Month: December 2019

The Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Ceremonies In The Netherlands

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(Photo courtesy of The Battlefield Explorer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iq24t768C8)

December 26, 2019.  One of the wonderful ways that The Netherlands honours Allied soldiers who lost their lives during WWII and are buried in one of the War Cemeteries or in a municipal cemetery is to light candles by the graves on Christmas Eve.  In some cemeteries children place the candles, in others adults place them.

During our visit to The Netherlands for the unveiling of the memorial panel for the crew of Halifax L9561, Pieter met Remko de Jong, one of the Dutch residents who attended the ceremonies.  Remko lives in Makkum and coordinates the candle lighting ceremony in his village.  Was Pieter aware that Canadians are buried in the Donia Church Cemetery in Makkum? he asked.  “No” was the reply.  Remko explained that he was looking for Canadian flags, like the ones we had placed by the graves of Canadians at Harlingen General Cemetery, for their Christmas Eve ceremony.  Where could he get them?

After we had made all of our visits to the various cemeteries to place flags at the graves of Islanders, we had a few flags left over.  Pieter mailed them to Remko for the Christmas Eve candle lighting ceremony.  We thought no more of it, but sure enough, on Christmas Eve, a number of photos appeared, two of which are shown here……

Makkum 2019 Gerben van der Weerd facebook.

Canadian flags and candles at the graves of Canadian soldiers buried in the Donia Church Cemetery in Makkum. (Photo courtesy of Gerben van der Weerd and Remko de Jong)

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Canadian flags and candles at the graves of Canadian soldiers buried in the Donia Church Cemetery in Makkum. (Photo courtesy of Gerben van der Weerd and Remko de Jong)

At the Donia Church Cemetery in Makkum, candles were placed at the graves of all the war dead, including those of Dutch citizens who had lost their lives during the war.

In a very thoughtful gesture, Remko also contacted the organizers of the candle lighting ceremony at Harlingen General Cemetery and asked them for a photo of the candle placed at the grave of Flight Sgt Elmer Muttart.

Lichtjes op oorlogsgraven Harlingen (1)

Candles placed in the Commonwealth Graves section of Harlingen General Cemetery.  Elmer Muttart’s grave is in the front row at the very far right. (Photo courtesy of Harlingen General Cemetery)

Lichtjes op oorlogsgraven Harlingen (2)

Candle placed at the grave of Flight Sgt Elmer Muttart at Harlingen General Cemetery on Christmas Eve.  (Photo courtesy of Harlingen General Cemetery)

The Christmas Eve candle lighting ceremony took place at over 400 cemeteries in The Netherlands, including the three Canadian War Cemeteries…..

Bergen op Zoom 2019 from Jolanda Danse on Facebook

Candles at the Canadian War Cemetery in Bergen Op Zoom. (Photo courtesy of Jolanda Danse Facebook page)

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Candles at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten. (Photo courtesy of Wouter van Dijken Facebook page)

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Candles at the Cross of Remembrance at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek. (Photo courtesy of Albert de Valk Facebook page)

Groesbeek 2019 Albert de Valk Facebook

Candles at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek. (Photo courtesy of Albert de Valk Facebook page)

There are over 7,600 Canadian soldiers buried in The Netherlands!

Kudos to the Dutch, who never forget the sacrifices made by Allied soldiers!  For a listing of the Canadians buried in Harlingen General Cemetery, please see the earlier posting On The War Memorial Trail…..The Visit To Harlingen General Cemetery.  To see accounts of our visit to the three Canadian War Cemeteries this fall, please see On The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Holten,On The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Groesbeek, andOn The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Bergen Op Zoom)

Our thanks again to the office of Malpeque MP Wayne Easter and the office of PEI Senator Mike Duffy who provided the flags used during our trip to The Netherlands, making it possible to also give flags for the candle lighting ceremony at the cemetery in Makkum.  If anyone has a story or photo to share about any of the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

“He Died That We Might Live” Pamphlet Presented To Tryon & Area Historical Society

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December 23, 2019.  The Tryon & Area Historical Society helped us to raise funds in Canada towards the Halifax L9561 Memorial Panel that was unveiled in the Dutch village of Wons on October 12, 2019.  (See On The War Memorial Trail…..The Memorial Panel In Wons Is Unveiled!)

