Canadian Liberation March – November 2025

Liberation March

The Canadian Liberation March from Hoofdplaat to Knokke-Heist commemorates the 1944 liberation of Belgium and parts of the Netherlands by Canadian forces during World War II. It retraces the 33-kilometer route taken by the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade during Operation Switchback.

The First Canadian Army played a pivotal role in liberating the Belgian coastal town of Knokke-Heist. Their advance began in Hoofdplaat, Netherlands, and pushed through villages like Zuid Zande, Terhofstede, and Retranchement before reaching Knokke-Heist. The campaign was marked by intense fighting, including the crossing of the Leopold Canal and the destruction of towns like Eede by retreating German forces.

Battle of the Scheldt

The British XXX Corps had captured the port of Antwerp on 04 September but were ordered to stop at the Albert Canal. The Germans occupied both sides of the Scheldt Estuary, a total length of 50 km, so the Canadians were given the task of clearing the Estuary so that Allied shipping could deliver supplies into the port of Antwerp.

Second Division of the First Canadian Army cleared the northern bank of the Scheldt, the Third Division the Southern bank and the Fourth Canadian Armoured Division pushed North of Antwerp.

Details of the fighting by the Second and Third Division have been given in the posts:

https://www.paulsbattlefieldtours.com/post/battle-of-the-scheldt-southern-bank

https://www.paulsbattlefieldtours.com/post/battle-of-the-scheldt-part-two

The Liberation March, which started in 1974, covers the area south of the Scheldt. The current organizers, Danny Lannoy and his nephew Dirk Overstraete, have been involved with the March from its initiation, and continue to complete the 33km trek today.

Dany and Dirk leading the For Freedom Museum Pipe band towards the For Freedom Museum.

The Liberation March ceremonies took place over 3 days. On Friday, the Canadian Military Contingent along with the For Freedom Museum Pipes and drums participated in Remembrance Ceremonies in Eede and Sluis.

Eede

On 16 October, the Canadian Scottish supported by tanks and Wasps from the British Columbia Regiment took the town of Eede. A memorial acknowledges the effort.

The Canadians were relieved on 18 October by the 52nd British (Lowland) Division. During the period 06 -12 October 7th Brigade suffered 553 casualties, 111 fatal. They also suffered an additional 200 losses by having men withdrawn due to battle exhaustion.

The canal is a very peaceful place today; it is difficult to imagine the devastation that occurred.

Eede was virtually destroyed by heavy shelling from both sides. The Germans adopted a scorched earth policy, opening sluices to flood the lowlands, blew all bridges, destroying buildings and roads and leaving multiple booby traps to impede the Canadians’ advance.

Part of the crowd witnessing the service at Eede.

A Memorial service and wreaths were laid at the Eede Memorial to commemorate the heavy losses crossing the Leopold Canal.

In the same location as the memorial is the memorial to Queen Wilhelmina celebrating her return to the Netherlands. On March 13th, 1945, Queen Wilhelmina returned to The Netherlands after having been almost five years in exile in London. She selected Eede as the spot for crossing the national border. This because the village is situated in a region which had extremely suffered from the violence of war resulting in tremendous destruction and many victims. The arrival of the Queen symbolized the end of years of repression and limitations of liberty and also the beginning of a new era of peace and prosperity.

As the troops formed up to march off, the sun finally broke through the cloudy sky.

Sluis

The military contingent, led by the For Freedom Museum Pipes and Drums then marched in Sluis.

On 25 October, the Canadian Scottish Regiment moved along the eastern approach to Sluis, supported by tanks and engineers bridging minor canals and ditches. The German defenders had barricaded key streets and positions in the town and set up machine gun nests. The Canadians engaged in house-to-house combat, clearing the town methodically. By 26 October, the Germans recognized their positions in Sluis were untenable due to being outflanked and under constant artillery and infantry pressure. Many German soldiers withdrew toward the Dutch border and into the surrounding countryside. The Canadians consolidated control of Sluis, establishing defensive positions and clearing remaining snipers and mines.

The monument at Sluis contains a list in memory of the civilian victims of the Second World War 1940 - 1945. The inscription on the plaque on the left side of the memorial.

