Canadian Memorials in the Netherlands

As part of my tour tracing the paths of Uncles Norm Kightley 8th Hussars and George Johnston, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada through the Liberation of the Netherlands, I took the opportunity to stop at a number of Canadian memorials and cemeteries to honour the efforts of Canadians. I covered the 5th Armoured Division memorials in the previous post so will look at memorials to the other Canadian Divisions.

I overlaid the memorial stops on the 8th Hussars/Argylls routes at the end of the war. The 8th Hussar locations are shown in red, the Argylls in blue and the Memorial Locations in green. There is also an interactive map that allows you to click on each point for more details. Click on the layer icon to turn on or off the points and lines for each entry.

There is not a central repository identifying the locations and subject of all of the memorials honouring the Canadians as they are often raised by individual units or by local villages to commemorate Canadian sacrifices. The excellent website Traces of War, has details on the memorials, but it is often challenging to find Canadian Specific sites.

Wageningen

On my way north, I stopped at Wageningen, the location of the signing of the unconditional surrender of the Germans on 05 May 1945, annually celebrated as Liberation Day in the Netherlands.

A plaque outside the building where the documents were signed commemorates the event.

The details are shown below.

Wageningen is a lovely little Dutch town, with excellent coffee, cheese and croissants,

obviously, a product of their contented cows. Winner of the 2017/2018 Netherlands Best Cheese Shop competition. I liked the fact that the fake cow was tied to a real post.

Apeldoorn

The 1st Division needed to cross the Ijssel River before proceeding to Apeldoorn. The Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and the Seaforth Highlanders crossed the Ijssel in Buffalo Armoured vehicles, establishing a beachhead.

The engineers quickly constructed a pontoon bridge under heavy fire, suffering 17 casualties. Tanks were floated across the river on Rafts.

The Canadians suffered heavy fighting on the way to Apeldoorn, so they attacked the village with a massive artillery barrage, unaware the Germans had largely abandoned the town. Despite the heavy shelling, the civilian population was ecstatic and crowded the streets to greet the liberators.

The 48th Highlanders Pipe Band paraded through the streets.

The 6-day Operation Cannonshot from 11-17 April cost the Canadians 506 casualties including more than 100 fatalities. All combatants had the sense that the war was almost over, so the casualties at this late date were very hard to take.

In Apeldoorn, the only official Canadian memorial in the Netherlands, the Man with Two Hats Statue resides. The man is holding a hat in each hand, raised in a gesture of celebration or gratitude. The two hats symbolize the dual connection between the Netherlands and Canada—liberation and remembrance, celebration and sorrow, and the geographical bridge between the two nations. It also represents the "joy of liberation" and eternal gratitude of the Dutch people to the Canadians who helped free them from Nazi occupation.

The memorial plaque that accompanies the statue.

Text of the plaque.

There is a companion statue in Commissioner’s Park at Dow’s Lake Ottawa.

I visited the Ottawa statue with my good buddy Jim Pickell in May 2022. Two men with two hats, but the sentiment is clear!

Jim’s wife Su appreciating the tulips.

Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery

The Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery contains 2,619 burials, including 2,331 Canadians. The cemetery also contains panels listing more than 1,000 Commonwealth Soldiers with no known grave.

As with all of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission sites, the grounds are immaculate.

The cemetery contains 5 members of the 8th Hussars including Trooper John Wallace. Wallace was one of the original 8th Hussars having served in the Militia before the war. He made it all the way through Italy and the Netherlands, only to be killed at Putten on 17 April, three weeks before the end of the War. 

There 53 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada buried in Groesbeek, all killed between the end of January to mid April 1945. I looked at Lieutenant James Stewart who died of wounds on 07 Mar 1945 after being taken prisoner at the same time as my Great Uncle George Johnston. James was originally commissioned as an Artillery Officer but was reclassified as an Infantry Officer and only joined the Argylls on 17 Feb 1945. He was leading a section attack into Veen and was very badly wounded. When their unit was taken prisoner, Lt Stewart was carried to a German Regimental Aid Post by several of his men but died of his wounds about 10 minutes after arriving there. He was reported missing for some time as the statements from the former Prisoners of War were not taken until after their release.

