De Telegraaf

Dutch language newspaper in The Netherlands

On The War Memorial Trail….. Successful Conclusion To The Search For Wilfred Giroux

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 2 Comments

July 3, 2023.  Last year, following an interview published on May 4, 2022 in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Pieter received an email from Adje van der Sanden-van Lisdonk in The Netherlands, asking if he could help with an unusual request. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/05/04/article-in-de-telegraaf-quest-for-faces-zoektocht-naar-gezichten/)

…Adje wanted to repatriate a photo and Christmas cards sent to a Canadian soldier and found at her parents’ house….

Adje had a photo of a WWII soldier from Canada, and two Christmas cards.  All had been found in her parents’ house and she wanted to return them to the soldier’s family.  The challenge Pieter faced was that she knew nothing about the soldier or his family. 

20220504_133002 Best Wishes Wilf Giroux

Photo found in the house of Adje’s parents. The front of the photo reads ‘Best Wishes Wilf Giroux December 1944’.  On the back was written ‘my baby sister and myself’. (Photo submitted by Adje van der Sanden-van Lisdonk)

The photo and the names listed on the Christmas cards helped Pieter to identify him as Wilfred Octave Joseph GIROUX, the son of Octave Joseph and Elizabeth Ellen (nee Hickey) Giroux.  Wilfred was born September 25, 1912 in Mattawa, Ontario, and survived WWII.  Unfortunately, Pieter was never able to determine in which Regiment Wilfred served.  We posted an article about the search in June 2022 and hoped a family member would come forward.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/06/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-wilfred-giroux/)

…Research continued….

Meanwhile, research continued, in case information about Wilfred’s military service or living family could be found.  Sometimes interesting connections were made, as when Judie Klassen found that Wilfred’s brother Joseph married Zita Rellis, who had been Wilfred’s teacher.  Judie wrote us that “…They must have been school sweethearts as she is in a school photo with the rest of the Giroux kids. Looks like his sister Lillian was a witness at his wedding….” (See https://vitacollections.ca/whitbynews/details.asp?ID=69906)

DSCN2427 Ste Annes Church from Don Coutts

Ste. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Mattawa, Ontario. (Photo credit: Don Coutts)

We had been unable to find the Ste. Anne Roman Catholic Church that the family had attended when we went through Mattawa, Ontario last year, but Don Coutts was kind enough to send us a photo.  “…I was in Mattawa delivering bags of PEI potatoes to the Mattawa Food Bank several weeks ago and made a detour to the Sainte-Anne Roman Catholic Church.…” (See Paroisse Ste-Anne https://stannemattawa.com/)

….One family member identified the woman in the photo with Wilfred….

Not long after the article was posted online, Bev Dahlinger contacted us, saying “…Imagine my surprise while I was searching online for information about some of my ancestors when I came across this article about my Great Uncle Wilfred Giroux. My Grandmother Marguerite Mann (Giroux) was Wilfred’s sister. The woman in the picture with Wilfred is his sister Addie. I don’t know a lot about Wilfred, other than he lived in Toronto and my mother used to go into Toronto to visit him years ago….”

….Addie’s daughter got in touch….

FB_IMG_8065410907851165341 Laurie Kane left with friend Kim

Laurie Kane (left) with friend Kim on holidays in Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Kane)

Months went by, and then in December 2022, we received a most welcome email.  “…My name is Laurie Kane, daughter of Addie (Adelaide) Giroux and Howard Kane. I have a sister Mary Frances.

That is 100% my Mom pictured with Wilfred that you posted! I knew as soon as I saw it!! She was the youngest of 11 children. Their parents were originally from Rivière-du-Loup in Quebec. They moved to a large farm in Whitby, Ontario.

My parents adopted me when my mom was 40 years old. I don’t have many memories of Wilf, but he owned a gas station and was a mechanic, so perhaps was also a mechanic in the war.

