4 touch screens with here. The wall contains viewing points with slides lms about the liberation of various villages and of the liberation of the region. cities in the North and East of the Netherlands, a lm about the Commonwealth War Graves B. Cinema Commission and various photographs and lms of The cinema is the heart of the information centre. In commemorations at the cemetery over the years. seventeen minutes, all aspects of the cemetery are revealed. The movie is repeated automatically. E. Documentaries Nearly 1,400 soldiers are buried in Holten; all of On a large screen, the audience can watch four their names are depicted on the outside wall of the documentaries: cinema. 1. 'Victory in the Netherlands', an authentic lm from C. Information tables 1945 reporting the liberation of Netherlands. The Centre offers information about the layout of 2. 'The liberation of cities and villages in the the cemetery and who is buried there and displays Netherlands from day to day'. particular stories of the fallen soldiers. There are three information tables: 3. 'Heroes remember', Canadian veterans talk about their experiences of the liberation of the Table 1: The Database Netherlands. The basic data of all Canadian soldiers buried in the Netherlands can be retrieved here and photo 4. Impression of the Ceremony on 4 May 2015 at the graphs and life stories of the soldiers buried in cemetery. Holten can also be viewed. F. Reading table Table 2: The Meeting Kiosk This provides an opportunity for those who want to "Meet a soldier": the extensive life story of four read the documents about the four life stories, or of fallen liberators can be followed via lms with stories of important liberation operations. There are unique documents and photos. also reading folders with original newspaper articles about liberation actions. Table 3: Interviews Here you can watch interviews with witnesses of G. Tile wall the liberation. Three striking liberation stories can Wall tiles by students from primary schools in also be heard which were written in, or directly Holten with depictions based on a 'war and peace' after, the days of liberation. assignment

15 CONTACT More information: www.canadays.nl [email protected] COLOFON

© 2017 Tekst: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an auto- Henk Boot/SBBW mated database or made public in any form or by any means, Graphic design and print: Bakx Reclamestudio, www.bakxxx.nl electronic, mechanical or by photocopying, recording, or in any other Photos: Gemeente Bergen op Zoom, Bakx Reclamestudio. way, without the prior written permission of the author / publisher. We have done our best to nd the holders of any rights with regard Bronnen: to (photo) material. We ask anyone who believes that his / her This bid book was partly realised through the cooperation of the material has been used here without prior permission to contact us. Canadian Cemetery Information Centre Foundation, Holten. We are not liable for damage resulting from any inaccuracies in this Furthermore, publicly accessible data on the Internet: publication. www.cwgc.org, www.liberationroute.nl, www.facestograves.nl, www.visitbrabant.nl, www.bevrijdingsmuseumzeeland.nl, Wikipedia, www.canadays.nl, www.gemeentebergenopzoom.nl en eerdere publicaties van de Stichting BBW. G N I T H C I T S

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