Pieter presented Jack Sorensen, Chair of the Tryon & Area Historical Society with a copy of the pamphlet, prepared by the Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation of Friesland in The Netherlands. The pamphlet describes the last flight of Halifax L9561, a WWII bomber piloted by Flight Sgt Elmer Bagnall MUTTART of Cape Traverse, which was shot down on October 12, 1941.

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Jack Sorensen, left, and Pieter Valkenburg, right, with the Dutch and English versions of the pamphlet commemorating the last flight of Halifax L9561 on October 12, 1941. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

With 2019 almost at an end, Pieter and I wish all of you the very happiest of holidays as we prepare for new stories and continued research related to the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph Research Project.

Happy Holidays from Daria and Pieter

If anyone has a story or photo to share about any of the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

 

On The War Memorial Trail……Canadian Troops Helped Sinterklaas Visit Dutch Children During WW2

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December 16, 2019.  As part of the upcoming Liberation 75 Celebrations, commemorating the liberation of The Netherlands in 1945, Dutch journalists have been going through their archives and featuring stories and film clips around this momentous period in the lives of the Dutch.  One of the film clips uncovered shows how Canadian troops helped Sinterklaas visit Dutch children in 1944.

As you may be wondering who Sinterklaas is, and why this was an important event for Dutch children, Pieter has given some background information to put it in context.  “If you are a kid in The Netherlands, my home country, Sinterklaas is a very important person …. whether you are naughty or nice.  If you are nice, you get goodies.  If you are naughty, there may be no goodies.”  Hmmm ….. doesn’t this sound like someone we already know?

Pieter explains that “You may be surprised to learn that from our Sinterklaas comes the term Santa Claus as you know it here in Canada.  In The Netherlands we celebrate Sinterklaas on the evening of December 5.  In Dutch “Sint” means “Saint”, and “Klaas” is an abbreviation for Nicholas.  So Sinterklaas in English is St. Nicholas.”

The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6, but Pieter explained that “We Dutch try to be first in many things, and so we celebrate a bit early.  Our tradition is that Sinterklaas comes to Holland, in the third week of November, by boat from his home in Spain, and visits the Dutch towns and villages on his white horse Amerigo.”

#4 dec 2011 La Paz Sinterklaas travels on Amerigo

Sinterklaas on Amerigo travels to visit Dutch children in Bolivia!  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

No North Pole, but Spain, and a horse rather than a sleigh and reindeer. Interesting!  Pieter notes that “It was the custom for Dutch children to put one shoe in front of the fireplace from the day Sinterklaas arrives in the Netherlands, sing Sinterklaas songs and go to bed. When I grew up in the late forties and early fifties, I remember putting my shoe out at night, filled with a carrot for his white horse, and going to bed, with the hope of finding something in my shoe from Sinterklaas.  You never knew what to expect.  If you had been naughty, Sinterklaas’s helpers might not put anything in your shoe.”

Pieter recollects what happened when he was a small child in the late 1940s.  “Sinterklaas always carried a big red book with all the names of the children and knew if you behaved well or not.  He sat down in the living room.  I and my two brothers were called, one by one, to approach him and we were told all about our behaviour over the past year.  It was amazing how much he knew about us! Luckily, we all got off without any punishment and didn’t get taken away to Spain. After he left, my father came in with a big sack of presents, which Sinterklaas had left in the hallway.  So while Canadian children had to wait until December 25, we had our goodies already.”

#12 Dec 2000 La Paz Bolivia Sinterklaas checks whether Pieter is in the good book or bad book

While posted to La Paz in Bolivia, Pieter was called up before Sinterklaas who decided whether he was naughty or nice by the entries in his book! (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

According to tradition, Sinterklaas has its origin in the 4th century where Nicholas, at the age of 19, became the Greek Bishop of Myra in present day Turkey, famous for giving gifts to the poor.  After his death on the 6th of December in the year 343, he became Saint Nicholas, a patron saint of children, merchants and sailors.  The Netherlands is a maritime country seven times larger in size than Prince Edward Island, with many sailors and merchants involved in international trade from its earliest days.  So his influence was especially strong in The Netherlands.

In the 17th century the Dutch settled in what is now New York and the Hudson valley, and they brought the tradition of Sinterklaas with them.  In the English speaking world, Sinterklaas and Santa Claus merged with the British Father Christmas.   When Henry Clement Moore wrote his poem “Twas the night before Christmas” in 1823, Sinterklaas took on a new identity as Santa Claus who is stationed on the North Pole, has elves to help him, and drives a team of reindeer. In The Netherlands, however, Sinterklaas never became Santa Claus.

