They have the marker and basic information but the people of Holland, aided by a dedicated Canadian reservist, are wanting to put a face and personality to the name of John Kibzey of Bienfait Kibzey was a private in the South Saskatchewan Regiment in the Second World War, who died during one of the battles that liberated Holland in the spring of 1945.
The citizens of the Netherlands are well known for their dedication to the memories of the thousands of Canadians who died in the effort and the people of Zwiggelte, in the north of Holland, are no different.
As one of their village’s representatives told Mike Muntain of Hamilton, the reservist who has done a lot of work in matching names, biographies and photos with their Dutch cemetery keepers, private John Kibzey fell in action on April 12 near the Oranjekanaal canal by their village, a community of about 500 people.
The village is commemorating the liberation on that date in 2015, and would love to place a photograph of Kibzey in front of his grave marker in the Holten Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands at that time.
Kibzey was the son of Peter and Nettie Kibzey and was born in Myzko, Poland. He, along with his older brother Michael, were working as miners when they enlisted in the SSR. Michael was a leading aircraft aero-engine mechanic, who was mentioned in dispatches.
John Kibzey was just 21 when he died at that Canal in Holland in 1945.
The memorial lake, named in his honour is located east of Jan Lake in northern Saskatchewan and is one of several hundred bodies of water in the northern region that have been named in honour of fallen Saskatchewan military personnel.
The request that came to Muntain from Roelie Speelman noted that John Kibzey’s official military identification number was L/107668.
A check on the SSR’s site through the Saskatchewan Military Museum failed to come up with the Kibzey name.
But the villagers in Holland, along with Muntain, their connection in Canada, would definitely like to be in contact with anyone who might remember the Kibzey boys and John in particular.
Muntain, a 51-year-old reservist and piper in the Princess of Wales Own Regiment of Kingston, has given himself the task of attempting to put a face to every name along with some biographical information regarding the 1,355 Canadians who are buried at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery.
Second World War historians noted that when Allied forces conducted the final push to defeat the German armies in early 1945, the English and American troops were generally deployed to Belgium and France which left the liberation of Holland to the Canadians. By the time the task was completed, 7,600 Canadian soldiers had died in action.
Muntain has placed his appeal for connections in east and west coast newspapers and his early efforts were rewarded with nine match-ups in his home area of Kingston, right away. With more than 50 newspapers now contacted, Muntain has been able to track down 700 pictures and biographies.
In a June 2014 article in the Hamilton Spectator, it was noted that Muntain and others have been visibly touched by the impressive candlelight ceremonies conducted by school children who visit the Holten Cemetery on Christmas Eve every year. This serves to keep the history alive and the message and memories intact.
As it was quoted in the Spectator, Gerry Van’t Holt, principal of the school near the village, noted that “graves are stones, but they represent a young man who had his own ideas for his future and the war made an end of it. We want to remember the person the stone represents.”
The Holten Cemetery maintains an information centre that contains letters and other items from the fallen Canadian soldiers, airmen and sailors. When the photographs become available to them, they are placed on stakes in front of the grave.
“The Dutch have never let the Canadian sacrifices be forgotten. Families have adopted the graves to maintain them over the decades. School children get the names of the men who died to learn more about them,” said Muntain who was moved toward this project after visiting this revered ground a few years ago.
If anyone has information regarding the Kibzey family and John Kibzey in particular, they are encouraged to contact the Mercury at 306-634-2654 or normpark@estevanmercury.ca or connect to Muntain directly at mjmuntain@gmail.com or at 613-888-7267.
