December 24, 2021.  We’re nearing the end of another challenging and socially distanced year of Covid, but are thankful to have had our three Covid vaccine shots.

Covid or not, we have been very busily working at home.  In spite of travel restrictions and social distancing, we nevertheless managed to do a lot, with the help of media, and families stepping forward with photos. This seems a good time to reflect on what happened in 2021 with this research project.

…Pieter Awarded Sovereign’s Medal For Volunteers….

On April 30, 2021, Pieter Valkenburg was presented with the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal For Volunteers, awarded in January 2020, for his ongoing research to uncover the stories and photos of those who served in WWI and WWII, and sharing his research findings with the public.   The insignia was presented to him by the Hon. Catherine Callbeck, CM, OPEI, LLD, on behalf of the Administrator for Canada, via a virtual ceremony.   (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/05/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-pieter-awarded-sovereigns-medal-for-volunteers)

…. WWII Soldiers Listed On The Cenotaph Outside Borden-Carleton Legion …….

This year we told the story of 1 WWII serviceman listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, and we added more information on a WWI soldier whose story had previously been told:

• Arthur Clinton ROBINSON
• Arnold Dudley TAYLOR

 … WWI Related Stories….

• We told the story of trying to solve the mystery of a WWI German ‘letter’ found amongst the possessions of Earle DAVISON, which turned out to be an anti-war song dating back to the  19th century.
• We shared more observations that WWI soldier Harold Keith HOWATT made in the post WWI period when he was waiting to be demobilized. The history books are filled with official accounts from officers and politicians. Howatt’s observations came from the viewpoint of an ordinary soldier caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

 … WWII Related Stories….

• We shared a story about a research into the soldiers who died in Wommelgem, Belgium in the fall of 1944.
• We shared our experience at the Woudenberg General Cemetery in The Netherlands, to visit the grave of WWII pilot Leonard Arthur UNWIN, who had been a flying instructor at the 9 Service Flying Training School RCAF in Summerside.
• We shared a story about the photo tributes by the graves of soldiers at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands, during the first two weeks of May.
• We shared the story of how five Canadian soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945, one of the final actions to end WWII in Europe. All 5 soldiers are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.
• We shared a story from Willy van Ee of The Netherlands, whose father was Indigenous soldier Walter MEKAJI, who let us know that 7 Indigenous soldiers are buried in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in Belgium.
• After reading about the 7 Indigenous soldiers buried in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Edwin van der Wolf reported that he and his son have adopted the graves of 2 Canadian Scottish Regiment soldiers. We shared his account and learned about the grave adoption program in Belgium.
• We shared the story of the search for a photo of WWII soldier Allan ‘Gordon’ COUTTS, who lost his life in Germany and is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.
• We shared the story of the successful request for a headstone from the Last Post Fund for WWII veteran Alexander McGregor DEANS, who died in 2010 and is buried at the Tryon People’s Cemetery in Prince Edward Island.
• We shared the link for a video ‘The Last Flight Of Halifax L9561’ made by Barry and Terry Hunt, sons of the crew’s wireless operator, William Herbert HUNT. Shot down over The Netherlands on October 12, 1941, Canadian pilot Elmer Bagnall MUTTART managed to save his crew and steer the burning plane away from the Dutch village of Wons before losing his own life.  Two previous videos made by us about this event were made in 2019 and 2020.

…Indigenous Soldiers….

We were able to tell the stories of the service by several WWII Indigenous soldiers, after an APTN article was published.

• WWII Indigenous soldier Thomas Beresford BIG CANOE from Ontario, who was killed in Germany.
• WWII Indigenous soldier William ‘Willie’ DANIELS from Saskatchewan, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII Indigenous soldier Alfred Louis PITAWANAKWAT (PITWANAKWAT) from Ontario, who was killed in Germany.
• WWII Indigenous soldier Eli Ambrose SNAKE from Ontario, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII Indigenous soldier Leo Francis TONEY from Nova Scotia, who was killed in The Netherlands.

…. Stories About Servicemen From The Maritimes…

We also featured stories about servicemen from The Maritimes:

• WWII soldier Alderic BASQUE, from New Brunswick, who was killed in Germany.
• WWII soldier Joseph ‘Ambroise’ COMEAU, from Nova Scotia, one of the 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945.
• WWII soldier Gerald Burnell COOLEN, from Nova Scotia, who was killed in Germany during the Battle of Hochwald Gap.
• WWII airman Robert ‘Bob’ James DICKIE, from Prince Edward Island, who lost his life when Lancaster Flight JB312 crashed on the runway as it returned to England from Germany.
• WWI soldier Maynard FOY from Prince Edward Island, who served with the 26^th Overseas (New Brunswick) Battalion, and was injured in France during the Battle of Amiens.
• WWII soldier Armand GIONET from New Brunswick, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII soldier Gordon Frederick JOHNSON from Nova Scotia, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII mariner William (Bill) Arnold JOHNSTON from Prince Edward Island, but was born in New Brunswick, who was killed when HMS Itchen, the ship he was serving on, was torpedoed in the Atlantic Ocean.
• WWII soldier Gilles LANTEIGNE from New Brunswick, who was killed in Germany.
• WWI soldier Heath Ward MACQUARRIE from Prince Edward Island, who was killed in France.
• WWII pilot Lorne MACFARLANE from Prince Edward Island, who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and flew 40 missions and survived the war.
• WWII soldier George Edward MAHAR from New Brunswick, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII soldier Lewis Wilkieson MARSH, from Nova Scotia, one of the 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945.
• WWII soldier Ruel Kitchener MATHESON, from Prince Edward Island, one of the 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945.
• WWII soldier Lloyd William MURRAY, from Nova Scotia, one of the 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945.
• WWII soldier Norman James NIXON from New Brunswick, who was killed in The Netherlands during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket.
• WWII soldier Samuel Glazier PORTER from New Brunswick, who was killed in The Netherlands.
• WWII soldier Alphonse ROBERT from New Brunswick, who was killed in The Netherlands when a grenade exploded.
• WWII soldier John ‘Clifford’ ROGERS from Prince Edward Island, who was killed in Germany in the Balberger Wald on March 3, 1945.
• WWII soldier Gordon James ROGERSON from Prince Edward Island, who served with the West Nova Scotia Regiment and was injured in Italy.
• WWII Chaplain William ‘Alfred’ SEAMAN from Prince Edward Island, who was killed in France during the Battle of Caen.
• WWII soldier Charles ‘Charlie’ Borden TUPLIN from Prince Edward Island, who served with the Black Watch and was fatally wounded in The Netherlands.
• WWII soldier Ronald Sidney WATERHOUSE from Nova Scotia, who lost his life in The Netherlands during the Battle of the Scheldt.

…. Stories About Servicemen From Outside The Maritimes…

• WWII soldier Edmond COULOMBE, from Manitoba, who was killed in The Netherlands when a grenade exploded.
• WWII soldier Howard Milo NICHOLLS, from Ontario, one of the 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945.

…In Conversation And More….

Not everyone we wrote about this year served in WWI or WWII!

• We interviewed RCAF pilot Captain Scott NANTES of Prince Edward Island, who is in active service.
• We enjoyed a fascinating conversation with Dr Tim Cook, Director of Research at the Canadian War Museum on the importance of remembrance.
• We wrote about a very special luncheon hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea for PEI Korean War Veterans, as a thank you for their service.
• We did a 3 part series of postings on the childhood recollections of the Korean War by Korean-born Charlie CHOI, whose family had a harrowing and dangerous journey to safety once the war began.
• We reported on the research done to ensure that WWII veteran Alexander McGregor DEANS received a headstone at his grave in the Tryon People’s Cemetery on Prince Edward Island.
• We reported on how volunteers at the Borden-Carleton Legion in Prince Edward Island honour deceased veterans by placing flags at the graves and monuments in the area served by the Legion.
• We described the Cenotaph Wall Of Remembrance at the Borden-Carleton Legion on Prince Edward Island, the last phase of the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph Research Project. All that is missing are some photos out of the 48 soldiers listed on the Cenotaph, and whose stories have been researched and told over the past years.

…. Interviews To Highlight Search For Photos….

Pieter did several interviews in his quest for photos for:

• WWII soldier John Clifford ROGERS, who is buried in The Netherlands in a radio interview on CBC Mainstreet PEI. (Listen at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-130-mainstreet-pei/clip/15819180-pieter-valkenburg-searching-john-clifford-rogers-information)  This search was subsequently successful.
• WWII soldiers buried in The Netherlands on CTV Atlantic’s Live At 5 in an interview with Bruce Frisko on January 14, 2021.  The response was so heartening that it prompted a series on our research blog entitled Atlantic Canada Remembers. (See Dutch-Canadian man on a mission to tell stories of lost soldiers| CTV News at https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/article/dutch-canadian-man-on-a-mission-to-tell-stories-of-lost-soldiers/)
• WII First Nations soldiers William DANIELS and Stanley Owen JONES, who are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, in an interview with Brett Forester of APTN news. (See https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/dutch-born-p-e-i-man-on-a-mission-to-find-photos-of-first-nations-soldiers-killed-overseas-in-wwii/)  This search was successful.
• WWII soldier Allan Gordon COUTTS, who is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, in an interview with Galen Hartviksen of CKFM radio in Olds, Alberta. (See https://ckfm.ca/2021/08/09/11202/)  This search was successful.
• WWII soldier Edmond COULOMBE, who is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands in an interview with Kevin Rollason of the ‘Winnipeg Free Press’. (See https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/hunting-for-photo-to-honour-manitoban-575687592.html) This search was very successful and resulted in a follow-up article a few days later. (See  https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/photo-found-to-honour-manitoba-war-casualty-575714042.html)
• A follow-up interview on WWII soldiers buried in The Netherlands ran on November 9, 2021 on CTV Atlantic’s Live At 5 during Remembrance Week, prompting many more responses.  Pieter’s research work is cut out for him for the next few months!  See Forever grateful: Dutch Canadian tries to put faces to names of soldiers who fell liberating the Netherlands| CTV News https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/article/forever-grateful-dutch-canadian-tries-to-put-faces-to-names-of-soldiers-who-fell-liberating-the-netherlands/
• In July, Pieter was interviewed by Sharon Adams of ‘Legion Magazine’, as part of an article on the Faces To Graves project in The Netherlands.  This article was published in the November/December 2021 issue in an article entitled Online Monument.  See https://legionmagazine.com/en/2021/11/online-monument/)

…. Letters To The Editor For Photo Searches….

Letters to the editor in various newspapers were written in the quest for a photo for:

• WWII soldier Gordon Frederick JOHNSON, who is buried in The Netherlands.  On June 24, 2021, Pieter’s letter to the editor was published in the ‘Truro News‘. This search was successful.
• WWII soldier Alexander James MILLER, who is buried in The Netherlands. On October 29, 2021, Pieter’s letter to the editor was published in the ‘High River Times’. This was at the request of Edwin van der Wolf, who wanted the family to know about a planned memorial plaque being placed in April 2022 in The Netherlands. This search was successful. (UPDATE:  The memorial plaque was subsequently placed in 2025.)
• WWI soldier Joseph Arthur DESROCHES, who is buried in Ligny-St-Flochel British Cemetery in Averdoingt, France.  On November 9, 2021 Pieter’s letter to the editor was published in ‘The Guardian’.  This is not the first time that a media request has been made in the search for family and a photo.  Up to now the search remains unsuccessful.

… Successful Search For Photos …..

Many WWII soldiers are buried in cemeteries in Europe.  After an appeal by Pieter on CTV’s Atlantic Live At Five in early January for photos and information, photos and information came in for WWII soldiers buried in The Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Italy.  Their stories were featured on the blog either as separate postings or in a series entitled Atlantic Canada Remembers.  No one was forgotten, and photos of soldiers buried in Dutch cemeteries were forwarded to researchers there for their digital archive. Photos were found for:

Buried in Holten Canadian War Cemetery in The Netherlands:

1. James Grant ANNINGSON
2. Howard W. ARMSTRONG
3. Alderic BASQUE
4. John Angus BEATON
5. William Herbert “Billy’ BELLAMY
6. William Harold BROOME
7. Robert Theodore COLE
8. Melvin COLLINS
9. Alexis D.  DAIGLE
10. Allan Gordon COUTTS
11. William ‘Willie’ DANIELS
12. Nelson DESROCHES
13. Francis ‘Frank’ Ivan DOUGAN
14. Joseph ‘Gerald’ FOUGERE
15. George Albert FRYDAY
16. Armand GIONET
17. Ernest Robert HAYNES
18. Percy Dexter HIGGINS
19. Gordon ‘Gordie’ Frederick JOHNSON
20. Stanley Owen JONES
21. Douglas JURY
22. James Gordon KING
23. Philip LAFORTE
24. Donald Charles MACKENZIE
25. Mathieu MICHAUD
26. John ‘James’ MURRAY
27. Daniel PEARO
28. Goldwin Marven POLLICK
29. Richard Joseph RANEY
30. Louis Graham RICHARD
31. Brenton Leroy RINGER
32. Ford Hilton SPIDLE
33. Frederick Joseph TAIT
34. Leo Francis TONEY
35. Charles ‘Charlie’ Borden TUPLIN
36. Frederick Christian VAN IDOUR

 Buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in The Netherlands:

1. Thomas Beresford BIG CANOE
2. Gerald Burnell COOLEN
3. Edmond COULOMBE
4. Percy Clayton CROMWELL
5. Harry William DOUCETTE
6. Arnold F. HUPMAN
7. Gilles LANTEIGNE
8. Francis ‘Frank’ Lewis LIBBY
9. Hiram Albion LORD
10. George Edward MAHAR
11. Barney Reuben MCGUIGAN
12. Elbridge Wellington MILLER
13. Robert (Bobby) Alan NICKERSON
14. Alfred Louis PITAWANAKWAT (PITWANAKWAT)
15. Burgess Allison PORTER
16. Alphonse ROBERT
17. John ‘Clifford’ ROGERS
18. Eli Ambrose SNAKE
19. Stanley SPRAY
20. William Francis STEWART
21. Benjamin James WITHERALL

 Buried in Bergen Op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in The Netherlands:

1. Austin Ephraim BOUTILIER
2. Gordon Thomas BREWER
3. Dennis HOARE
4. Gregory Philip Anthony MCCARTHY
5. Clayton Wilfred SHANNON
6. Russell Richard SOBLE
7. Arnold Ernest “Ernie” THORNTON

 Buried in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery in Belgium:

1. Bruce Wilbur CHURCHILL
2. Alexander Fraser MACDONALD
3. Edison Reynolds SMITH
4. Arthur Brambel ‘Jack’ TAYLOR

Buried in Montecchio War Cemetery in Italy:

1. Felix GAUDET

 Buried in Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France:

1. William ‘Alfred’ SEAMAN

… The Search For Photos On YouTube….

2020 began with a documentary that was posted on YouTube, and ended with a dedicated YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw

In 2021 the following videos were posted on the channel:

• S2E1 Remembering Lt Norman Nixon
• S2E2 Photo Search – WWII Soldier Frank McGuigan
• S2E3 Photo Search – WWI Soldier James Cairns
• S2E4 Photo Search – WWII Soldier John Clifford Rogers
• S2E5 Thank You Atlantic Canada
• S2E6 Photo Search – WWI Soldier James Lymon Cameron
• S2E7 Photo Search – WWI Soldier Leigh Hunt Cameron
• S2E8 Photo Search – WWII Soldier Gordon Frederick Johnson
• S3E1 In Remembrance

Thank you for your support and encouragement of this research project!

As 2021 comes to an end, we would like to thank all who helped with researching these stories and contributed photos. We also thank readers of this blog and the On The War Memorial Trail column in the ‘County Line Courier‘ who suggested some of stories you’ve read.  A big thank you goes to Mike and Isabel Smith, owners of the ‘County Line Courier‘.

Thank you to the media who helped publicize the search for photos and information – APTN, CTV Live At 5’s Atlantic, CBC Radio’s Mainstreet PEI,  CKFM Radio, Truro News, High River Times, The Guardian, and Winnipeg Free Press.

Last, but not least, the YouTube videos and channel would not be possible without the invaluable support of post-production editor Wendy Nattress.

….Happy Holidays…

Pieter and I wish you all the best for the holidays and in 2022. May we never forget those who gave their lives for their freedom.

Pieter’s research work continues. If you have photos or information to share, please email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

…Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information on the book, please see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

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