Marking remembrance in congleton
Congleton’s lasting bond with the Netherlands will be honoured through a free art exhibition at Congleton Town Hall over Remembrance weekend. The Darji Expression will bring together paintings by Ramesh Darji that invite visitors to reflect on memory, home, peace and freedom.
In 1941, Dutch soldiers who had escaped their occupied homeland were housed in Congleton as the Princess Irene Brigade was formed. They had come to Britain to continue the fight for the liberation of the Netherlands. Their time here created connections that lasted long after the war. In September 1948, the Congleton Chronicle listed 48 local women who had married Dutch soldiers and were preparing to begin new lives in Holland. Other Dutch servicemen settled in Congleton, becoming part of the town’s community.
That friendship continues today. This August, Congleton’s Deputy Mayor attended events in the Netherlands marking the regiment’s 85th anniversary.
Darji’s own life has taken him through both countries. After moving to the Netherlands in 1989, he developed a new artistic style, moving from black and white into rich colour, bold lines and forms often likened to stained glass. He moved to England with his family in 1998, where his work took on softer edges and new textures, and later settled in Congleton.
The exhibition will feature selected paintings from Darji’s Dutch and English periods, including Field of Memory and works from his poppy series. Together, they offer space to remember those who served and lost their lives, consider the families and communities changed by war, and reflect on the peace and freedom that followed.
Everyone is welcome to a public preview on Saturday 7 November, which will be opened by the Mayor. The exhibition will also be open on Remembrance Sunday, 8 November, alongside the town’s official observances.
Exhibition details
Saturday 7 November: Public preview, 2.30pm–7.30pm
Sunday 8 November: 9.30am–4.00pm
Venue: Congleton Town Hall
Admission: Free
Visitors are welcome to come in, spend time with the paintings and remember in their own way.
