Battlefield Tours with Joël Stoppels

On The War Memorial Trail…. Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 4: From Nansum To Delfzijl And Wirdum

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A life’s ambition realized! Daria in the driver’s seat of a jeep! Spoiler alert – our battlefield tour was in an SUV, not the jeep! (Photo credit: Joël Stoppels)

October 19, 2025.  While in Europe this spring for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, we visited 14 cemeteries to place flags at the graves of 383 soldiers that Pieter has researched since 2014, with the stories of many of these soldiers previously told on this blog. 

On the wish list for our 2025 European War Memorial Tour was to tour some of the battlefields in which these soldiers lost their lives in order to have a better appreciation of what they had faced. 

Battlefields guide Joël Stoppels, of Groningen, The Netherlands, offered to spend a day showing us locations where the various battles that comprised the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket took place.  Over the years, we’ve featured stories of many soldiers who lost their lives in the last weeks of the North-West Europe campaign during WWII, and we eagerly anticipated learning more. (See https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/delfzijlpocket.htm)

Map showing the locations during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (Map source: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com)

…. Recap…

In Part 1, our battlefield tour began at a field where 19 Canadians lost their lives during the Battle for Wagenborgen, the preliminary battle before the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/10/01/on-the-war-memorial-trail-battlefields-tour-with-joel-stoppels-part-1-battle-for-wagenborgen/)

In Part 2, we travelled to Appingedam, the town where the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket began. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/10/05/on-the-war-memorial-trail-battlefields-tour-with-joel-stoppels-part-2-the-battle-of-the-delfzijl-pocket-began-in-appingedam/)

In Part 3, we left Appingedam and travelled to Holwierde, to see the plaque at Stefanuskerk that commemorated many of the Canadian soldiers who died during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/10/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-battlefields-tour-with-joel-stoppels-part-3-visit-to-stefanuskerk-in-holwierde/)

Now, in Part 4, our battlefields tour concludes as we travel from Nansum to Delfzijl and Wirdum…..

….The Cape Breton Highlanders marched from Nansum to Delfzijl…

Delfzijl pointed out on Joël’s map.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

From Nansum we followed the route taken by the Cape Breton Highlanders to Delfzijl.  Joël noted that “.…the Perth Regiment had been decimated by losses and were pulled back behind the front line, and replaced by the Cape Breton Highlanders who came from Loppersum….”

The Cape Breton Highlanders “…started marching from Nansum on April 29, 1945, reaching Delfzijl on May 2, taking two routes…..” 

This was reflected in the war diary for the Cape Breton Highlanders.  The diary entry for April 28, 1945 stated that “…we received word from Brigade this morning that the Perth Regiment did not do so well last night on account of mines. We will likely relieve them tonight so we are to move to another concentration area this afternoon….” 

By late afternoon, the headquarters and ‘B’ Company were in Bierum, while the rest of the Regiment was in Spijk. While the evening itself was quiet, at 8 pm “…the Observation Post reported very dense smoke coming from the town of Delfzijl which is our objective. This could be caused by either demolitions by the enemy or our artillery which has been firing on that area….”

April 29, 1945 was a cold and wet day, with the war diary reporting that “…our pioneers worked with the sappers clearing mines off the road to ‘A’ Company and also repairing the road. But the night will be a busy one for all. ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies are to relieve the two forward companies of the Perth and when that is completed ‘A’ and ‘B’ companies will pass through them and advance over a mile to their objectives….”

…. ‘D’ Company travelled along the coast…

“….‘D’ Company….” of the Cape Breton Highlanders “…travelled along the coast and had the most casualties as the Germans were heavily entrenched.  The other companies came via inland….” Joël said. 

The war diary for May 1, 1945 verified Joël’s account. “….The beginning of this month finds us continuing with the battle for Delfzijl…” The day was “…cold with showers throughout the day...” and “…visibility poor…” 

‘D’ Company did indeed run into difficulties.  “….Flares were reported firing from the vicinity of D Company’s objective and a shoot was laid on….”  Then, as ‘D’ Company advanced they “…had to leave the carriers …as the road beyond was impassable for them. They proceeded from there without them....”

