I found these photos from Christmas Eve 2009. What an incredible act of respect to the fallen of WW2 at that time of year. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
Rob, Great post. Thanks for sharing. Our good friend Pieter F told me that every Christmas Eve, the local school children hold a candlelight vigil for the fallen Canadians. The Dutch remember well the sacrifices paid by Canadian, British, Polish and American troops to liberate their country. Cheers, Randy
Hi Randy, They sure do I have the pleasure of saying they are some of the Best Friends I have... Cheers Tom
Top marks to the Dutch. I wonder why I have such a great affinity to them. From this set on Flikr. There are a few more as there are too many to post. CWGC Holten Canadian War Cemetery - a set on Flickr
Hi Randy, They sure do I have the pleasure of saying they are some of the Best Friends I have... Cheers Tom Tom, Roger that. Great nation and great people. Randy
Rob Lovely to see the pictures, true respect, especially as two of the lads from the regiment are at rest there. RIP. Bdr Murphy & Gnr Derrick. Cheers Rob
Many Thanks for the photos----very, very moving. May i wish everybody on here a really Happy Christmas! We're driving to Bruges for Christmas[carefully!] Will call in at Ypres to pay our respects at the Menin Gate on Christmas Morning.
Rob, Phenomenal pictures!! Every dark cloud has a silver lining. As tough as the fighting was in Holland, Canadian soldiers, living and dead, have been honoured ever since by the Dutch. The level of respect and ongoing affection by those great people is very touching. I'm sure that the gratitude shown over the past 65 years has been a source of pride to all veterans.
A great sight, but above all, it's a great gesture of honor to the fallen. I have spoken about this with Randy before, but I can not remember which topic this was so quickly.
Further Photos from 2005, 2007, 2008 & 2009 can be found here Photo gallery : NVAFriends - Normandy Veterans Association - Normandy 1944 - Pilgrimages
Thanks Pieter. I've been keeping an eye out for something from last Xmas. Even more impressive when you see film footage and very moving. Regards - Rob
Pieter If I may add to Rob's words...a superb video. I am always mindful that the Dutch do not forget the sacrifices paid by Canadian troops. Randy
This other video is even more impressive. Despite the sniffing of the nose on the background. But with that wind and snow, I can imagine it was a bit cold. YouTube - Kaarsjes in de nacht
I visited Holten war cemetery a fortnight ago. It's definitely one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the Netherlands. There are some interesting stories behind some of the graves. Craftsman Edward John Brewster and Private Winifred Lilian Brewster, both aged 20, are buried next to each other. They were husband and wife. Tragically, they were killed in a car crash on their wedding day, 15 April 1946. Nearly a year after VE-Day. Winifred Brewster is one of the few female allied casualties buried in the Netherlands. Private Gaele Visser (24) was the son of Rein Andries Visser and Janke Visser. He was born in Haskerhorne, Friesland, the Netherlands. They had emigrated to Canada before the war, but when Gaele learned his family was oppressed by the Germans, he joined the army. He hoped he would liberate his family one day, but was killed before the allied forces liberated Friesland. Private Ralph Piercey is the youngest man buried in Holten. He used the passport of an older brother to enlist in the army.
The men who are buried in graves III.A.15 and III.A.16 not only served in the same regiment (Royal 22e Regiment) and were killed on the same day (14 April 1945). They also have got the same surname (Laporte) and were from the same town (Montreal). They weren't brothers though, but I haven't found out yet if they were related in some way.
Thank you Pieter. Holten is one of the more depressing cemeteries I know, because the victims all fell in the last weeks of the war, some even on the last day. The end was so close ...