Due to the heavy losses in the Infantry units many men were transferred to the Argylls from other trades. I looked at the men who were killed on 6-7 Mar 1945 when George was captured to see how long they had been with the Argylls.

Name	Date Joined the Argylls	Former Trade
Lt J Stewart	17 Feb 1945	Artillery Officer
Pvt George Johnston (POW)	28 Oct 1944	Forestry Corps
Pvt Clarence Vaise	28 Feb 1945	New Recruit, Age 19 when killed
Pvt Edward Lusk	05 Feb 1945	Armoured Corps
Sgt Alexander Smith	12 Jun 1941	An Argyll Original
Pvt Edward Smith	06 Feb 1945	Armoured Corps
John Forfar	10 Nov 1944	Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
Wilfrid Madaire	28 Feb 1945	Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Joseph Muise	24 Feb 1945	Artillery Corps

Most of these folks were only in the infantry for a short time and the new guys were much more likely to be killed than the battle experienced veterans.

Squadron Leader William Klersy

While wandering around, I came across the headstone of Squadron Leader William Klersy, age 22, Commanding Officer 401 Squadron (Spitfires) who had fought from D-Day through the end of the war and was killed on 22 May 1945. Klersy had won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) plus Bar (a second DFC award) I was curious about how he was killed after the war was over, so I looked him up.

There was a Board of Inquiry into the crash, so there was a great deal of information about the crash. Klersy and two other Squadron Leaders were returning from their Group Headquarters in England to their base B.152 (RAF Fassburg). They encountered bad weather over the Rhine River and entered cloud at approximately 2,000 ft. Klersy was leading the formation and made a turn in an attempt to avoid the weather. He abruptly reversed his course, and his wingmen lost him in the clouds. His last transmission was that he was going to the deck to try to escape the clouds. There were no further transmissions. They could not raise him on the radio so eventually returned to base. His aircraft was found the next day. From the angle of the crash, it appeared that he was diving vertically when he hit the ground. From the severity of the crash, it was impossible to determine if there were any mechanical failures.

Sqn Leader Klersy had over 1,000 flying hours, with 654 hours on Spitfires. He had also been the CO of 401 Squadron since Jan 1945 and was known as a first-class pilot.

The conclusion of the inquiry was as follows:

It is therefore concluded that the responsibility for the accident lies entirely with the pilot concerned, who erred in on of two ways:

(1) In an attempt to regain sight of the ground he flew into the ground, and it is thought that, due to the distance travelled on the flight prior to the  accident, that a wrong altimeter setting, and lag in the instrument during the dive, were contributing causes.

(2.) It is also possible that control of the aircraft was lost momentarily at low altitude, due to an attempt mentioned on the Radio Transmission, of the pilot to get out of cloud quickly by means of a quite violent turn, rather than a normal instrument turn.

The chairman of the board agreed with the findings and stated number 1 was more probable.

This is one of the ironies of war. Squadron Leader Klersy went through two years of combat, shot down more than 10 aircraft, destroyed multiple trains, trucks and armoured vehicles only to be killed during a routine cross-country flight after hostilities had ceased.

82nd Airborne Memorial

Just down the road from the Groesbeek Cemetery is the memorial to the 82nd Airborne.

The memorial is inscribed on both sides. On one it states:

From this point around three hundred thousand

British and Canadian soldiers

 set off on 08 Feb 1945 for Wesel and the Rhine

 on Monty’s Operation Veritable.

Pilgrim strives with whatever it takes.

to realise your ideals.

On the other side it states:

Here 17/18 Sep 1944 – Red Devils of 508 Prcht Inf

Landed with artillery by parachute and glider.

Devils – or Angels -came to shield.

The district of Nijmegen

Pilgrim, no matter the name of the colour,

shield the vulnerable.

Queens Own Rifles Memorial

On the way north from Arnhem to Zutphen there is a tiny village called Rha near a bridge across the Ijsell River. The Queens Own Rifles had a number of new officers and NCOs so opted for a textbook attack instead of one based on 10 months of combat. They took the bridge with little resistance and overly enthusiastically pushed too far forward so the sections got separated and disjointed. The inevitable German counterattack caused many casualties. A memorial to the fallen was established.