German 88 mm gun: A 10.5 cm FLAK cannon, captured by the Canadians in the Delfzijl Pocket. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

The men from ‘D’ Company were now on foot, and as they advanced towards ‘C’ Company’s position, “…they were pinned down by mortars, shells and small arms fire….”  After receiving artillery support “…the advance was then continued and one platoon reached a position 100 yards short of objective where they were pinned down in a Jerry trench. D Company then reported they were running short of ammunition …”

‘C’ Company was ordered to “…take ammunition from D Company’s carrier to their forward positions....” but they were held back by small arms and mortar fire. A second try was made, but without ammunition “…D Company at this time was in a very critical situation. The whole company was pinned down by bazookas and Spandaus. They were unable to send a guide back to bring in the party from C Company. The platoon, which had holed up in a Jerry trench, came under fire from hand-grenades from the top of the dyke, where the enemy had another trench system….”

Train station in Delfzijl today.  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Finally the ammunition arrived, along with the other Companies.  By the early afternoon, the area around the train station in Delfzijl was cleared and “…one platoon was taking a firm hold along the canal, which split the town in two….”

Two unidentified soldiers from the Cape Breton Highlanders Regiment in Delfzijl.  (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours.  Photo colourization by Pieter Valkenburg.)

….Retreating Germans tried to escape by boat…

A welcome report soon came from “… D Company that the enemy fire had slackened …. They reported that the enemy was retreating over the dyke and pushing off in boats heading across the estuary towards Germany, Emden area. At 1106 D Company reported everything was under control and they were firm, sending contact patrols to B Company which arrived there at 1125 hours….”

Not all of the Germans escaped.  “...On hearing that the enemy were leaving Delfzijl by boat, the Commanding Officer ordered the artillery to engage them. The result was that some of the boats occupied by the enemy did not reach the shores of Germany across the estuary….”

Port of Delfzijl after the Canadian capture. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

….The German commander surrendered on May 2, 1945…

On May 2, 1945, the war diary reported that “…At 0845 hours, brigade informed us that the commander of the Delfzijl pocket had surrendered to the Irish Regiment….”

Remains of a German bunker near the Ems Estuary in Delfzijl.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Today, the remains of a German bunker still sits in its original location near the Ems Estuary in Delfzijl.  An aquarium sits behind it, and in front there is a hotel overlooking the Ems. 

….Our final stop was in Wirdum…

Our final stop on the Battlefields Tour was in Wirdum to look at the original field where casualties from this last battle were temporarily buried, at what was the 5th Divisional Cemetery.

5th Divisional Cemetery in Wirdum in 1945. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

The war diary for May 3, 1945 for the Cape Breton Highlanders noted that burial services were held close to noon at the 5th Divisional Cemetery in Wirdum.  Among those buried here were:

All except Louis Graham Richard, who served with the 9th Armoured Regiment (BC Dragoons), were with the Cape Breton Highlanders.  

In 1946, all of these men were reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten. 

After all that the Cape Breton Highlanders had gone through in capturing Delfizjl, the war diary for May 3 expressed the Regiment’s disgust at not being given credit for what they achieved in the ‘Maple Leaf’, a newspaper for the Canadian Forces in Europe, with a 4-page format highlighting the advance of Canadian forces.

“…Today there was one disgusted battalion in the Canadian Army, namely, The Cape Breton Highlanders. Today’s edition of the ‘Maple Leaf’, which up till now, was considered a fairly reliable paper, has let the battalion down horribly. The first thing which struck the eye, in fairly large print, was the capture of the town of Delfzijl by the PERTH Regt. This write up was a terrific let down to the boys who fought hard to capture the town and lost many of their comrades in killed and wounded during the struggle...”

Pieter and Joël by the field in Wirdum where the 5th Divisional Cemetery once was located. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Today, the location of the 5th Divisional Cemetery is back to being a field, with a plaque as a reminder that it was once the resting place of Canadians who lost their lives in the battle to capture Delfzijl.

Plaque in Wirdum across the field where the 5th Divisional Cemetery once was located. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

This ended our Battlefields Tour.  All that was left was to realize a life’s ambition for me….to sit in a WWII era jeep!  After a photo was taken, Pieter was invited to sit in the passenger seat for another photo. 

Daria in the driver’s seat of Joël’s jeep!  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Joël presented Pieter with a Dutch language copy of his newly published book ‘Operation Cannonshot’ which was gratefully received. 