During the years of Nazi occupation during WWII, and in a country where people were being starved to death, there were no visits from Sinterklaas… until December 5, 1944, when Canadian troops helped Sinterklaas visit Dutch children.  Can you imagine the reaction of those children?

In the spirit of the season, we hope you enjoy this small film clip from the Canadian Army Film Unit, issue #51. (The film clip is from an article found on https://amersfoort.nieuws.nl/nieuws/17759/canadese-soldaten-hielpen-sinterklaas-in-1944/ for those who can read Dutch.)

Link to the film clip: https://drive.google.com/open?id=150xm9BfndYvEHHQUGXN-lK4-fnuesb5j

If anyone has a story or photo to share, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

On The War Memorial Trail…..The WW2 Soldier Who Drowned In Quebec

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December 14, 2019.  In uncovering the stories of the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, perhaps one surprise has been how often an accident or illness can take the life of a soldier.  Being based in Canada during wartime was no guarantee of safety!   An accidental drowning in Quebec took the life of one WW2 soldier from the Island, Frank Lewis ARSENAULT.

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Frank Lewis Arsenault.  (Source: ‘Around Kinkora Area’ by G. K. Farmer)

Born on August 14, 1913 in Kinkora, Frank Lewis (baptized as Francis Louis) was the son of John Hubert Arsenault and Elizabeth Jane, the husband of Grace Elizabeth Gaudet, and the father of four children: George Edmund, Mary Elisabeth, Martha Marie, and Joseph Henry.

A farm labourer before enlisting with the 8th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery Artillery Unit on June 13, 1941 in Charlottetown, he was transferred a week later to the 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery Artillery Unit and sent to Petawawa, Ontario.  However, two and a half years before he enlisted, Frank Lewis had rheumatic fever, which left him with joint pains that made it difficult to do many activities, such as standing on his feet or carrying a rifle for long periods of time.  This led to him being reclassified within a few weeks of arrival in Petawawa, and transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Home War Establishment Unit, on September 7, 1941, and based at the Petawawa Military Hospital.

On September 30, 1942, Frank Lewis, along with two other soldiers, R. Marino and E. J. Arsenault, received a pass from the Petawawa Military Camp where they were stationed.  They went by car to Le Passe, and then by ferry to Fort-Coulonge and had dinner at Bascheau’s Restaurant, where they were last seen alive.  Pte Marino’s body was found the next day in the Ottawa River.  Their car was found in the river on October 20 in the area of the dock on the Quebec side of the river.  The bodies of E. J. and Frank Lewis Arsenault were found in the Ottawa River on October 25.  However,  death was determined to have occurred on September 30 and this was the date listed on Frank Lewis’s death certificate.

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The distance between Petawawa and Fort-Coulonge is about 69 km.  Source:  Google maps https://www.google.ca/maps

Frank Lewis was buried at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Seven Mile Bay in Prince Edward Island.  His father was still alive and living in Kinkora, but his mother was deceased.  His wife and children were living in Pembroke, Ontario at the time.

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Gravestone of Frank Lewis Arsenault at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Seven Mile Bay. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

It’s unknown how the accident happened, but most likely the car went off the road in the dark and went into the river.  If anyone has more information or photos to share for Frank Lewis Arsenault, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

 

On The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Bergen Op Zoom

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December 7, 2019.  While in The Netherlands this fall, we visited the three Canadian War Cemeteries and laid down flags of Canada and PEI for the names listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, as well as other Islanders who have been identified by Dutch researchers. The third Canadian War Cemetery we visited on our 2019 trip was in Bergen Op Zoom, near the Belgian border.  As no one listed on the Cenotaph is buried in this cemetery, we had not visited it before.

On this trip, however, we decided to lay flags down at the graves of 6 soldiers from Prince Edward Island and 1 from Nova Scotia.  Our first surprise was that there are two war cemeteries, side by side, and of course we went to the wrong one, which turned out to be a British War Cemetery.  Luckily, a teacher visiting with a group of high school students noticed the bag we carried the flags in, and asked if we thought we were in the Canadian War Cemetery.  If so, it was further down the road.  Thank goodness the Dutch are not shy!