In commemoration of the citizens who died as a result of bombing, shelling and fighting during the liberation of the Municipality of Sluis in the month of October 1944.

One of the speakers for the ceremony who read out the names of the fallen was a 98-year-old member of the town, who was a teenager when the town was liberated. One of the few remaining direct links to the conflict.

The pipe band and military members formed up in front of the memorial.

Dwayne and Glenn laying a wreath in front of the memorial.                                              

Accompanying the troops, as they would throughout the weekend, was an honour guard of locals dressed in Canadian Uniforms of the units that liberated the region and driving WW2 vehicles.

Near the end of the ceremony, a rainbow appeared that we took as a symbol of peace.

The day’s parading over, the military contingent joined the locals for a celebratory dinner.

On Friday night the AF North teaching staff and families made it to Knokke-Heist to continue the commemorations.

Early Saturday morning, the For Freedom Museum Pipe Band and the military contingent form up for a march through downtown Knokke-Heist to the Resistance Square Memorial.

The march was greeted by Canadian Flags and people on their balconies cheering on the parade.

After a short march, the first ceremony of the day took place at the Knokke-Heist Resistance Square memorial.

The monument bears the emblems of the Secret Army, the phrase T VERZET (the Resistance) and the Canadian regiments that were part of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade (the only all Highland Brigade in the Canadian Army):

·       The Highland Light Infantry (Galt, ON)

·       The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (Cornwall, ON region)

·       The North Nova Scotia (Amherst, NS)

The Secret Army (Resistance) provided the Canadians with Intelligence and Reconnaissance, providing accurate maps with locations of German Strongholds and fortifications, information of troop movements and flooded areas. They also sabotaged German infrastructure while preventing the Germans from blowing bridges and power stations. When the Canadians entered the outskirts of Knokke-Heist the resistance members acted as guides and interpreters. Allied commanders later credited local resistance for saving time and lives, particularly in avoiding heavy street fighting and limiting the destruction of Knokke. The capture of Knokke-Heist represented the end of German action in the Breskens Pocket.

Closing the Breskens Pocket had been the Third Canadian Infantry hardest and most drawn-out battle, one that led Canadian reporters to nickname its men “the Water Rats” because so much of the fighting had taken place in flooded polders. It had been fought against what the division’s intelligence staff deemed “the best infantry division we have met.” During the long slugging match from October 6 to November 1, 12,707 prisoners had been taken, and the German dead were estimated simply as “many.” Only a few hundred German wounded were successfully evacuated from the Pocket. Canadian casualties were calculated at 2,077, with 314 fatalities. Another 231 were listed as missing and presumed dead.

The group then marched off to Immaculate Heart of Mary and Margaret Church for Mass and a concert. A church was built on this site in 1227 and the octagonal tower on a square base was built in 1642. The church was heavily damaged during the war and was rebuilt 1955-1958.

The mass featured a full band with vocalists and music from the For Freedom Pipe Band. A slide show featuring previous marches played throughout the service to give us an idea what was going to happen.

The pipe band played a number of selections and definitely captured the attention of two small children who wriggled their way directly in front of the band every time they played.

The musical accompaniment included two very talented singers. In particular, they sang two songs directly describing the conflict in the region. The first was the Banks of the Leopold Canal, originally recorded by the Canadian Band Deep Dark Woods. The lyrics that got me were:

Cruel was the war

When it first began

Out of Canada

We lost, many a man

Out of Canada

Men were battered and torn

Thousands lay dead on Leopold's shore.

The song is particularly poignant considering the struggles the Canadians had trying to cross the Canal.

Leopold Canal

The initial assault of the Leopold Canal was made by the Algonquin Regiment of 4^th Canadian Armoured Division. The Algonquins were to cross the canal on boats and set up a bridgehead so the remainder of 4^th Armoured Division could push straight north and capture the port of Breskens to block the German escape route.

At 0530 hours, 13 September, A and B Companies of the Algonquin Regiment, supported by Royal Canadian Engineers, began the assault from Moerkerke. The Algonquins launched in storm boats and Kapok assault floats, paddling across under intense machine-gun and mortar fire from the German 64th Infantry Division entrenched on the far bank. Within minutes, many boats were destroyed; survivors scrambled up the steep north bank to dig in under constant fire.