The epitaph at the bottom of the memorial reads:

Dying for freedom is not the worst that could happen, being forgotten is.

A plaque commemorates all of the QOR losses in the Netherlands campaign.

The memorial is at small crossroads in Rha.

A windmill overlooks the memorial.

Holten Canadian War Cemetery

The Holten Canadian War Cemetery has 1383 graves, 1348 of whom are Canadians. Except for a few 1942 casualties, the vast majority of the fallen were killed from September 1944 to the end of the war. Holten is in a pastoral woodland setting, just north of the village of Holten. LGen Guy Simmonds chose the site for the cemetery as it reminded him of woods in Ontario.

In late May when I visited, the cemetery was ringed with flowering shrubs in full bloom.

I was visiting a few days after Liberation Day, so all of the flowers and wreaths from the ceremonies still remained.

At each grave site was a picture of the soldier, if available, or if not, a picture of his unit crest, along with a QR code for more information. Holten has a very active community, and the school children research each soldier to assist in their commemoration. This is the most complete listing of information that I have come across, and seeing the picture with the headstone really brings home how young all these soldiers were. The pictures and information really intensifies the visit to the cemetery.

The searchable web site is: Life stories | Home

I came across the picture of Lorimer Lee Johnson of the Argylls, killed on 21 April 1945.

In a book on the Argylls called Black Yesterdays, an officer taken as a Prisoner of War at the same time as my uncle recounted how the German Officer said the Canadians must have been short of troops because they had two black soldiers in their unit. One of the soldiers was misidentified as my uncle George Johnston but must have been Lorimer. His information is given below.

Johnson, Lorimer L.

Given name(s):Lorimer Lee

Achternaam / Surname:Johnson

Initialen / Initials:L L

Rank/Rank:Private

Servicenummer / Service Number:F/45285

Regiment:Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) - R.C.I.C.

Land waarvoor gediend / Country of Service:Canada

Leeftijd bij overlijden / Age at Death:28

Date of Death: (d-m-y):21-4-1945

Begraafplaats / Cemetery:Holten Canadian War Cemetery

Grafnummer / Grave Reference:VII. D. 4.

Ouders / Parents:James & Laura Johnson

From (place) / From (location):Canso

From (province) / From (province):Nova Scotia

From (country):Canada

Date of Birth (d-m-y):12-2-1917

Place of Birth (location):Hazel Hill

Place of Birth (province):Nova Scotia

Place of Birth (country):Canada

Echtgenote / Spouse:Hattie A. Johnson

Doodsoorzaak / Cause of Death:Killed in Action (KIA)

Vermoedelijke sterfplaats / Probable Place of Death:Friesoythe - Germany

Temporary burial place:082915 Friesoythe Temporary Cemetery - Germany

There are 54 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada buried in Holten Cemetery, 29 members of the Queens Own Rifles and 2 members of the 8th Hussars.

Liberation Forest Groningen

After five years of occupation and four days of heavy fighting, the city of Groningen was liberated by the Canadians on the 16th of April 1945.

The first major battle fought by 2nd Canadian Division in northeast Holland began on 13 April when lead elements reached the outskirts of Groningen. By midnight on Friday April 13th the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry with the aid of a local resistance volunteer, had cleared the outskirts around the Paterswoldseweg, but the cost of the day’s combat – eight killed and twenty wounded – suggested that Groningen might be a difficult problem.

 Major-General Bruce Matthews met with his brigadiers and decided to commit the entire division, hoping to overwhelm the enemy as quickly as possible. The German command in Groningen structure was poor and the defenders had never exercised together, however, the Canadians had to fight four days to liberate the city of Groningen. The heaviest fighting took place around the central market square, where the enemy had fortified the houses along the north side of the largest open space in the inner city. These positions were overcome by manoeuvring tanks into position to destroy the buildings occupied by German Troops.

The Great Market in Groningen after the Liberation.

The German garrison commander finally agreed to surrender at noon on 16 April; the next day the last holdouts put down their weapons and joined their comrades in prisoner-of-war cages, which held 95 officers and 5,117 other ranks. The 2nd Division reported 43 fatal casualties and 166 wounded in the battle of Groningen. This was a high price to pay at this stage of the war, and the deaths of 110 civilians caught in the crossfire added to the tragedy.

