On September 11 1944, the Allies sent reconnaissance troops ahead to see if the bridge over the River Dommel at Valkenswaard was still intact. It was important to know whether it could bear the weight of tanks. The four scouts raced in two reconnaissance Daimler vehicles at full speed past the German troops, who were so amazed, they didn’t have time to react.

The British stopped here, which was then called Rustoord café. Then a scout car ventured a little further along the road to view the bridge. In the vehicle, Corporal Brook saw a German tank that had just stopped on the bridge. The corporal therefore knew the bridge was strong enough and drove back to this café. After a brief stop in the café, the scouts returned to Belgium as quickly as they had arrived.

For General Horrocks, commander of the XXX Corps, the information about the bridge was of great importance in preparing Operation Garden. Later, General Horrocks called this reconnaissance mission the most daring of World War II.