“Men went into the water up to their necks, dragging their rifles and Bren guns, trying to get footing in the mud. The canal bank was like a wall.”

At the point the Algonquins crossed, the Canal de la Deviation de la Lys runs parallel to the Leopold Canal, so the regiment had to drag their boats down a steep bank, paddle across the canal, clamber up the next steep bank, cross the middle strip, then back down and up the Leopold Canal all under heavy fire.

 Of approximately 360 Algonquin soldiers who crossed the canal, only about 90 returned unhurt. The regiment suffered 85 killed, 120 wounded, and 50 captured — an estimated 70% casualty rate in three days.

Historian C.P. Stacey called the Leopold Canal crossing “one of the most desperate small-scale actions fought by Canadian troops in Northwest Europe.”

The next attempt went in on 06 October with the7th Brigade Regina Rifles and Canadian Scottish Regiments attacking. They used Wasp Flamethrowers to reach across the canal to provide a surprise for the early phase of the battle. The flamethrowers operated for 5 minutes and had the north shore of the canal ablaze. Unfortunately, the flames illuminated the boats crossings, and an entire company was lost to machine gun fire.

Much of the area beyond the canal had been flooded, so the 7th Brigade had a limited area to operate in.

The units eventually linked up but were on a very narrow strip of ground and subjected to constant artillery fire and repeated counterattacks.

Shelling and Small Arms fire continued to make it impossible to move about in forward areas except by crawling on the semi flooded ground or in water filled ditches, both of which were littered with German and Canadian dead.

The Canadians suffered 350 killed, 750 wounded and 70 captured during the crossing of the Leopold Canal.

Another highlight was the performance of the song, the Scheldt Pocket, written and performed by Robin Langzought. The song was written to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Belgium and the 50^th anniversary of the Canadian Liberation March and honour the sacrifice of the Canadian Soldiers.

The very moving song is written from the Canadian Soldier’s point of view and can be heard here. The key lyrics of The Scheldt Pocket:

There are no winners in a war

So think about what you’re willing to fight for

There’s only losers in a war

So think about what you’re willing to die for

Adegem Canadian War Cemetery

Adegem Cemetery has 1,109 burials including 848 Canadians. 800 of the Canadians buried here were killed between 09 September and 02 November 1944 in the Battle of the Scheldt. Several of the speakers referred to the Battle of the Scheldt as the Forgotten Battle. It is certainly not forgotten in this area, and I wish more Canadians had the opportunity to experience the Liberation March Weekend so they could better appreciate extent to which the Canadian Sacrifices are still commemorated.

Two AF North Students reading In Flanders Fields, as part of the ceremony.

Last year, teacher Mathieu had prepared cards with the name, picture unit and grave location for a number of soldiers so the particpants could celebrate an individual. Often in a large cemetery unless you are looking for something specific it can be overwhelming, and you end up wandering around. This year he and his classes prepared cards for all of the fallen but unfortunately was not able to distribute them due to environmental concerns about plastic.

As an alternative, he provided the cards to a local school and is working on a joint program to research all of the fallen. This spring I was at Holten Canadian Cemetery, and they had placards for each soldier with his picture, unit and a QR code that led to the soldier’s details. Hopefully, the joint work will lead to a similar effort at Adegem.

When at Adegem, I visit Christopher Cadeau, Canadian Scottish Regiment and Percy Mervin, Royal Winnipeg Rifles.

Christoper Cadeau

I have written about Christopher Cadeau previously. He was the cousin of my sister-in-law, Marg Columbus. He joined up at 18, trained as a tanker, but was transferred to the infantry following heavy losses in Normandy. He joined the Canadian Scottish Regiment on 23 October 1944 and was tragically killed 4 days later just outside Cadzland during the Battle of the Scheldt, at the age of 19. He was originally buried in an Orchard outside Hoofdplaat and transferred to Adegem Cemetery after the war. I identify strongly with Christopher as I was the same age as him when I joined the military and with slightly different circumstance in space or time, his story could easily have been mine.