Pieter and Joël with Joël’s book ‘Operation Cannonshot’.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Thank you to Joël Stoppels, guide and founder of Battlefield Tours, for a wonderful and informative tour with a friendly guide. (See www.battlefieldtours.nu) We were grateful for the chance to see the various places where the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket was fought. We’re so glad we were able to take the tour as it’s almost impossible to imagine what the people and troops went through, until you can see it for yourself.

The Battlefield Tour ended, but our adventures continued as we went on with the next portion of our 2025 European War Memorial Tour.

If you have a story or photo to share, or are able to identify either of the two Cape Breton Highlanders in the photo taken in Delfzijl, please contact 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 see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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On The War Memorial Trail…. Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 2: The Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket Began In Appingedam

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A life’s ambition realized! Daria in the driver’s seat of a jeep! Spoiler alert – our battlefield tour was in an SUV, not the jeep! (Photo credit: Joël Stoppels)

October 5, 2025.  While in Europe this spring for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, we visited 14 cemeteries to place flags at the graves of 383 soldiers that Pieter has researched since 2014.  The stories of many soldiers have been told on this blog. 

On our wish list for this trip was to tour some of the battlefields in which these soldiers lost their lives in order to have a better appreciation of what they had faced. 

Battlefields guide Joël Stoppels, of Groningen, The Netherlands, offered to spend a day showing us locations where the various battles that comprised the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket took place.  Over the years, we’ve featured stories of many soldiers who lost their lives in the last weeks of the North-West Europe campaign during WWII, and we eagerly anticipated learning more. (See https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/delfzijlpocket.htm)

Map showing the locations during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (Map source: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com)

In Part 1, our battlefield tour began at a field where 19 Canadians lost their lives during the Battle for Wagenborgen, the preliminary battle before the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/10/01/on-the-war-memorial-trail-battlefields-tour-with-joel-stoppels-part-1-battle-for-wagenborgen/)

Now, in Part 2, we travelled to Appingedam, the town where the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket began…. 

From Wagenborgen, we made our way towards Appingedam, the location of the beginning of the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket.  William ‘Willie’ DANIELS, Donald Charles MACKENZIE, whose stories were previously told on this blog, along with William James ‘Jimmy’ Sutherland HOLE, who Pieter also researched, lost their lives here.

…. We found banners for two soldiers whose stories were previously told…

We found the banners for Daniels and MacKenzie, but no banner was made for Hole as up to now no photo has been found of him. 

Banner for William ‘Willie’ Daniels in Appingedam. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The banner for William ‘Willie’ Daniels was quite high up and it was hard for me to get a good angle, but thankfully Joël was kind enough to send us a better photo of the banner. 

Banner for William ‘Willie’ Daniels. (Photo courtesy of Joël Stoppels/ Battlefield Tours)

William ‘Willie’ DANIELS, from the Big River Reserve in Depton, Saskatchewan, was serving with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles when he was killed, aged 20, on April 22, 1945 as troops moved through Appingedam in The Netherlands at the very beginning of the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/07/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-remembering-ww2-soldier-william-willie-daniels/

Banner for Donald Charles MacKenzie in Appingedam. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Donald Charles MACKENZIE of Springhill, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles when he was killed, aged 30, on Sunday, April 22, 1945. He had been wounded during heavy fighting at the railway bridge near Appingedam, and placed in a house temporarily to rest. However, he was fatally hit by shrapnel by German shelling of the house.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/01/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-ww2-soldier-from-springhill-who-received-a-memorial-cross/

Helmet that had belonged to Donald Charles MacKenzie. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

Joël told us that he has Donald Charles MacKenzie’s helmet in his private collection, and was kind enough to share a photo…a link of the past with the present! 

…. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles were in Appingedam as of April 21, 1945…

Map helped explain what happened in Appingedam in 1945.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

In setting the scene on what unfolded in Appingedam back in 1945, Joël referred to a map that he had brought along for the battlefields tour.  “….Two roads led into Appingedam in 1945, both heavily mined by the defending Kriegsmarine…” he explained. The Kriegsmarine was Nazi Germany’s Navy from 1939-1945.  By 1945, as the war progressed, the Kriegsmarine formed infantry units from its personnel, who were re-trained as infantry to fight on land, all in an attempt to alleviate the strain on the German Army.

