THE Musselburgh community has said a poignant ‘thank you’ to a Dutch woman who, for 75 years, tended the grave of a local war hero.

Maggie Tervit, 65, who was born in Wallyford and now lives in the Netherlands, laid a floral tribute and card at the grave of Willemien (Wil) Rieken, who had looked after the final resting place of Trooper William Edmond, from Musselburgh, since she was nine.

Willemien, who is buried at Oosterbeek, near Arnhem, passed away in July at the age of 85 and was one of the last-known Flower Children from 1945 who laid flowers on soldiers’ graves after the Second World War.

A £50 donation was received from Musselburgh & Inveresk Community Council towards the tributes and a fundraising campaign via social media was also organised after news of Willemien’s death became known.

Maggie, a former pupil of Musselburgh Grammar School, lives at Nijmegen, about 25 minutes from the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery where Trooper Edmond is buried, and made the journey with her son Jamie to also lay a tribute at his grave on behalf of the Musselburgh community.

She said: “My local garden centre did us proud because I know they went over our budget. They thought it was a lovely story. The floral tribute was to thank Wil for her dedication and we laid a smaller one for William Edmond.”

Trooper Edmond, 27, was a trained parachutist and in 1944 was a member of the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron of the Reconnaissance Corps.

His unit had been detailed to take part in Operation Market Garden – a plan to seize and hold bridges over the major waterways in the Netherlands and then enter Germany.

On the afternoon of September 17, 1944, the jeeps with which the squadron were equipped came by glider, with the majority of the men parachuting in. After marrying up the squadron, they moved along the Johannahoeveweg in Wolfheze, which runs to the north of the Arnhem-Utrecht railway.

But lying in wait for them were a few Germans from the SS-Panzer Grenadier Ausbildungs und Ersatztalion 16. They ambushed the squadron close by a culvert about 800 yards from the village of Wolfheze.

Wounded, Trooper Edmond was taken to the Main Dressing Station of 181st Airlanding Field Ambulance RAMC, which had set up at No 9 Duitsekampweg in Wolfheze.

Sadly, he died there that day and was buried in the back garden.

After the war, his body, together with others of the squadron who had died in the ambush, was exhumed and buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery.

Among those who donated to Musselburgh’s floral tributes was Helen McKinstry, who lived next door to Trooper Edmond’s parents William and Joanna on Delta Drive and now lives in Livingston.

Kevin Liston, from Musselburgh, who produced a book to commemorate the men and women from Musselburgh who died during the First World War, called Musselburgh Roll of Honour, also contributed.

Maggie is hoping to continue to visit war cemeteries and memorials near her home to pay respect to war heroes from the Musselburgh area and is planning to attend a service at the Groesbeek Memorial where candles are lit on Christmas Eve.