Despite the civilian casualties and the destruction of 270 buildings, including many of symbolic and historical importance, the citizens of Groningen were determined to celebrate their liberation.

This event is celebrated each year on May 5, the National Liberation Day. It was on this day that Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces.

In 1995, on the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation, the City of Groningen dedicated 22 acres of farmland and commemorated the Canadians by planting over 30,000 maple trees.

Canadian Governor General Romeo Leblanc and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands dedicated the park by planting trees on 22 March 1996.

Every year new trees are planted on Liberation Day, and local residents sponsor the new plantings to replace damaged or fallen Maples.

Despite the fact that more than 270 buildings, mostly near the Grand Market were destroyed the residents keep the memory of the Canadians Alive.

There is a memorial stone listing all 23 of the Second Canadian Division Units who fought in the liberation of Groningen.

The central area near the memorial features a giant maple leaf surrounded by benches.

The memorial is surrounded by a moat, in the shape of a maple leaf. This picture was taken some time ago, as there are now many more trees on the tip of the maple leaf.

The maple leaf is a metaphor, a symbol of a great nation, a sign of liberty and the beginning and ending of seasons.

The perforations in the leaf refer to the 43 Canadians fallen during the liberation of Groningen. The veins our youth, strength and hope for the future. The leaf our generations from past and present, a tight bond between Groningen and Canada. The dynamics of departing doves, symbol for freedom and rights of the child, as well as a never-ending appeal of society to protect and defend our liberty.

Along the lovely pathway through the maple trees, there are 10 stones from 10 different countries describing the UN listed rights of a child.

The first stone says Children have the right to their own culture.

Here is a list of 10 fundamental children's rights as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC):

1.       Right to Life and DevelopmentEvery child has the right to live and grow to their full potential.

2.       Right to a Name and NationalityChildren have the right to be registered at birth, have a name, and acquire a nationality.

3.       Right to EducationEvery child has the right to free primary education and access to secondary education.

4.       Right to Be Protected from Abuse and NeglectChildren must be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, abuse, or neglect.

5.       Right to Health and Health ServicesChildren have the right to the highest attainable standard of health and access to healthcare services.

6.       Right to be HeardChildren have the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them, and for those views to be taken seriously.

7.       Right to Play and LeisureEvery child has the right to rest, leisure, and engage in play and recreational activities.

8.       Right to Family LifeChildren have the right to live with their parents unless it is not in their best interests, and to maintain contact with both parents if separated.

9.       Right to Protection in War and Armed ConflictChildren must be protected from recruitment and use in armed conflicts.

10.  Right to Freedom from ExploitationChildren must be protected from all forms of exploitation, including child labor, trafficking, and sexual exploitation.

This stone says Children have the right for protection against child labour.

At the end of the trail is an 11th stone, Children have the right to play outside freely and safely.

The Dutch certainly take this resolution to heart, there were a ton of families walking, cycling and horseback riding throughout the park.

At the end of the path is a frame with the word Freedom inscribed. All you see here is due to the sacrifice of a great many people.

This is one of the most meaningful memorials I have visited. The tribute to the fallen Canadians, the annual regrowth by planting new trees and the connection to the Rights of a Child in a beautiful parkland setting ensures the memories will live on.

Wagonborgen

On 21 April D Company of the Canadian Scottish Regiment attacked Wagonborgen. They faced stiff resistance, and a ferocious German counterattack left only 8 men of the company standing. Repeated attacks over the next few days were necessary to finally take the village.

Just outside Wagonborgen, there is a plaque to the Canadian Scottish regiment who liberated the village.

The plaque reads:

Stop for a minute at the Maple Leaf. On 21 April 1945 were killed here at the Operation Canada 19 Canadian Soldiers for our freedom. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

The fields in this area are dead flat and provide zero cover. As in much of the Netherlands the ground is low-lying and tanks and other vehicles are restricted to operating on roads only, making them silhouetted targets for anti-tank weapons and prime candidates for extensive mine fields. The infantry repeatedly had to attack over open ground with only occasional smoke screens to cover their advances.