“…The Canadians were aware of the mines…” Joël noted, and on “…April 21, 1945, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles attacked.  Heavy fighting ensued but the town was partially liberated on April 23, 1945….” allowing “….the Royal Winnipeg Rifles to move back into Wirdum….”

The Regimental history, ‘Little Black Devils: a history of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles’, by Bruce Tascona and Eric Wells, describes what happened at Appingedam. “…..Beginning on April 21….the Rifles attacked with the 7th Reconnaissance Regiment, and several of the armoured cars were knocked out by anti-tank guns.  The Germans then blew up the bridge which the Rifles intended to cross…”

In trying to find another plan of attack, patrols had discovered a small bridge.  “…The bridge, deemed too feeble to carry motor transport, was still intact and patrols affirmed that it would carry the weight of jeeps.  With that information, the Rifles shifted position on a new start line during the night…”

The plan in place, “…in the early hours of April 22, A Company….went over the bridge, followed closely by C Company.  They were met by heavy machine gun fire but the worst problem they faced were the minefields….”

A WASP carrier with 2 soldiers from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles on a street in Appingedam in April 1945.  (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

In spite of the challenges, during the day “… the Battalion consolidated its position in front of the town…”  Then, a surprise attack during the night meant that “…by dawn the Rifles were inside Appingedam and by mid-morning of April 23, they were mopping up. On April 24, the Rifles were replaced by the Perth Regiment….”

The 9th Armoured Regiment (British Columbia Dragoons) were assigned to support the Perth Regiment.  The war diary for the BC Dragoons for April 22, 1945 explained the orders.  “…Lt Col Angle liaised with Commander Perth Regiment as BCD will form one portion of the 5 CAB Battle Group…” (CAB referred to Canadian Armoured Brigade)

The Situation Report for ‘A’ Squadron of the BC Dragoons noted that “…troops moved forward and positions taken over from Winnipeg Rifles before last light.  Approach to town heavily shelled by enemy heavy calibre guns…”

…. Appingedam was evacuated on the night of April 23, 1945…

Per the war diary for the BC Dragoons for April 23, 1945, it was overcast and orders had been received at 2 am from HQ CAB that the Regiment was to relieve the Royal Winnipeg Rifles at 12:30 pm, and that troops from ‘A’ and ‘B’ squadrons were to be temporarily reorganized into one infantry squadron.  The tanks were parked in an area away from the town, with “….one crew member per tank to remain in the tanks and perform necessary maintenance and act as guards….”….all in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Appingedam had a population of 7,000, who were about to be in the midst of a heavy fight.  Joël told us that after “…a Dutch resistance fighter named Leugs went to Battalion HQ and offered to help, he was tasked with evacuating the town.  With the aid of Canadian trucks, this was done on the night of April 23, 1945…”

On April 24, 1945, the Situation Report for ‘A’ Squadron of the BC Dragoons recorded that “…the troop of tanks under Lt Gamlin, ‘C’ Squadron, took up positions at first light, spasmodic shelling throughout the day.  Underground contacted and reliable information was received concerning enemy positions….Enemy continued heavy shelling….” 

The Germans surrendered on May 2, 1945, and residents were able to return home and assess the damage to their properties.

…. Plaques to commemorate the RWR and BC Dragoons are in Appingedam…

Daria and Joël in Appingedam’s town square. The commemorative plaques are on a wall in the passageway to the right. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

We learned about all that happened in Appingedam while standing in the town square, and next went to see two plaques placed nearby – one for the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and the other for the British Columbia Dragoons.  We could still see shrapnel in the bricks of the buildings!

Commemorative plaque for the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Commemorative plaque for the BC Dragoons.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Three soldiers from the BC Dragoons are remembered on the plaque:

  • Sgt Stanley FOSTER, aged 24, died April 30, 1945
  • Trooper Louis Graham RICHARD, aged 27, died April 26, 1945
  • Trooper Charles Ernest SOUCY, aged 30, died April 30, 1945

Sgt Foster is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek.  Troopers Richard and Soucy are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.  You can read Richard’s story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-7/

…. ‘The best stroopwafel I ever ate!’…

Pieter, Daria, and Joél having a much needed break in Appingedam.  (Photo courtesy of Valkenburg Family)

After digesting all the history from Wagenborgen and Appingedam, we desperately needed a break, so were very receptive to Joël’s suggestion that we go for coffee at ‘Stroopwoafeltje, Koffie & Meer’, a café in the town square.

