Holten Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by Buteman, Dec 21, 2010.

  1. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    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.

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    Medwyn Edwards likes this.
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I do like that second pic.
    Looks lovely.
     
  3. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    Hi Rob & Owen,

    Me to...

    Cheers
    Tom
     

    Attached Files:

  4. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    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
     
  5. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    Hi Randy,

    They sure do I have the pleasure of saying they are some of the Best Friends I have...

    Cheers
    Tom
     
  6. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

  7. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    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
     
  8. Rob Dickers

    Rob Dickers 10th MEDIUM REGT RA

    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
     
  9. ranville

    ranville Senior Member

    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.
     
  10. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    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.
     
  11. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    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.
     
  12. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

  13. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

  14. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    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
     
  15. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    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
     
  16. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    A great tradition of respect and gratitude.
     
  17. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    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
     
  18. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    Private Ralph Piercey is the youngest man buried in Holten. He used the passport of an older brother to enlist in the army.
     
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  19. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    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.
     
    stolpi likes this.
  20. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    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 ...
     
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