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Pieter at the entrance to the Canadian War Cemetery in Bergen Op Zoom.  Our Sobey’s bag saved us from wandering around the wrong cemetery!  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We weren’t alone in the cemetery as there were more teachers, supervising schoolchildren carrying roses.  With our Sobey’s bag filled with flags, we were easily picked out as visitors!  A teacher told us that 2,600 schoolchildren would be visiting the Canadian and British War Cemeteries, each carrying a rose to place at a designated grave, until October 28, the day of liberation for this part of The Netherlands.

One of the most recent photos Pieter received of PEI soldiers buried in The Netherlands was that of Lawrence Adolphus SWEENEY, provided by his nephew David Perry.  Placing flags by a grave when you have a photo of the person makes this small event more meaningful.

Lawrence Sweeney from David Perry

Lawrence Sweeney.  (Photo courtesy of David Perry)

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Pieter by the grave of Lawrence Sweeney, buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Bergen Op Zoom. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

In alphabetical order, here are the known soldiers from PEI that are buried in the cemetery:

  • Pte James Walter AULD, Algonquin Regiment, from O’Leary Station
  • Tpr Alvah Ray LEARD, Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment – 27th Armoured Regiment, from Northam
  • Pte Milton Evangeline LIVINGSTONE, Lincoln and Welland Regiment, from Murray River
  • Bdr Hugh Allister MACDONALD, Royal Canadian Artillery – 02 Anti-Tank Regiment, from Georgetown
  • L/Cpl Roy SMITH, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, from O’Leary
  • Pte Lawrence Adolphus SWEENEY, Lincoln and Welland Regiment, from Souris

Canadian and Nova Scotia flags were placed at the grave of one soldier from Nova Scotia, who had mistakenly been recorded as being from PEI by the Cemetery:

  • Pte Elmer D. SCHOFIELD, Lincoln and Welland Regiment, from North Alton

Unfortunately, no photo has been found for one PEI soldier:

  • James Walter AULD, born in Glenwood, son of James and Margaret Auld of O’Leary Station. He died on November 1, 1944, aged 21.

The weather in Bergen Op Zoom was cloudy, but it was dry.  We had just missed a rainfall, as we found out while walking through the cemetery.  The ground was saturated and my shoes were soaking wet by the time we finished, giving me an excuse to go to the car and change my shoes and warm up.  In the meantime, Caroline Raajmakers of the Faces To Graves Bergen Op Zoom Project dropped by to invite us over for coffee and a stroopwafel (a delicious Dutch treat).

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Pieter with Caroline Raajmakers at the Canadian War Cemetery in Bergen Op Zoom.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Caroline explained that most of the burials in the British and Canadian War Cemeteries in Bergen Op Zoom are due to casualties from the Battle of the Scheldt (For more information, see https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/scheldt#scheldt03).  We learned that information on this battle, in which 6,300 Canadian lives were lost, is in the Liberation Museum Zeeland in nearby Nieuwdorp, which will be on our list of places to visit next trip.  (See https://liberationroute.com/the-netherlands/spots/l/liberation-museum-zeeland-(spot221))

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Holding up a poster for the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the province of Brabant on October 28, 2019.  (Photo credit: Caroline Raajmakers)

Pieter gave Caroline a large Canadian flag, which was provided by Senator Mike Duffy for this war memorial trip.  Flags had also been provided for Pieter to give to the cemeteries in Harlingen, Holten, and Groesbeek, which he did.

Thank you to Senator Mike Duffy for the large Canadian flag, to the office of Malpeque MP Wayne Easter for the small Canadian flags placed by the graves, and to John Wales of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum in Amherst for the Nova Scotia flag. If anyone has more information to share on any of the soldiers listed above, or know of more Islanders buried in the cemetery in Bergen Op Zoom, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

On The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Groesbeek

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December 4, 2019.  While in The Netherlands this fall, we visited the three Canadian War Cemeteries and laid down flags of Canada and PEI for the names listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, as well as other Islanders who have been identified by Dutch researchers. The second Canadian War Cemetery we visited on the 2019 trip was in Groesbeek.  (See On the War Memorial Trail ….. At The Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek and On the War Memorial Trail ….. PEI Soldiers Buried In The Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek for accounts of our 2017 visit.)