20230422_132618~2 Aug 1954 Addie and Howard with Wilf in Toronto

Laurie’s parents Howard Francis Kane and Addie with Wilf at his garage in August 1954.  (Photo courtesy of Laurie Kane)

Thank you so much. The article was an absolute delight to read!!...”  Laurie ended with the words Adje was pleased to hear. “…And please thank Mrs Van der Sanden for making such a reconnection possible!! What an amazing woman! I would love to have the Christmas cards and photo….”

When she wrote, Laurie explained that she was on a winter vacation in Mexico, and sent a lovely photo from the beach.  Nice!

20230422_132649~2 Group photo undated Wilf identified

Giroux family photo. Wilfred identified by red arrow.  (Photo courtesy of Laurie Kane)

Laurie included a group photo, saying “…I believe this is the last big family photo…Wilf is third from left to right top row….”

….Wilfred Giroux passed away in 1991….

Judie Klassen answered one research question when she found Wilf’s obituary in April 30, 1991 edition of The Oshawa Times.  Wilfred had died April 29, 1991 at the Rockliffe Nursing Home in Scarborough, Ontario, predeceased by 5 of his sisters and 3 of his brothers.  He was survived by his sisters Antoinette (Toady) and Addie.  He’s buried at St John The Evangelist Cemetery in Oshawa, Ontario.

….The photo and cards were repatriated….

20230517_154351~2 Laurie Kane with Xmas cards

Laurie Kane with the two Christmas cards and a note from Adje van der Sanden. (Photo courtesy of Laurie Kane)

This spring, Laurie received the photo and Christmas cards from Adje, and wrote to Adje, saying “…I was more than thrilled to receive the Christmas cards and your note. Wilf was my uncle on my mother’s side…Giroux. Peggy, Toady, Dot and Katie were all my aunts. I was very close to them and spent half my childhood at their house.

We called them ‘down home’…it was my second home. They were all lovely and giving people and made anyone who walked through their door feel at home and part of the family. I was very lucky to have had them all in my life for so many years. Toady (Antoinette) was the last of them and she died in 2014.  Thank you so much for finding me and sending the cards and picture. I am forever grateful….”

Adje’s quest to repatriate the cards and photo was successfully completed!

Thank you to Laurie Kane for contacting us and providing photos and further information on her uncle.  Thank you also to Judie Klassen for the research done in uncovering family members and where Wilfred settled post WWII, and to Don Coutts for taking a photo of the church in Mattawa.

This story began with a quest and thanks go to Adje van der Sanden-van Lisdonk for preserving the cards and photo in order to return them to Wilfred’s family. 

Do you have a story to share? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1. 

© Daria Valkenburg

….Another WWII soldier from Mattawa….

Howard Milo NICHOLLS, who served in the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, lost his life on April 28, 1945 in Germany, also came from Mattawa. Born March 21, 1924 in Mattawa, Ontario, he was the son of Albert and Frances Nicholls.  We briefly told his story during a feature on the soldiers who lost their lives in the same incident, but up to now family for this soldier have not come forward. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/05/18/on-the-war-memorial-trail-a-tragic-drowning-on-the-leda-river-in-germany-part-4/)

…How to follow our research…

Follow our blog

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

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 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/

You are also invited to 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.

Article In ‘De Telegraaf’ – Quest For Faces (Zoektocht naar gezichten)

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 2 Comments
Sep 16 2017 Groesbeek Cemetery Pieter by grave of WA Cannon

Caption in De Telegraaf: Pieter Valkenburg: “No soldier who died abroad during war should be forgotten.” OWN PHOTO (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

May 4, 2022.  Sometimes the unexpected happens.  Last month, a search for family and photos of WWII soldiers Albert Joseph COTE and John Langford WALKER, who are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, began. 

