#Monument
Buried in a garden
A garden in Baexem contained the grave of British soldier Donald Barret for almost two years. It was not until October 1946 that he was reburied in the British War Cemetery in Venray.
There was a large minefield between Baexem and Heythuysen. On 16 November 1944, Donald Barrett and a few more soldiers from the 7th Royal Welch Fusiliers Battalion were sent out to clear the minefield.
With a few dismantled mines under his arm, 24-year-old Barret stepped on a mine and was killed. Other members of his battalion were seriously injured. Barret was laid to rest in a service held in a shed behind the café of the Schrooijen family. He was buried in the family's garden, a few hundred metres from the current café.
Today, Donald Barret is a symbol for the many British soldiers who fought for the liberation of Leudal. Every year on King's Day, the Sint Jan marksmen lay flowers at the monument.