Inscription From World War II Soldier From Pittsburgh Found Inside Cave In Netherlands
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A rock inside a cave in The Netherlands appears to have the inscription of a soldier from Pittsburgh that was left during World War II.
Walther Odekerken owns a cave In Valkenburg, a town in the Netherlands.
Valkenburg was occupied by Nazi-Germany during World War II before being liberated in 1944.
Inside the cave that Odekerken owns, he found an inscription that appears to have been left by a soldier who may have been from Pittsburgh.
The inscription appears to be written "Wm. Thompson" along with "Pgh, Pa." and the date of September 17, 1944, the date that Valkenburg was liberated.
It also appears to say "Gimpy Joe" written above.
Odekerken says that the German soldiers used the caves in the town for storage during the war.
Odekerken also provided a drawing and a photo of an American tank driving through the Medieval Town Gate in Valkenburg in 1944.
Odekerken hopes to be able to find the family of the soldier who left the inscription inside the cave.