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Pieter at the entrance to Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We visited the cemetery on a rare sunny and dry day during our time in The Netherlands…. it rained 19 out of 21 days! We hadn’t been as lucky when we went to Holten!  (See On The War Memorial Trail…..Our 2019 Visit To The Canadian War Cemetery In Holten)

As in 2017, we were joined by Pieter’s former colleague in the Dutch Foreign Service, Ad Scheepers, and his wife Noor, who live in Groesbeek.  Pieter and Ad served together in New Delhi and both are passionate in their gratitude to the Allied troops that liberated The Netherlands during WWII.

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Pieter with Noor and Ad Scheepers by the grave of William Weatherbie.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Since our 2017 visit, no additional names of soldiers from PEI have been uncovered, so we placed flags at the graves of the same 17 Islanders.  Unlike in 2017, however, photos of several of these soldiers have now been provided by family members.  In alphabetical order, here are the known soldiers from PEI that are buried in the cemetery:

  • L/Cpl Ralph Schurman BOULTER, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from West Point
  • Pte Lawrence BULGAR, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Foxley River
  • Major John Weston CAMPBELL, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Clermont
  • Cpl Preston D. CAMPBELL, Algonquin Regiment, from Coleman
  • Rifleman William Alfred CANNON, Regina Rifle Regiment, from Pownal
  • Cpl Arthur GAUDET, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, from Mont Carmel
  • Sapper Joseph Edmond HENNEBERY, Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, from Morrell
  • Cpl George Ivan MACKINNON, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Mt. Albion
  • Cpl Robert Bruce MACNEILLL, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Charlottetown
  • Pte Barney Ruben MCGUIGAN, North Shore Regiment, born in Souris
  • Cpl Stephen A. MCKINNON, Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, from St. Peter’s Bay
  • L/Cpl Edward Gabriel PERRY, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise), from St. Nicholas
  • Pte John Clifford ROGERS, North Shore Regiment, born in Hope River
  • Pte Ralph K. SILLIKER, Lake Superior Regiment, from O’Leary
  • Sgt Edison Alexander SMITH, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from West Point
  • Pte George Preston SMITH, North Shore Regiment, from Kinkora
  • Pte William L. WEATHERBIE, Royal Regiment of Canada, from Charlottetown

We also placed a Canadian flag at the grave of one soldier from New Brunswick, the uncle of our neighbour Brenda Graves:

  • L/Cpl Frank Edward MCGOVERN, North Shore Regiment, born in Chipman

Photos have still not been found for:

  1. Joseph E. HENNEBERY, born in Morell, who died on April 20, 1945.
  2. Barney Ruben MCGUIGAN, born in St. Peter’s, son of Thomas and Sadie McGuigan, who died on February 26, 1945.
  3. Frank Edward MCGOVERN, born in Chipman, who died on February 26, 1945.

After placing the flags, we met with Alice van Bekkum and her husband Leendert at De Oude Molen (The Old Windmill) cafe.  Alice is the Chair of the Faces To Graves Project in The Netherlands, which is trying to find a photo for every Canadian soldier buried in one of the Dutch cemeteries for a digital archive.

CIMG3374 Oct 5 2019 Groesbeek De Oude Molen

At De Oude Molen, left to right: Ad Scheepers, Leendert van Bekkum, Alice van Bekkum, Pieter Valkenburg, Daria Valkenburg, Noor Scheepers.

During the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of The Netherlands commemoration in May 2020, the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek has received permission from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to place photos of Canadian soldiers by their gravestones for two weeks.  Pieter is trying to ensure all of the Island soldiers have a photo, but as you can see above, there are 2 Islanders without photos, plus one from New Brunswick.

Thank you to Ad and Noor Scheepers for joining us on the memorial trail at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek!  If anyone has more information to share on any of the soldiers listed above, or know of more Islanders buried in the cemetery in Groesbeek, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

“The Memory of Elmer Muttart Lives On”

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December 2, 2019.  This posting will be a guest posting by Robert O’Brien, who attended the unveiling of the memorial panel in Wons to honour Flight Sgt Elmer Muttart and the crew of the Halifax L9561.  Robert is involved with a charity, The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy (see https://www.churchillsociety.org/home/about-us/). On Friday, November 29, at its Annual Dinner, he shared the story of his recent trip to The Netherlands with the President and CEO of Historica Canada and actor RH Thomson, and presented them both with an English brochure, excerpted from the Dutch language booklet  about the last flight of Halifax L9561 that was prepared by the Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation (see On The War Memorial Trail…..The Reception In Wons).

