This year marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Holland, of which Canada's military had a profound, and everlasting, impact.
Ever since then, Canadian veterans have occupied a special place in the hearts of Dutch citizens and they've strived each year to honour those who helped liberate their country from Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
Of course, one of the more well-known commemorations is Ottawa's annual Tulip Festival, established in 1953. The symbolic tulip was given to Canada by Holland for helping provide a safe harbor for the Dutch Royal Family during the German occupation of the Netherlands. The tulip now stands as a valuable symbol of friendship and gratefulness and its festival serves to honour all those Canadians who played a role in liberating the Dutch during the Second World War.
One of the lesser-known commemorations which is now gaining recognition, and which I'm proud to have contributed to, is the project called A Face For Every Name.
The project seeks to identify and honour every solider buried at Holten Canadian War Cemetary, a sprawling Second World War graveyard in the small forested village of Holten, Holland.
There lie 1,355 Canadian servicemen, one of which is my grandfather, Pte. Earl James Piche, and 62 of which are from Saskatchewan, including six from this area.
Every Christmas Eve nearly 2,000 residents of Holten, including schoolchildren, gather at the cemetary in a profoundly touching tribute to light wind and water-resistant candles to be placed at the headstones. Bagpipes and Dutch Christmas horns are played as the candles are lit and bless the Dutch citizenry, for even the most unfavourable, harshest weather conditions cannot keep them away from honouring our soldiers: last Christmas the weather in Holten was below freezing, with treacherous winds and still hundreds of people packed into the cemetery to acknowledge our fallen.
A Face For Every Name is seeking to collect photographs and information on every Canadian servicemen interred at Holten, as a further way for the Dutch and the residents of the tiny village to honour our soldiers, whom they have such a strong, unwavering respect for.
These are the names of the six area servicemen who are buried at Holten, and who A Face For Every Name wishes to gather additional information on, including a photograph:
Lieut. Robert W. Bells, son of Roy Stanley Bells and Elizabeth Bells - Quill Lake, SK
Cpl. Francis E. Belton, son of Emma Belton - Star City, SK
Pte. John J. Graham, son of James and Sarah Ann Graham; husband of Gwendolyne Graham - LeRoy, SK
Pte. Palmer Knutson, son of Edna Knutson - Naicam, SK
Pte. Fritz M. Lemke, son of Jacob and Anna Lemke - Bruno, SK
Pte. Gottlieb Wiegand, son of Gottlieb and Margareta Wiegand - Young, SK
If you have any information or photographs of these men, please get in contact with Mike Muntain, lead researcher for A Face For Every Name at [email protected].
For those who don't have e-mail, I'd be glad to help you connect with the project, so don't hesitate to phone the Journal at 306-682-2561 or pop by our office at 535 Main Street in Humboldt.
CM