Joël recommended the homemade stroopwafels made by the lady running the café, and both he and Pieter ordered one.  After Pieter told me “…this is the best stroopwafel I ever ate!!!!..” I tried a piece of his, and he was right.  It was much nicer than the syrupy, overly chewy ones you get commercially! 

In case you’ve never tried this treat, a stroopwafel is a traditional Dutch cookie made from two thin waffle layers sandwiched around a warm caramel filling.  I’m only sorry that I didn’t think to take a photo of Pieter’s stroopwafel before he ate it all up!

Our stay in Appingedam ended once we finished our coffee break.  It was time to move on and continue our battlefields tour as part of our 2025 European War Memorial Tour. Coming up in Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 3: Visit To Stefanuskerk In Holwierde.

Thank you to Joël Stoppels, guide and founder of Battlefield Tours, for a wonderful and informative tour. (See www.battlefieldtours.nu)  If you have a story or photo to share, please contact 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 see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

Never miss a posting!  Subscribe below to have each new story from the war memorial trail delivered to your inbox.

On The War Memorial Trail…. Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 1: Battle For Wagenborgen

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A life’s ambition realized! Daria in the driver’s seat of a jeep! Spoiler alert – our battlefield tour was in an SUV, not the jeep! (Photo credit: Joël Stoppels)

October 1, 2025.  Pieter has been involved in finding photos of Canadians who are buried in all three Canadian War Cemeteries in The Netherlands since 2014, with stories of many soldiers told on this blog. 

While in Europe on our 2025 European War Memorial Tour this spring, for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, he not only placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers in 14 cemeteries, but we wanted to tour some of the battlefields in order to have a better appreciation of what soldiers faced. 

Battlefields Tours guide Joël Stoppels, of Groningen, The Netherlands, offered to spend a day showing us locations where the various battles that comprised the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket took place. The term ‘Delfzijl Pocket’ refers “….to the entire area around Delfzijl that was held by German forces and cleared by the Canadians in late April and early May 1945…”Joël explained.

Over the years, we’ve featured stories of many soldiers who lost their lives in the last weeks of the North-West Europe campaign during WWII, and we eagerly anticipated learning more. (See https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/delfzijlpocket.htm)

Map showing the locations during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (Map source: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com)

…. 19 Canadians lost their lives on a field just outside Wagenborgen…

Our day touring battlefields began very early, with a two hour drive from our cottage near Holten to Groningen, where we’d arranged to meet Joël. 

Our first stop on the battlefield tour was at a field outside Wagenborgen, where 19 Canadians lost their lives during the Battle for Wagenborgen.  This was the preliminary battle before the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket. (See  https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/history/battlehonours/northwesteurope/wagenborgen.htm)

Joël Stoppels and Pieter stand across the road from the field outside Wagenborgen.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Joël began by saying that “….‘D’ Company of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, under the command of Major Anthony Compton-Lundie, were ordered by Battalion Command based in Groningen to undergo a dangerous mission across open fields with no rises or trees for cover…..” 

Patrols from the 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment had determined that Wagenborgen, a short distance from the centre of the battalion’s line, was held by an unknown number of Germans.

‘D’ Company received orders to take the village of Wagenborgen in a one-company attack in the early hours of April 21, 1945.  “….Compton-Lundie was based at the Schmidt farm at the end of the field.  When the phone rang with orders to attack, he protested.  ‘Are you crazy?’ he said.  Orders were orders, however, and Compton-Lundie was not one to disobey…”

The attack began on April 21, 1945.  By the time it was over, Anthony COMPTON-LUNDIE was dead, as was his lieutenant, Dennis George HUSCROFT, and 17 more men.

…. How did the battle go so badly for the Canadian Scottish?…

How did it go so wrong?  “... A Polish division had been in the area before the Canadian Scottish arrived and told Compton-Lundie that they believed only 100 Germans remained.  This was faulty intelligence as there were over 1500 Germans, just waiting to pick off soldiers in the open field of very flat land….”  Joël reflected that “…perhaps if Battalion Command had listened to Compton-Lundie, who had a view of the landscape, that there would have been fewer casualties….”