 A photo of Rachel visiting Christopher’s grave.

Percy Mervyn

I have previously also written about Percy Mervyn, an uncle of Barb Drury, my oldest sister Diane’s best friend. Percy had just turned 19 when he enlisted in January 1944. He was sent to England in August 1944 and joined the Royal Winnipeg Rifles on 19 September. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles had suffered 700 casualties from D-Day to the end of September out of a 1000-man battalion, so were desperate for more troops. Manpower shortages plagued all units.

To alleviate the shortage, rear areas were scoured for excess personnel that could be sent to the infantry units. Cooks, typists, mechanics, electricians, anybody could suddenly be presented with an infantrymen’s kit and assigned to a rifle battalion. Most of these soldiers had long forgotten even rudimentary infantry skills, so feeding them into the front lines little bolstered a battalion’s fighting ability.

Even reinforcements drawn from the designated infantry pool were proving poorly trained. The Black Watch war diarist reported that most of the reinforcements it was receiving were “a good lot, with all sorts of confidence and a truly aggressive spirit,” but were also “inexperienced and like to dash out to see what is happening if an air burst or shell goes off anywhere in the neighbourhood.” Many were soon “throwing grenades and firing the PIAT for the first time.”

Percy was killed on 10 October 1944 during the crossing of the Leopold Canal at the age of 19, three weeks after joining the regiment.

The final parade of the day was a march to the For Freedom Museum for a well-deserved beer.

Flags on the Windmill to celebrate the Canadians.

Danny and Freddy Jones, proprietors of the excellent For Freedom Museum, hosted an event featuring the For Freedom Museum beer selections, brewed by a local brewer. The museum collection started in 1947 when their father Dennis Jones, a UK Normandy veteran married a Knokke-Heist girl and started collecting artifacts. Danny and Freddy continued the collections and put on a number of exhibits before finally opening the museum in 2009. The museum is focused on the Canadian involvement in the Battle of the Scheldt and features 130 uniformed figures with extremely realistic wax heads, mostly dating from the 1930s.

The museum focuses on the Canadian Liberation of the region.  This photo shows members from the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders who cleared Breskens, the Algonquin Regiment that got decimated at the Leopold Canal, and the Queens Own Rifles who liberated Oostburg.

The museum has an excellent collection of artefacts and is well worth visiting. Many Canadian families donated their loved one’s uniform to the museum to enhance the collection and remember the units who liberated the region.

The March

The march started out Sunday morning, in Hoofdplaat, NL near the landing sight of the 9^th Canadian Brigade on 09 October. The marchers (military, teachers and families) take photos on the water side of the dyke before the kickoff ceremony.

The first Marker is at Hoofdplaat on the memorial to the civilians who fell during the war. The 80/50 plaque was added last year to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the liberation and the 50^th anniversary of the Liberation March.

The first ceremony of the day.

The WW2 convoy setting off to support the marchers.

The Marchers head off on their trek.

And soon get spread out along the trail.

The route markers show the way.

The march winds through an idyllic countryside that shows no evidence of the brutal struggle the troops went through to take this ground. A freshly plowed field shows the water levels the troops slogged through.

Vehicles and tanks were limited to the roads atop the dykes so this was very much an infantry battle. Mark Zuehlke, a well-respected Canadian Historian, wrote a Battle Series of books describing the major Canadian Battles of WW2. His book Terrible Victory is an in-depth description of the Battle of the Scheldt and well worth reading. He said the veterans he interviewed for this book remembered less than any other veteran group he had interviewed for other conflicts. All they remembered was always being wet and cold and endlessly slogging through the mud.

A quote from the Canadian Scottish Regiment war diary describes the environment.

“Living conditions at the front are NOT cozy. Water and soil make MUD. MUD sticks to everything. Boots weigh pounds more. Rifles and Brens operate sluggishly. Ammunition becomes wet. Slit trenches allow one to get below the ground level but also contain several inches of THICK water. Matches and cigarettes are wet and unusable…. So, the soldier shakes his head, cleans his rifle, swears a good deal and dreams of what he’ll do when he gets LEAVE (if).”

