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31-761: Originally, Walcheren was an island, but the Sloedam , constructed in 1871 for a railway, and poldering after World War II have connected it to the (former) island of Zuid-Beveland , which in turn was connected to the North Brabant mainland by the Kreekrakdam (Completed in 1867). The Veerse Gatdam , completed in 1961, has connected Walcheren to Noord-Beveland . Walcheren is first attested in Latinized spelling, such as villam Walichrum ca. 790 and Vualacra ca. 837. Germanic spellings start appearing around

62-625: A bridgehead on Walcheren Island on the morning of 1 November 1944. The next day, soldiers of the 52nd (Lowland) Division crossed the Sloe to the south and attacked the German positions at the Sloedam from the rear. By this time the Canadians had withdrawn from the area. The attack on the Sloedam as intended as a diversion for Operation Infatuate , the capture of Walcheren by amphibious troops landing on

93-473: A bridgehead on the island. The Highlanders were eventually thrown back, having lost 64 killed and wounded. Le Régiment de Maisonneuve relieved them on the causeway, followed by the 1st Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders of the British 52nd Infantry Division . Meanwhile, on 1 November 1944, British Commandos landed in the village of Westkapelle in order to silence the German coastal batteries looking out over

124-606: A temple of the goddess Nehalennia who was popular with those who braved the waters of the North Sea. Walcheren became the seat of the Danish Viking Harald (fl. 841–842), who conquered what would become the Netherlands together with his brother Rorik (fl. 842–873) (or Rurik ) in the ninth century. One fringe theory has it that Ahmad ibn Rustah (fl. 10th century) described Walcheren when reporting on

155-675: A third Sloedam. When the Veerse Gat estuary was closed off by the Veerse Gatdam in 1961, the Sloedam lost it function as a primary defense against the sea. During World War II, two battles were fought on and around the Sloedam. In May 1940, the area was contested during the German invasion of the Low Countries in the Battle of Zeeland . A combined French-Dutch force under brigadier-general Marcel Deslaurens attempted to stop

186-418: The 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade found that assault boats were useless in the deep mud of the channel. The only route open was the 40 metre wide Walcheren Causeway , a mile-long land bridge from South Beveland to the island. The Canadian Black Watch sent a company across on the evening of 31 October, but was stopped. The Calgary Highlanders sent two companies over in succession, the second attack opening up

217-653: The Battle of the Netherlands , and again in 1944 in the Battle of Walcheren Causeway , the fourth and final stage of the Battle of the Scheldt . On 3 October 1944 the RAF bombed the sea wall at Westkapelle causing the Inundation of Walcheren . The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division cleared South Beveland to the east and approached the island on 31 October 1944. The plan was to cross the Sloe Channel, but leading troops of

248-698: The Canal de Saint-Quentin follows its course. The port of Antwerp , the second-largest in Europe, developed on its banks. Several canals (including the Scheldt-Rhine Canal connecting Antwerp to Rotterdam , the Albert Canal connecting it to Liège and the Brussel-Scheldt , Brussels and Brussels-Charleroi canals connecting it to Charleroi via Brussels ) connect the Scheldt with

279-496: The Dutch Republic took control of Zeelandic Flanders , a strip of land on the left bank, and closed the Scheldt for shipping. That shifted the trade to the ports of Amsterdam and Middelburg and seriously crippled Antwerp, an important and traumatic element in the history of relations between the Netherlands and what was to become Belgium. Access to the river was the subject of the brief Kettle War of 1784, and during

310-755: The French Navy fleet moored at Flushing . The expedition turned into a disaster, as although British troops captured Flushing the Austrians had already been decisively defeated at the Battle of Wagram in early July and were suing for peace. Meanwhile, the French fleet had moved to Antwerp , and the expeditionary lost over 4,000 men to a disease called "Walcheren Fever", thought to be a combination of malaria and typhus , compared to only 106 men to enemy action. The French and Dutch defenders, meanwhile, suffered approximately 4,000 men killed, wounded or captured. With

