Private Frederick Taylor Forbes is one of many Canadians buried at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands (Photo: Jessie Weisner, CHAT News Today, Medicine Hat)

By Justin Goulet

Liberation of Netherlands

Liberation: Canada’s connection to the Netherlands

Nov 10, 2019 | 10:30 AM

Lethbridge, AB – On May 5, 1945 the remaining German forces surrendered thanks to the hard work of Canadians and other allied forces, resulting in the liberation of the Netherlands.

Next year marks the 75^th anniversary of that historic day, but celebrations honouring the sacrifices of Canadians and their allies are already being planned, according to Glenn Miller.

Miller is a retired Warrant Officer who works with the Lethbridge Legion. He spoke with Lethbridge News Now on a variety of topics to recognize Veterans’ Week and the upcoming Remembrance Day.

He spoke on the conditions Canadians found the Dutch during the Second World War, noting that as the Germans retreated, there was a lot of flooding and a lack of food for the Dutch people.

“The Dutch are always grateful for something they’ve lost long ago and that’s called freedom and they appreciate it, so when Canadians go back to do their commemoration celebrations, the Dutch people really [express] how much they really care across all generations, even today,” Miller said.

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“I was there a few years ago in one of the Canadian cemeteries and I saw a Dutch family just paying their respects and there was, probably a 10 or 11-year-old girl, just laying down on her belly on the grass, off in her own little world. As a veteran, I thought how fitting is it that she can do that in a Canadian cemetery for those soldiers who’ve lost their lives for her freedom – to me that was a very special moment and connection.”

Miller remarked that people can find many tulips in Ottawa, and there’s a reason for that.

“The [Dutch] government sends [tulips] back to Canada every year because for their royalty who happened to be in Canada at the time, when they were born – we [Canada] made a certain piece of real estate Dutch soil, so that person could still be born on Dutch soil here in Canada.”

Many may not know but there is actually a Royal Canadian Legion in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Lochem.

“They’re already doing commemoration events, so if there’s Canadians who would like to send over Canadian pins or flags to that branch, they would be greatly appreciative because they also just created a military museum in that small area, just to show the connection,” Miller told LNN.

“What they’re also trying to do in Holten [Netherlands], [at the] Canadian War Cemetery, is that they’re in the process now of starting a temporary exhibit with the Indigenous connection to the Indigenous warriors who helped liberate Holland.”