Teachers Jeff, Shannon and Christine chat up one of the many local scout groups.

In addition to the military personnel, teachers and families, there is a wide range of local hikers who embrace the march. All along the route, there are people handing out drinks and snacks and offering up their washrooms the to hikers.

There were a number of scout, guide and outdoor groups who made the trek. There was blaring music, chatting and a great atmosphere among all the participants.

The most famous supporter is the Holy Water Lady. During the early years of the march, she was told she couldn’t pass out liquor to the marchers, so she had the local priest bless her offerings as Holy Water.

Teachers Rachel, Christine, Jeff and Shantel receive the Holy Water Blessings.

Even Poppy the dog gets some treats from the Holy Water Gang.

A well badged hiker.

Marchers of all ages participate. There are a lot of young people as well as many older folks who do the march every year. In the beer tent after the hike, I saw a young guy in his twenties wearing a tee shirt that had the badges of 10 previous marches.

The organizers mentioned that there were 1,644 marchers in the 33km event. There were many more who did the half march or the 4 km victory lap, but Danny, who has marched every year, said that was not the real march and therefore didn’t count!

You see groups together playing music, carrying coolers of beer and giant speakers and generally having a grand time. A couple of Canadian teenagers injected some Canadian Culture by blasting Stompin Tom’s The Good Old Hockey Game, to enlighten the locals.

The Dutch and Belgians enjoy a good hike and like to add a coffee and drink to keep the spirits up. One enterprising group of boy scouts was selling coffee, water and Bailey’s and Amaretto shots (know your clientele) and doing a rousing business with all three. Teacher Katie saluting the scouts’ entrepreneurship.

Troops march into Oostburg for another remembrance ceremony.

Oostburg was liberated by the Queen’s Own Rifles (QOR) on 25 and 26 October. As is the case in many of the small towns, the memorial to the Canadians is beside the memorial to the locals who lost their lives in the conflict.

The plaques honouring the QOR Liberation of the town.

One of the plaques describes the battle.

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada“In Pace Paratus”The Liberation of Oostburg – 25 Oct 1944The QOR of C dug in at Steenhoven on the 20th of October and were then ordered to conduct a Battalion attack and take the strongly-held town of Oostburg. The most promising line of attack was from the south alongside a small body of water, the Grote gat. On the 25th of October A and D Companies, supported by extensive artillery HE and smoke concentrations, began the attack. At the same time B Company put in a diversionary attack from the north side of Grote Gat.

By 1400 hrs A Company, now only 2 platoons strong, had advanced to within 300 yards of the town by crawling up the water-filled ditches while under constant fire and observation. At this point, the Company Commander, Major R.D. Medland DSO, moved forward to discuss options with the Platoon Commander, Lt J.E. Boos. It was a tough proposition as little cover was Available. In a humorous exchange, it was suggested that only a bayonet attack might work.

As Maj Medland turned to arrange for more mortar support, Lt Boos jumped up and ordered his remaining rifleman to fix bayonets. In full view of the enemy, Lt Boos then let a wild charge down the main road into Oostburg and quickly overcame the started enemy positions with few casualties. Entrance into the town was thus gained and D Company quickly passed through to carry on the fight. Lt Boos and his platoon successfully held off 3 counterattacks later that night. The enemy forces surrendered on the 26th and over 200 prisoners were taken.

For His actions, Lt J.E. Boos was awarded the Military Cross

The other plaque lists the names of the fallen Canadians during the Liberation of Oostburg. As part of the ceremony, each individual name is read out. This specific commemoration, saying this particular soldier gave his life for the liberation of my town, is a deeply moving reminder of the importance of remembrance.

The other memorial in the square is dedicated to the civilians who lost their lives during the liberation.

Tribute to the WWI war victims from Oostburg who died by war violence especially in the autumn of 1944 in this city.141 names are engraved on the four sides of the plinth in a continuous reading line. Inhabitants and people from elsewhere then present here remained in desolation individual cases are now combined into one number. Also a tribute to Oostburg's strength and courage. A city had been swept away, houses disappeared, streets impassable town hall, churches, towers, schools, mill totally destroyed. The monument shows demise and reconstruction in powerful image and material.