341-547: The French Revolution shortly afterwards, the river was reopened in 1792. Once Belgium had claimed its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the treaty of the Scheldt determined that the river should remain accessible to ships heading for Belgian ports . Nevertheless, the Dutch government would demand a toll from passing vessels until 16 July 1863. The Question of the Scheldt , a study providing "a history of

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372-506: The High Middle Ages , like Old Dutch Walacheri ca. 1150. The name is most likely a compound of *wal(a)c , meaning "moist", and *heri/*hara , indicating a sandy ridge. Another, less likely theory suggests that the name derives from Walhaz , the name Germans used for Romans. The Romans called the island "Wallacra". As early as Roman times, the island functioned as a point of departure for ships going to Britain ; it had

403-458: The Scheldt . The amphibious assault ( Operation Infatuate ) proved a success and by 8 November, all German resistance on the island had ceased. [REDACTED] Topographic map of Walcheren, 2015-2016. Click to enlarge. 51°31′17″N 3°34′56″E  /  51.52139°N 3.58222°E  / 51.52139; 3.58222 Sloedam The Sloedam is 1 km long a dam, that

434-846: The Empire, which later became France and the Holy Roman Empire . This status quo remained intact, at least on paper, until 1528, but by then, both the County of Flanders on the western bank and Zeeland and the Duchy of Brabant on the east were part of the Habsburg possessions of the Seventeen Provinces . Antwerp was the most prominent harbour in Western Europe. After this city fell back under Spanish control in 1585,

465-640: The German invasion, but was unsuccessful. On 17 May a successful combat crossing of the Sloedam was made by SS Regiment Deutschland . In 1944–1945, heavy fighting came to the area when the Allies attempted to clear the Western Scheldt , entrance to the harbor of Antwerp . After heavy fighting, Zeelandic Flanders (south of the Scheldt) and Zuid-Beveland (to the north) were freed from German control by Canadian forces. However, Walcheren island, north of

496-508: The basins of the Rhine , Meuse , and Seine rivers, and with the industrial areas around Brussels , Liège , Lille , Dunkirk , and Mons . The Scheldt flows through the following departments of France , provinces of Belgium , provinces of the Netherlands , and towns: The Scheldt estuary has always had considerable commercial and strategic importance. Called Scaldis in Roman times, it

527-642: The confluence of the Lys , one of its main tributaries, and the Scheldt, which then turns east. Near Antwerp , the largest city on its banks, the Scheldt flows west into the Netherlands toward the North Sea . Originally there were two branches from that point: the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt); and the Westerschelde (Western Scheldt). In the 19th century, however, the Dutch built a dyke that cuts

558-401: The construction of the dam started. Already on 14 June, the dam could be walked over during low tide. In December 1871 the construction was complete. On the first of March 1872 the railway track over the dam was opened for trains. Not long after, a newly constructed road for regular transport was opened. After World War II , the silted up areas south of the dam were poldered with a second and

589-430: The essential commodity of the industrial revolution. Upgrading downstream from Bouchain was started in the 1960s in both France and Flanders, but the waterway is still not fully compliant with European standards. All the locks on the high-capacity section are being doubled by European Class Vb size locks, 185 by 12 m (607 by 39 ft), as part of the overall European Seine-Scheldt waterway project. The Pont des Trous,

620-677: The international legal arrangements governing the Western Scheldt", was prepared for the use of British negotiators at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. In the Second World War , the Scheldt estuary once again became a contested area. Despite Allied control of Antwerp , German forces still occupied fortified positions in September 1944 throughout the Scheldt estuary west and north, preventing any Allied shipping from reaching

