Directional sign to the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)
May 3, 2026. Readers of this blog are aware that Pieter has been involved in finding photos of Canadians who are buried in The Netherlands since 2014. Last year, when we were in The Netherlands and Belgium for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, Pieter placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers in 14 cemeteries.
Out of this total, flags were placed at 156 graves at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, the second largest Canadian War Cemetery in The Netherlands, with 1,394 burials, of which 1,355 are Canadian.
….The 2026 Faces Of Holten Exhibition included photos of 4 additional soldiers researched by Pieter …
This year, for the 81st Anniversary, photos were placed at graves for the second time. The 2026 Faces Of Holten Exhibition runs for three weeks in May. Photos were printed onto an aluminum backing, making them impervious to rain, and reusable. Each placard also had a QR code, allowing visitors with cell phones to scan the code and read a brief biography of the soldier.
In this posting, we feature the graves and photos of four WWII soldiers whose photos were submitted after our 2025 European War Memorial Tour.
Grave of Bramwell Ernest Churchill. (Photo courtesy of Henk Vincent)
Bramwell Ernest CHURCHILL, born in Pretolia, Ontario, was serving with the 5th Anti-Tank Regiment when he was killed in Germany on May 5, 1945, aged 40, after the half-track vehicle he was riding in struck a mine. His story will be told in an upcoming blog posting.
Grave of John ‘Jack’ Lewis Hughes. (Photo courtesy of Henk Vincent)
John ‘Jack’ Lewis HUGHES, from Eriksdale, Manitoba, was a nursing orderly serving with the No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station when he was killed at a beach dressing station during Operation Infatuate on Walcheren Island in The Netherlands on November 2, 1944, aged 28, when 3 Allied tracked vehicles exploded after being hit by German shellfire. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/12/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-remembrance-week-2025-the-wwii-nursing-orderly-killed-when-3-tracked-vehicles-exploded-near-a-field-dressing-station-on-walcheren-island/
Grave of Edward Alexander Munro. (Photo courtesy of Henk Vincent)
Edward Alexander MUNRO, of Birch River, Manitoba, died in a road accident in Germany on October 6, 1945, aged 27, while serving with the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, 219 Infantry Brigade Company. His story will be told in an upcoming blog posting.
Grave of Alphonse Louis Skalicky. (Photo courtesy of Henk Vincent)
Alphonse Louis SKALICKY, of Humbolt, Saskatchewan, was killed in The Netherlands on April 14, 1945, aged 25, while serving with the Saskatoon Light Infantry. His story will be told in an upcoming blog posting.
Thank you to Henk Vincent for taking these photos. The Dutch continue to stress the importance of remembrance to the next generation so they can continue to remember those who lost their lives in WWII.
Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all of the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. If you have a photo of a soldier buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten or one of the other cemeteries in The Netherlands, please email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.
© Daria Valkenburg
….Missed the stories about the 2025 Faces Of Holten Exhibition?…
Missed the stories about the 2025 Faces of Holten Exhibition? Here are the links:
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/08/24/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-1-soldiers-killed-near-posterenk/
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/08/29/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-2-the-soldiers-listed-on-the-cenotaph-in-borden-carleton/
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/01/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-3-soldiers-killed-while-travelling-in-vehicles/
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-4-soldiers-who-drowned-during-operation-duck/
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-5-indigenous-soldiers/
- https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/14/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-6-soldiers-killed-in-battle-in-the-netherlands/
….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 Research Project........ with Pieter and Daria Valkenburg 