Similar to many towns in the region, Oostburg was obliterated by Allied bombing and shelling, with 353 buildings destroyed and over 100 civilians killed. Once the Canadians took the town, the Germans relentlessly shelled the town in preparation for counterattacks.

There is never any mention of the destruction of the towns. In an article for Reader’s Digest 20 years after the war, the author asked if there were bad feelings about the destruction, the original organizer of the march just shrugged, and said, it was war. Liberation, no matter the cost, was preferable to living in tyranny and Oppression of the Nazis.

One of the local residents showing off his WW2 motorcycle.

He explained to Glenn his bike was mostly stock and easy to maintain.

He rides the bike in local ceremonies and trailered it up to Normandy last summer, riding over 500 km in various celebrations.

After a quick stop for lunch at the local college put on by the residents, a presentation was made to Dirk and Danny, the march organizers. Several former AF North teachers got together in Ottawa a few years ago and created their own Liberation March, Ottawa style. This group had coins produced for the walk, and the coins were presented by Principal Janice and Teacher OPI Rachel to acknowledge the inspiration.

The next stop was the Hickman Bridge in Retranchement.

After the offensive of the Westerschelde. The Canadians fought an exhaustive battle in the polders of Zeeuws-Vlaamse and along the dikes in the direction of the Belgian border and Knokke-Heist. Att he end of October 1944. The Royal Canadian Engineer Regiment, under the leadership of Sgt. J.L.Hickman, reached the drainage canal at Retranchement under heavy shell fire. They erected a Bailey bridge on this site on 31 October 1944. Sgt. Hickman was mortally wounded. In tribute to him and his comrades. This bridge was dedicated in his name on 30 October 1986. This simple monument was adopted by the children of the local school.

The Engineers fall out for this ceremony to honour Sgt Hickman, one of their own. This was the last Bailey Bridge built during this operation. They were always constructed under heavy fire as the Germans knew very well the importance of maintaining a water barrier.

There is a WW2 Bailey Bridge across the Leopold Canal. While visiting the bridge last May, we were fortunate to have a bridge crossing by a WW2 vehicle out for a Sunday cruise.

Just after the Hickman Bridge the route crosses into Belgium. In great military tradition, the convoy and troops pulled over for a celebratory Belgian Beer before continuing.

The final rest stop before the end is a Beer Barn and facilities, where less dedicated folks like me join for the final 4 km victory lap back into Knokke-Heist. It is obviously a working farm with a bumper crop of manure this year which encouraged the marchers to drink and run.

At this point the pipe band reappears, the military members get kitted up for the march into Knokke. The military folks did an outstanding job all weekend. They went through the equivalent of seven Remembrance Day parades over the 3 days, with a smooth 33 km march added on for extra excitement. LCol Cristy did a great job leading the troops and set a blistering pace that left the civilians in the dust. They represented Canada extremely well and were a great source of pride to this former military member. Participating in one Remembrance Day parade is tough, to do seven while completing a 33km march is outstanding. The importance to the members is highlighted by the fact that there is a competition to be able to participate in the weekend.

The final celebration is at the War Memorial in Knokke-Heist. A final round of speeches, wreath-laying and music is the fitting end to an action-packed weekend of remembrance.

Following the parade, BGen Poitras presented Dwayne, the PSP member and chief organizer of the Teachers and families, with a well-deserved commendation and Commander’s coin, for his efforts in making sure the weekend has run smoothly over many years.

After that, all that was left was a visit to the beer tent, where Teacher Whitney demonstrated the importance of hydration after the march.

After an emotionally and physically draining weekend, the bus ride home was much more subdued than the ride up.

This is a fabulous event, the combination of the seriousness of the ceremonies with the rollicking good time of the March highlights the importance of the Canadian Contribution and the deep regard the residents have for Canadians some 80 years on. All teachers and families should take the opportunity to immerse themselves in the March weekend. I would recommend to all Canadians who have the opportunity to be in Europe to set aside the first weekend in November to participate in this outstanding commemoration.

Thanks to all who participated, provided me photos and to the official photographer for making their excellent photos available.