Gerald Burnell COOLEN

On The War Memorial Trail….The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition Part 3: Atlantic Canada Remembers Soldiers From Nova Scotia

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CIMG9024 Sep 16 2017 Groesbeek Cemetery Pieter and Daria by A Gaudet grave

Pieter and Daria at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands in 2017. (Photo credit: Ad Scheepers)

May 20, 2023.  In 2021, to commemorate the Anniversary of the Liberation of The Netherlands, photos were placed at more than 1,600 graves at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek for three weeks.  The event was so successful that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which oversees the cemetery, gave permission for photos to be placed by the graves every two years.

…The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition 2023 includes almost 2,000 photos…

This year, The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition runs from April 30 to May 21, 2023, with almost 2,000 photos, just over 350 more than 2 years ago!  Photos are printed onto an aluminum backing, making them impervious to rain, and reusable.

The many volunteers from Faces To Graves Foundation Groesbeek, of which Alice van Bekkum is the Chair, worked tirelessly to make this exhibition possible.  They also organized the Liberation Day commemoration events.

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

In 2021, following an interview on CTV Atlantic’s Live At 5 about the search for photos of WW2 soldiers buried in The Netherlands, the response led to an 11 part series on the blog called Atlantic Canada Remembers.  (See https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/dutch-canadian-man-on-a-mission-to-tell-stories-of-lost-soldiers-1.5266404)

…8 Soldiers From Nova Scotia Commemorated…

In Part 1, graves and photos of soldiers from Prince Edward Island were featured.  Part 2 featured Indigenous soldiers.  Now, in Part 3, eight soldiers from Nova Scotia, whose stories were told in the Atlantic Canada Remembers series from 2021, are featured.

COOLEN Gerald Burnell - X E 13 from Alice

Gerald Burnell Coolen. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Gerald Burnell COOLEN, of Western Head, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada when he was killed in Germany during the Battle of the Hochwald Gap on February 27, 1945, at the age of 21. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/11/28/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-11/

CROMWELL Percy Clayton - XVI E 12 from Alice

Percy Clayton Cromwell. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Percy Clayton CROMWELL, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers when he drowned in The Netherlands on February 8, 1945, 4 days before his 32nd birthday. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-7/

DOUCETTE Harry William - XVII H 03 from Alice

Harry William Doucette. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Harry William DOUCETTE, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders when he was killed on March 25, 1945, during the Battle of Bienen in Germany, at the age of 19. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/09/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-6/

SONY DSC

Arnold Freeman Hupman. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Arnold Freeman HUPMAN, of East Side of Ragged Island, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, 419 Squadron.  He lost his life, at the age of 30, when the Lancaster bomber he was in crashed on the outskirts of Arnhem on the night of June 16 to 17, 1944, after being shot down by a German nightfighter. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/09/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-6/

IMG_8956 Robert Nickerson from Alice

Robert Alan Nickerson. (Photo courtesy of Alice van Bekkum)

Robert Alan NICKERSON, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was serving with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion when he was killed on March 24, 1945 on his first jump from a plane over the Rhineland Forest in Germany, at the age of 23. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/13/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-2/

PORTER Burgess Allison - X F 10 from Alice

Burgess Allison Porter. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Burgess Allison PORTER, of Grafton, Nova Scotia, was serving with the 4th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery when he was killed on February 21, 1945 in Germany, at the age of 22. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/03/16/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-8/

SPRAY Stanley - I A 12 from Alice

Stanley Spray. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Stanley SPRAY, of Digby, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Royal Canadian Artillery when he lost his life in a tragic vehicle accident near Nijmegen, The Netherlands on July 23, 1945, at the age of 32. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/02/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-7/

WITHERALL Benjamin James - II D 01 from Alice

Benjamin James Witherall. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Benjamin James WITHERALL, of North Sydney, Nova Scotia, was serving with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada when he killed on the front line on a ridge between Nijmegen and Arnhem on December 27, 1944, at the age of 20. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-1/

Thank you to Alice van Bekkum and Ad Scheepers for sending these photos. In Part 4, the graves and photos of soldiers from New Brunswick whose families contacted us for the Atlantic Canada Remember series in 2021 will be featured.

If you have a photo of a soldier buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek or one of the other cemeteries in The Netherlands, Pieter encourages you to email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.

© Daria Valkenburg

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On The War Memorial Trail….. Atlantic Canada Remembers – Part 11

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November 28, 2021. In Part 11, two stories from the many photos submitted about Atlantic Canadian soldiers buried overseas are featured. Pieter continues to ensure that photos of soldiers buried in The Netherlands are forwarded to the appropriate cemetery for their digital archives.

