Patton grandson in Ettelbrück

(asc/CS) George Patton Waters, grandson of famous General George S Patton Jr, visited Ettelbrück on Sunday, honouring his ancestor and visiting the Diekirch museum of military history.

Around 130 collectors of military collectibles from Luxembourg, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy came together at the General Patton Memorial Museum in Ettelbrück. Some of them had travelled across the Ardennes mountains in 40 military vehicles.

They were received by members of the Ettelbrück council and members of the Groupe de Recherches et d’Etudes sur la Guerre 1940-1945 (Greg).

Greg-President Paul Heinrich welcomed guests, speaking about the ongoing admiration Luxembourg, but especially the citizens of Ettelbrück and Warken, hold for the military hero. A memorial, a museum as well as annual Remembrance Day festivities commemorate Patton in Ettelbrück.

Ettelbrück mayor Jean-Paul Schaaf said about Patton that he is “one of the most famous people we have in Ettelbrück.” The city has a strong connection to Patton who led troops to liberate Ettelbrück in 1944.

Patton's grandon has previously been to Luxembourg. In 1957, he accompanied his father and brother to Remembrance Day in Luxembourg. This year he was the guest of honour of the Belgian Association Indianhead.

Looking closely, guests could see that Patton Waters wears a ring also found on General Patton's statue in Ettelbrück. The family heirloom was passed to him by his father, Patton's son-in-law.

As a keepsake Patton Waters was given a book published by Greg on the General in 2005. The day's events continued with a wreath ceremony at the Patton Memorial, which was followed by a visit to the museum of military history in Diekirch.