Field outside Wagenborgen where 19 men lost their lives.  Yellow arrow indicates Schmidt Farm, where Major Compton-Lundie of the Canadian Scottish Regiment had been based. At the far right is a monument commemorating those who died. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

…. A monument by the field honours the 19 men who died…

Monument by the open field where 19 men lost their lives on April 19, 1945. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

A small monument sits beside the open field where 19 men fought and lost their lives.  A translation of the Dutch text reads as follows:  Stand still for a moment at the maple leaf. On April 21, 1945, 19 Canadian men died for our freedom here at ‘Stolderij’. Stolderij refers to the hamlet where the open field is located.

The men were temporarily buried in Siddeburen before being reburied in 1946 in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.

…. Banners were placed in Wagenborgen to commemorate fallen soldiers…

Once we finished taking photos of the field where so many men lost their lives, we drove into the town of Wagenborgen itself, where banners of the deceased soldiers had been placed, as close as possible to the location where they fell. 

Two soldiers from the Canadian Scottish Regiment who had fought in Wagenborgen have had their stories previously told on this blog.  One survived the battle, but one died, and we looked for his banner.

Banner for Theodor ‘Ted’ Henschel in Wagenborgen.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Joël by the banner for Anthony Compton-Lundie, who was from Oakbank, Manitoba. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

After being told about the impossible situation that Major Anthony Compton-Lundie faced, we wanted to see his banner, and took a photo of Joël beside it.

…. Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle for Wagenborgen…

Joël and Pieter at the War Memorial in Wagenborgen.  ‘Wij gedenken’ translates to ‘We commemorate’. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The War Memorial in Wagenborgen commemorates the residents of Wagenborgen who died in WWII, and 27 fallen Canadian soldiers – 23 of them from the Canadian Scottish Regiment, 1 from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, and 3 from the Royal Canadian Artillery. 

From the Canadian Scottish Regiment:

  • Pte Albert George BOUMA, aged 21, died April 23, 1945
  • Pte John BRANSCOMB, aged 32, died April 23, 1945
  • Pte Robert Stewart BULLOCK, aged 39, died April 23, 1945
  • Pte Leslie Keith BUTTERICK, aged 19, died April 21, 1945
  • L/Cpl Carmen Christie CAPONERO, aged 30, died April 21, 1945
  • Sgt Allen CLEMENTS, aged 32, died April 21, 1945
  • Major Anthony COMPTON-LUNDIE, aged 30, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte Louis Silverius DAUTREMONT, aged 25, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte Edwin Levi EMERY, aged 22, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte Peter HARASYMCHUK, aged 24, died April 23, 1945
  • Pte Theodor ‘Ted’ HENSCHEL, aged 28, died April 223, 1945
  • Pte John Charles HUGHES, aged 28, died April 23, 1945
  • Lt Denis George HUSCROFT, aged 24, died April 21, 1945
  • L/Cpl John Albert MASLIN, aged 24, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte John Raymond PATRICK, aged 29, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte James Robert POWER, aged 21, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte Robert John Wilson REID, aged 38, died April 21, 1945
  • Pte Henry Oscar RENNER, aged 24, died April 21, 1945
  • Martin George VAN SANDVOORD, aged 28, died April 22, 1945
  • Pte Emile Joseph SOENS, aged 24, April 21, 1945
  • Pte John William WILSON, aged 37, died April 23, 1945
  • Pte Fred WIRTH, aged 38 , died April 23, 1945
  • A/Cpl Gordon Scarth WOOD, aged 21, died April 21, 1945

From the Royal Winnipeg Rifles:

  • Rifleman Theodore OLENICK, aged 19, died April 21, 1945

From the Royal Canadian Artillery:

  • Captain Donald George INNES, aged 23, died April 21, 1945
  • Gunner Joseph Paul MOULINS, aged 23, died April 21, 1945
  • Gunner Arthur John MUELLER, aged 20, died April 21, 1945

From Wagenborgen, we continued our tour, with our next stop in Appingedam, coming up in Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 2: The Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket Began In Appingedam.

Thank you to Joël Stoppels, guide and founder of Battlefield Tours, for a wonderful and informative tour. (See www.battlefieldtours.nu)  If you have a story or photo to share, please contact Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com or comment on the blog. 

© Daria Valkenburg

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