If you live in Canada, you will have seen one of the many Heritage Moments on TV, each one a short glimpse into an aspect of Canadian history (see https://www.historicacanada.ca/heritageminutes).  R. H. Thomson (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._H._Thomson) is involved in The World Remembers 1914-1918 project (see https://www.everythingzoomer.com/arts-entertainment/2018/11/08/rh-thomson-the-world-remembers/).

Here is what Robert wrote in a report he entitled ‘The Memory of Elmer Muttart Lives On’:  “The significance of Flight Sergeant Elmer Bagnall Muttart and the crew of Halifax 9561 who sacrificed so much so that others might live on October 12, 1941 continues to live on and be remembered.   In Toronto on Friday November 29, 2019, at the 36th Annual Dinner of The Churchill Society, the story of Elmer Muttart and Halifax L9561 was shared again and remembered.  The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy holds its annual black tie dinner in Toronto to celebrate Churchill’s life and legacy and to reflect on the contributions countless men and women who fought and contributed to preserving democracy in World Wars I and II.

I was part of the delegation in Holland just seven weeks ago in Holland and as a Past President and director of The Churchill Society I shared and presented the special tribute brochure about Elmer Muttart and the crew of the Halifax bomber at the Dinner, which had been sent by Pieter and Daria Valkenburg.   The brochure was presented to the keynote speaker Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada and noted Canadian political journalist and foreign correspondent.”

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Robert O’Brien, left, presents brochure about Halifax L9561, prepared by the Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation, to Anthony Wilson Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada at the 36th Annual Churchill Society Dinner Toronto on November 29 2019. (Photo courtesy of Robert O’Brien)

“Historica Canada has produced 98 ‘Heritage Moments’ which tell the story of important moments in Canadian history and each year reaches an audience of 27 million people.   Mr. Smith showed the 250 in attendance at the Dinner three from the collection of Heritage Moments—a special tribute to Lucy Maud Montgomery filmed in PEI narrated by Past Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the D-Day Tribute released this past June narrated by Peter Mansbridge, and finally a sneak preview of never seen before footage of a brand new special Heritage Moment commemorating the Liberation of the Netherlands on May 8, 1945.    The video is still being edited and developed but the images the audience was able to see on November 29 were powerful—the struggle of the Dutch people, the arrest and detention of Jews and dissenters during the Occupation, the citizens gazing skyward to see Allied planes flying in the air to assist in taking back Holland, the bravery of the soldiers, the liberation of parades and presentation of tulips by grateful citizenry to the Dutch and the warm hospitality extended by the Dutch people to the Canadian soldiers.   The video will not be completed and officially released until May 2020 and will be a film to look forward to.  

Anthony, who was attending ceremonies at Hill 70 in Northern France last October when the Muttart commemoration was held, was appreciative to receive the special brochure and to hear the story of the bravery of Muttart and the crew of the Halifax L9561 bomber.

I also presented the brochure to talented and award-winning Canadian actor R H Thomson (well known for his roles as Matthew Cuthbert, Jasper Dale, and Dr Banting among many others) and the founder of a special project ‘The World Remembers 1914-1918’ whose mission for the past ten years has been to commemorate the men and women who died during World War I and to preserve their memory in Canada, throughout Europe, in schools and capitols around the world.”

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Robert O’Brien (left), Past President of The Churchill Society, presenting brochure to noted Canadian actor R H Thomson and founder of The World Remembers at the 36th Annual Churchill Society Dinner Toronto on November 29. (Photo courtesy of Robert O’Brien)

“RH Thomson wrote the following day to express how much he appreciated reading the extraordinary story of Halifax L9561 and Elmer Muttart.   

One last connection: The recipient of the annual Award for Excellence in the Cause of Parliamentary Democracy was former popular Mayor of Toronto and Member of Parliament for ten years, the Honourable David Crombie, who knew Elmer Muttart’s brother-in-law, the late Elgin Evans Coutts, also a pilot during World War II, who married Elmer’s sister Helen Muttart.”

Thank you to Robert O’Brien for sharing the story of Halifax L9561 at The Churchill Dinner and for taking the time to write the posting and send photos. It’s wonderful that one story about a name on the Cenotaph has resulted in so many remembrances.  We look forward to seeing the Heritage Minute video about the Liberation of Holland.  If you have photos or stories to share on the names on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, please contact Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg