September 2, 2023. When Pieter decided to research the names of a number of soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment that lost their lives during the Battle of Bienen on March 25, 1945 last year, he undertook a mammoth challenge.

40 North Novies died in that battle, with 39 buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands.  We told the stories of 13 of them this spring. Several of the names were on the cemetery’s photo wish list, and Pieter was successful in finding all the photos. 

The research took months and spanned the country, with help from other researchers, Legion branches, and the media in trying to track down families and photos.  We heard a lot of heartfelt stories about loss of a loved one and met – virtually – many wonderful people.

As summer days start turning into autumn and we begin to think ahead to Remembrance Week activities, it’s a good time to reflect on almost a year’s work of research to honour and remember these men.

…Battle of Bienen video on our YouTube Channel….

A short tribute to honour some of the soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment that lost their lives during the Battle of Bienen can be seen here:

….A monument in Bienen commemorates those who died in battle….

In 2000 a monument to honour the Allied soldiers that lost their lives in the Battle of Bienen was placed in Bienen by surviving veterans. 

The English version of the German text reads as follows:

 ‘BIENEN TABLET
This tablet has been placed by a group of surviving Canadian veterans of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, 3 Canadian Infantry Division, in proud and grateful memory of those forty members of their regiment who fell in battle at Bienen, Germany on Sunday, March 25, 1945 and in memory of those fellow combatants of 9 Canadian Infantry (Highland) Brigade and 51 British Highland Division who died in the same battle and in the same cause and as well, in respectful memory of those adversaries in the German army who died on that fateful day.

At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them.

Erected at Bienen on the 55th Anniversary of the event in the year 2000.‘

….Stories about North Novies killed during the Battle of Bienen and buried in Groesbeek….

Did you miss the stories we told about 13 of these soldiers?

• Clifford BATEMAN: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/16/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-4-the-wwii-soldier-from-a-small-fishing-village-in-newfoundland-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/
• John Joseph BOHON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/18/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-5-the-wwii-soldier-whose-parents-immigrated-to-save-their-family-from-war/
• Ralph Schurman BOULTER: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-2-the-wwii-battle-drill-instructor-from-oleary/
• Charles ‘Marshall’ CARSON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/12/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-3-the-wwii-soldier-from-cape-tormentine-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/
• Harry William DOUCETTE: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/09/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-6/
• Marven Glenroy HARVEY: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/26/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-8-the-wwii-soldier-with-7-brothers-who-also-served/
• Kitchener ‘Kitty’ LANGILLE: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/21/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-6-the-wwii-soldier-from-new-glasgow-nicknamed-kitty/
• Marvin William MCGREGOR: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/04/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-9-the-wwii-soldier-from-west-jeddore-killed-in-germany/
• Austin Havelock MUNROE, plus a list of the 39 soldiers: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/11/29/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-a-photo-of-austin-havelock-munroe-is-on-youtube/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/05/14/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-12-the-wwii-soldier-from-little-dover-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/
• Wilfred ‘Willy’ Joseph POWER: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/04/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-10-the-wwii-soldier-who-wanted-to-be-a-paratrooper/
• Louis Allan SEXTON: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-7-the-wwii-soldier-from-quebec-who-has-never-been-forgotten-by-his-family/
• Edison Alexander SMITH: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-1-the-wwii-soldier-whose-body-shielded-a-wounded-major/
• John Lewis WALLACE: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/05/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-11-the-wwii-soldier-from-canning-who-lost-his-life-in-germany/

Thank you to all who provided photos and information that allowed these stories to be told this spring.  Each individual story identifies them. Thank you to post-production editor Wendy Nattress, who made the Battle of Bienen (S4E1) YouTube video a reality.

If you have a story to tell, please let Pieter know. You can email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or send a tweet to @researchmemori1.  

© Daria Valkenburg

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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 see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

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