651-626: The isle of Cadzand , as the reward for helping France in the then impending war against the Dutch Republic. In the event, the Dutch resistance — much stronger than anticipated — managed to repulse the French-English attack, and the treaty was not implemented. Beginning on 30 July 1809, a British expeditionary force of 39,000 men landed on Walcheren , intending to assist the Austrians in their efforts against Napoleon and attack

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682-501: The port. In the Battle of the Scheldt , the Canadian First Army successfully cleared the area, allowing supply convoys direct access to the port of Antwerp by November 1944. Canalisation from Cambrai down to Valenciennes was completed in 1788. Napoleon saw the benefits of linking Paris to Belgium and accelerated completion of the Canal de Saint-Quentin to the south. The locks were deepened and doubled, as coal became

713-456: The river mouth, still contained a large German force that controlled access to the Western Scheldt . De Sloedam was the only access road to the former island of Walcheren. The Canadians reached the dam from Zuid-Beveland . The Germans were well prepared, and had established multiple well-prepared mortar sites that allowed them to fire on every point of the dam. The initial Canadian attempts to reach Walcheren failed. The Calgary Highlanders opened

744-557: The river off from its eastern (northern) branch and connects Zuid-Beveland with the mainland ( North Brabant ). Today the river continues into the Westerschelde estuary only, passing Terneuzen to reach the North Sea between Breskens in Zeelandic Flanders and Vlissingen (Flushing) on Walcheren . The Scheldt is an important waterway , and has been made navigable from its mouth up to Cambrai. Above Cambrai,

775-580: The seat of the Rus' Khaganate . Another fringe theory mentions Walcheren as the seat of Hades , described by Homer . The island played a role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The Spanish fleet was not able to be supported by deep water ports along the continental side of the English Channel. The Duke of Parma had occupied Antwerp , a deep water port. However, access to this port

806-595: The southwestern part of the Netherlands , with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sċeald ("shallow"), Modern English shoal , Low German schol , West Frisian skol , and obsolete Swedish skäll ("thin"). The headwaters of the Scheldt are in Gouy , in the Aisne department of northern France. It flows north through Cambrai and Valenciennes , and enters Belgium near Tournai . Ghent developed at

837-585: The strategic reasons for the campaign gone and the worsening conditions, the British withdrew in December. Strategically situated at the mouth of the River Scheldt , Walcheren was the key that allowed use of the deep-water port of Antwerp , located further upstream on the right bank of the southern estuary of the river. It was fought over during World War II in 1940 between Dutch and German troops in

868-434: The west and southern parts of the island. 51°30′N 3°42′E  /  51.500°N 3.700°E  / 51.500; 3.700 Scheldt The Scheldt ( / ʃ ɛ l t , s k ɛ l t / SHELT , SKELT ; French : Escaut [ɛsko] ; Dutch : Schelde [ˈsxɛldə] ) is a 435-kilometre-long (270 mi) river that flows through northern France , western Belgium , and

899-558: Was blocked by Dutch rebels and English fighters who occupied Walcheren. As a result, the armada could not be resupplied nor could it seek shelter at Antwerp. Facing dwindling supplies, Admiral Medina-Sedonia fled northward, ending the threat to the English. Under the Secret Treaty of Dover , concluded in 1670 between Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France , England was supposed to get possession of Walcheren as well as

930-483: Was constructed in 1871, as a necessary part of the Roosendaal-Vlissingen Railway , the so-called Zeeuwse Lijn (Zealandic Line). Additionally this dam connected the island of Walcheren with Zuid-Beveland across the Sloe waterway, and therefore with the mainland of Brabant . The Sloe was a waterway between the islands of Walcheren near the town of Arnemuiden , and Zuid-Beveland. In 1871

961-646: Was important for the shipping lanes to Roman Britain . Nehalennia was venerated at its mouth. The Franks took control over the region about the year 260 and at first interfered with the Roman supply routes as pirates. Later they became allies of the Romans. With the various divisions of the Frankish Empire in the 9th century, the Scheldt eventually became the border between the Western and Eastern parts of

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