Zutphen

On 6 April 1945, the 3rd Division assaulted Zutphen with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment NS (NB) R and le Regiment del la Chaudière (RDC) of 8th Brigade attacking from the East and the  Highland Light Infantry of Canada (HLIC), the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (SDG) and North Nova Scotia Highlanders (NNSH) of 9th Brigade attacking from the South.

In Zutphen, the enemy defenses were formidable, with blown bridges and anti-tank obstacles strategically placed to impede the Canadian advance, leading to a series of challenging battles. Defended by the 361st Infantry Division of the 88th Corps, along with a parachute training battalion, the enemy troops, many of whom were “teen-aged youngsters,” fiercely resisted during the Battle of Zutphen.

Personnel of Le Regiment de la Chaudière using rubber raft to cross the Berkel. 7 Apr 1945.

The two-pronged advance westward into the town commenced on April 6, 1945. The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment on the right faced fierce opposition and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, while Le Regiment de la Chaudière on the left made significant progress. Consequently, the plan was altered, with the North Shores being repositioned to advance through the ‘Chauds’ right flank. The fighting persisted through April 7, 1945, with infantry units occasionally pinned down by sniper and machine-gun fire. 

On the morning of the 8th, the brigade delivered the decisive blow when they breached the factory area with the assistance of flame-throwing Crocodile tanks. By midday, the historic old town had been entirely cleared, with some defenders managing to escape across the IJssel in rubber boats. Following the liberation of Zutphen, German prisoners were described as ‘young, about sixteen and seventeen years of age… When interviewed they still thought Germany would win and their belief in Hitler and Nazism was still unshaken. The battle for the city of Zutphen claimed the lives of 73 Canadian soldiers.

To pass one drainage ditch the pioneer platoon of The Highland Light Infantry of Canada  built a bridge "with 4.2" mortar boxes, reinforced with timber and ballast"-and it proved strong enough to carry the supporting tanks of "A" Squadron of the 27th Armoured Regiment (TheSherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment). This bridge was replaced after the war and named Canadians Bridge as it provided access to Zutphen and was key in the taking of the city.

South of the city, the 9th Brigade pushed into the suburbs of Zutphen. Zutphen was ringed by old Dutch fortifications in which the Germans were able to establish “supporting strong points” that had each to be taken in turn.  Although the three battalions made steady gains, the HLIC reported “heavy going” with the “fanatical young Nazis from [paratroop] training battalions” fighting well and led “by well qualified NCOs.” No sooner did the battalion root out the defenders at one resistance point than another was encountered. As April 5 drew to a close, the HLIC was still unable to wipe out one group of Germans holding a pocket between them and the Glens on their right.

BGen Rockingham ordered the Glens “to ensure” that this pocket was cleared in the morning, but it took until 1427 hours on April 6 for ‘D’ Company to do so.  The North Novas, meanwhile, had slugged it out with sixteen-year-olds, “who were fighting fanatically and surprisingly well with very little support outside of machine guns and bazookas [Panzerfausts].” From hides inside the many small and dense woods, the Germans launched repeated ambushes. After several days of many small, intense battles the 9th Brigade took Warnsveld. A memorial to the Canadians lists the soldiers killed in this action.

The losses of the 9th Brigade, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Highland Light Infantry of Canada and the 2nd Division Essex Scottish are listed on the left panel.

The middle lists the lost of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders of 9th Brigade.

The right panel lists the killed from the Armoured Regiment and support units.

Aubery Cosens - Queens Own Rifles

Victoria Cross Winner

In 1940 at age 19, Aubery Cosens joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada as private and later transferred to The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada as a Corporal. Aubery had surgery on 24 April 1944 so was not available to land in Normandy with the Argylls on 26 July 1944. He was sent to France on 30 July as part of the 3rd Division Replacement Unit and assigned to the Queens Own Rifles (QOR) on 02 August. The QOR landed on D-Day 06 June and had suffered more than 350 casualties in their first two months of fighting. Aubery was promoted to sergeant in November 1944 while serving as part of the D-day reinforcements in Normandy, France.

On the night of 25–26 February 1945 at Mooshof near Uedem, Germany, B and D Coys of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada led a series of attacks on German strongholds. During the battle his Platoon Commander was killed-in-action, and the platoon took heavy casualties. Sergeant Cosens assumed command of the four survivors of his platoon whom he placed in position to give him covering fire.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his Actions. His estate was awarded $250 for his receipt of the VC.