On April 18, 2022, a letter to the editor written by Pieter and North Bay resident Donald Coutts was published in the North Bay Nugget. (See https://www.nugget.ca/news/researcher-seeks-information-on-fallen-city-soldiers)

Shortly afterwards, Pieter was contacted by Marcel Vink of De Telegraaf, a newspaper in The Netherlands.  He’d read the letter to the editor.  Would Pieter be willing to do an interview? Pieter agreed, and the article was published today, May 4, 2022 – which is Dodenherdenking (Remembrance Day) in The Netherlands. This day commemorates Dutch civilians and military who have died in war since the beginning of WWII. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_the_Dead)

…De Telegraaf article published May 4, 2022…

For those who can read Dutch, please see PDF of the article (De Telegraaf article Zoektocht naar gezichten). An English translation is below:

Quest for faces

Pieter Valkenburg is fully committed to fallen Canadians

by Marcel Vink

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND • It started as a helping hand, but grew into a true mission. Pieter Valkenburg has been passionately committed to giving fallen war heroes from Canada a face for years. The 78-year-old Dutchman, who lives in Canada, realizes how important it is emotionally for relatives to get clarity about their deceased loved ones, even 77 years after the Second World War. 

Valkenburg worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years and was posted to various locations around the world, including in Ottawa.  

After his retirement, he decided to continue living in the North American country with his Canadian wife Daria, where he discovered that many families often no longer know in detail what happened to relatives that didn’t come back during the Second World War. About 7600 Canadians are buried in the Netherlands who fought for our freedom. 

“At the beginning of 2014 I read an article about the Canadian war cemetery in Holten, one of the military cemeteries in The Netherlands,” says Valkenburg. 

“There are 1,355 Canadians lying there, and not much was known about some of them at the time. Therefore, around that time, a project was started that strived to literally find the face for every name. I find that very important myself. No soldier who died abroad in war should be forgotten.”  (NOTE:  there are 1,394, not 1,355.) 

‘Reactions from next of kin are priceless’ 

Background

The native of Leerdam was captivated by the subject and delved into the matter. First in the background with only a few names, but then more and more.

Over the past five years, I have helped researchers at Canadian war cemeteries in the Netherlands in their quest to give each grave a face, and thus also a story. It is quite a puzzle, but the reactions of relatives when it succeeds are priceless. Those involved really appreciate it when they realize that they have never been forgotten. They gave their lives in the struggle for our freedom, in a country foreign to them. It’s much more meaningful when you stand by a grave to pay your respects if you know what the person looked like.” 

Investigative Work

While his search was initially limited to the fallen from Prince Edward Island – the western province where he lives – he now focuses on many more areas in Canada. Valkenburg uses the old-fashioned manual search, but also uses many digital sources.  (NOTE:  Prince Edward Island is on the east coast of Canada!) 

Relatives are often emotional about it, he noticed. After he found the family of Lieutenant Norman James Nixon – killed in the Battle of Delfzijl in April 1945, in which twenty Canadians of his regiment were killed, his son called this ‘a total surprise’. “I am immensely grateful,” said the man, who named his own son after his dead father, in tears. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/03/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-ww2-soldier-from-st-stephens/) 

The work of Pieter and his wife Daria is highly appreciated in the Netherlands as well as in Canada. He has already received several awards. Sometimes he finds new ‘assignments’ in a miraculous way. 

“Once we were at a hotel in New Brunswick Province, when a receptionist asked what we were doing. After I told about our searches, he indicated that his great-uncle had also died in the war, and that his grave should be in The Netherlands. Other than that he had no idea. I immediately got to work and found him at the cemetery in Groesbeek. I also found a photo on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.” (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/08/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-ww2-soldier-killed-while-lining-up-to-attend-church/) 

In this way, this man also got his face back. “With these results, I say, Canadian-style: this makes my day. I’m 78 now, but as long as I can keep up with this, I will. Because there is still a lot of work to be done.” 

This very proud wife thanks Marcel Vink for writing the article about Pieter and De Telegraaf for publishing it on this day of remembrance and commemoration.

If you have photos or information to share, please let Pieter know. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1. 

© 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/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 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/ 

You are also invited to 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.