Canadian vets honoured during 80th anniversary of Netherlands Liberation Day ceremony in Hamilton

On the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, the Dutch Canadian Veterans Association (DCVA) gathered once again in Hamilton for it’s annual memorial.

In the final months of the second World War, hundreds of thousands of Canadian soldiers played a crucial role in the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi Germany control.

Monday marked that day’s 80th anniversary.

The celebration was held at St. Elizabeth Village near Garth Street and Rymal Rd. West.

The association has held the event for over 30 years, to not just memorialize those who helped free the Dutch from German occupation, but to remember those who didn’t make it home.

For more than 30 years veterans – past and present – have come together to mark the occasion and honour the sacrifices made during the liberation of the Netherlands.

“This is Francis Hitchins – he died in the liberation of Holland at the age of 23,” said Maureen Wilson, the city councillor for Hamilton’s Ward 1, as she flipped through a scrapbook filled with memories of the soldier.

“He was my husband’s grandfather. We never got to meet him – he left behind a five-year-old daughter, who would become my mother-in-law,” said Wilson. “He served in the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.”

At 100 years old, Douglas Iverson was the only veteran from that day still able to attend as a living link to history.

He recalled the moment he learned the Germans had surrendered, a memory still vivid eight decades later.

“I took the microphone from the BBC and held it up to mine, for all our troops to hear,” said Iverson. “They were throwing their helmets in the air, the corporal came over – oh, he blasted me. He says, ‘what the heck are you doing?'”

Over one hundred thousand Canadian troops were sent to liberate the Dutch.

7,600 of them never made it home.

“In the Netherlands, children are educated about this history,” said Laurenske van den Heuvel-Gerestein, the Dutch Deputy Consul General. “They help care for the graves, the families, and the communities of Canadian soldiers, so it’s very close to my heart.”

It was an emotional day, not just one of remembrance, but of connection.

A day that continues to bridge nations, generations and history.

It was a moment of reflection here in Hamilton, and one of many held across the country.

For example, the Canadian Tulip Festival, which starts on Friday, will expect to see 20,000 tulips from the Netherlands find their way to Ottawa, as another sign of gratitude from the Dutch royal family.

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