Victoria Cross Citation:

"In Holland on the night of 25th-26th February 1945, the 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada launched an attack on the hamlet of Mooshof, to capture ground which was considered essential for the development of future operations.Sergeant Cosens’ platoon, with two tanks in support, attacked enemy strong points in three farm buildings, but were twice beaten back by fanatical enemy resistance and then fiercely counter-attacked, during which time the platoon suffered heavy casualties and the platoon commander was killed.

Sergeant Cosens at once assumed command of the only other four survivors of his platoon, whom he placed in a position to give him covering fire, while he himself ran across open ground under heavy mortar and shell fire to the one remaining tank, where, regardless of the danger, he took up an exposed place in front of the turret and directed his fire.After a further enemy counter-attack had been repulsed, Sergeant Cosens ordered the tank to attack the farm buildings, while the four survivors of his platoon followed in close support. After the tank had rammed the first building he entered it alone, killing several of the defenders and taking the rest prisoner.

Single-handed he then entered the second and third buildings, and personally killed or captured all the occupants, although under intense machine-gun and small arms fire.Just after the successful reduction of these important enemy strong points, Sergeant Cosens was shot through the head by an enemy sniper and died almost instantly.The outstanding gallantry, initiative and determined leadership of this brave N.C.O., who himself killed at least 20 of the enemy and took an equal number of prisoners, resulted in the capture of a position which was vital to the success of the future operations of the Brigade.”

He was shot by a sniper when he went to report back to superior officers. A plaque is mounted on the side of a barn where the action took place.

On the recent Memorial Day, the wreath was laid by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 005 Liberation of the Netherlands, the only local Legion branch.  

The plaque is mounted on a barn in an isolated farmyard, down a single lane road.

Sergeant Cosens was initially buried in the Canadian Military Cemetery in Bedburg, Germany next to #3 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. After the war, he was reinterred at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, plot VIII.H.2.

Liberation Notes

Throughout the Netherlands, after the war many communities had Canadians billeted in or had participated in liberating. Thousands of individual soldiers also became romantically involved with Dutch women. It is estimated that 1,886 brought a Dutch wife home, 428 of them also returning with a child.

The Canadians left behind six thousand young mothers, of whom fifteen hundred were already married. The Dutch are noted for their long memories, but they are also unerringly pragmatic. So, while not entirely forgetting the issue of abandoned young women and babies, they set aside recrimination in recognition that the Canadians had given more to the Dutch overall than they took.

Last Christmas I attended a party and was chatting with an RMC classmate that I hadn’t seen for several decades. He told me his son had submitted his DNA to Ancestry DNA, and they had found a potential match in the Netherlands. My buddy then submitted his DNA, and it was determined that he had a half sister. The woman had been born after the war and was an only child. She had been searching for her biological father for some time and came to Canada with her son to meet her family. She was very happy to meet a sibling, and any hard feelings had long ago dissipated.

Given the state of suffering throughout Holland and the brutality of the German occupation, it was easy to see why the Dutch were so grateful to their Canadian liberators. The Dutch recognized the price Canadian soldiers had paid. First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe had suffered 44,339 casualties since the Juno Beach landings of June 6, 1944. Of these, 961 officers and 10,375 other ranks were killed. Most of these men were volunteers, the largest such body to fight in the war. When the Dutch learned that these men had come to their liberation freely and at such great cost in lives, the depth of gratitude only deepened.

References

Copp, Terry & Bechthold, Mike, The Canadian Battlefields in Northwest Europe, Beacon Herald Fine Printing, Stratford, ON, 2005.

How, Douglas, The 8th Hussars, A History of the Regiment, Maritime Publishing, Sussex, NB, 1964.

Martin, Charles, Battle Diary (Queens Own Rifles), Dundurn Press, Toronto, 1994.

Traces of War Website https://www.tracesofwar.com/

War Diaries, the 8th Princess Louise’s (New Brunswick) Hussars, Library and Archives Canada.

War Diaries, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

Zuehlke, Mark. Forgotten Victory, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, BC, 2014.

Zuehlke, Mark. On to Victory, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, BC, 2010.