Soldier buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands

Gerald Coolen from Gerry Smith

Gerald Burnell Coolen.  (Photo submitted by Gerry Smith)

After seeing a November 9, 2021 interview on CTV Atlantic Live at 5, Sherry Muise wrote us about her uncle, Gerald Burnell COOLEN, born June 19, 1923 in Western Head, Nova Scotia, the son of Eben Burnell Coolen and Dorothy Belle (nee Guest) Coolen.  “…I recently saw your interview on CTV News Atlantic and wanted to share this information with you.

Private Gerald Coolen was my mother’s (June) brother. In June of 2010, we learned that his service medals had somehow become for sale on Ebay.  The Legion in Berwick was able to secretly buy them back and a repatriation of the medals ceremony was held in Berwick. Private Coolen’s sister Eleanor and 3 nieces and a nephew were able to attend. The medals remain on display at the Legion Branch in Berwick….” (To watch the CTV interview, see: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2318376&jwsource=em)

On July 16, 1940, Gerald enlisted with the West Nova Scotia Regiment in Aldershot, Nova Scotia, giving a false birthdate of June 16, 1921 as he was underage.  He was discharged on May 5, 1941 at the request of his parents.  On September 15, 1941 he married Gladys Mary Rafuse in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Once he was of age, Gerald re-enlisted on January 31, 1942, this time at the No 6 District Depot in Halifax.   An interviewer described him as “…young and strong…” with an “…open and pleasant manner…”

After training in Yarmouth and Aldershot in Nova Scotia, Gerald was transferred to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and sent overseas to the United Kingdom.  He arrived on June 12, 1942 and was attached to the Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU).

….Gerald Coolen was transferred to the Black Watch….

On December 16, 1944 he was sent to northwest Europe, and then on December 30, 1944 he was transferred to the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada.

On February 25, 1945 2nd Canadian Division troops began taking their positions in the muddy fields south-west of Calcar, Germany. The goal?  Clear the Rhine River in Xanten, Germany in an operation codenamed Operation Blockbuster.  (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Blockbuster)

Five infantry battalions participated as part of the 2nd Canadian Division: Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, The South Saskatchewan Regiment, Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, and The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada.

On February 26, 1945, Gerald’s regiment advanced towards the Hochwald Gap, the scene of what became a fierce battle. (See https://civilianmilitaryintelligencegroup.com/10742/the-battle-of-hochwald-gap-one-of-the-largest-armor-engagements-you-probably-have-never-heard-of)

The Black Watch war diary entry for February 27, 1945 noted that “…Weather – cloudy and cold, clear in afternoon…..”  The Regiment was over an hour late in moving out and then “…moved at a rate of 3 mph owing to the congestion of vehicles on roads due to the awful conditions – the roads being badly cratered in many places. … Enemy fire killed two men from A Company…”

These are the only two deaths recorded on February 27, 1945 in the Black Watch diary, the day that the service records for Gerald indicate that he was killed in action.

Gerald was initially buried in Bedburg Military Cemetery in Germany, before being reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands in 1946.

Sherry went on to note that “…Pte Coolen’s widower never remarried and they did not have children. The last few years of Aunt Gladys’s life she resided in a private care home.  Thank you for all of your efforts in this research project….”

….The Battle of Hochwald Gap was fierce and under wet and muddy conditions….

This is the same event in which Clarence Wilfred WAKEGIJIG, who served with the Canadian Grenadier Guards, lost his life a few days later.  (See https://bordencarletonresearchproject.wordpress.com/2021/08/09/on-the-war-memorial-trail-remembering-ww2-soldier-clarence-wilfred-wakegijig/)

A 46 minute YouTube video on the Battle of Hochwald Gap explained the fierce battle that took place.  Watching it made it clear to us that it was a miracle that anyone survived at all, a testament to the determination and courage of those who were in the midst of it.

Soldier buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands

Samuel Glazier Porter

Samuel Glazier Porter.  (Photo submitted by Don Hulsman)

Don Hulsman submitted a newspaper photo found in the archives in Fredericton, New Brunswick of Samuel Glazier PORTER, born December 7, 1918 in Dow Flat, Victoria County, New Brunswick, son of George and Amy Porter.

He enlisted in August 1942 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and underwent basic training, followed by advanced training in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then spent time in St. John, New Brunswick.  In September 1944 he was transferred to the PEI Highlanders and had additional training in Vernon, British Columbia before going overseas to the United Kingdom in January 1945.

Once in the United Kingdom, he was transferred to the Canadian Infantry Training Regiment (CITR).  On March 28, 1945 he was sent to north-west Europe as part of the troop reinforcements, and transferred to the Carleton & York Regiment on April 2, 1945.

Unfortunately, on April 15, 1945, while with the Carleton & York Regiment, he lost his life as the unit advanced to the Apeldoorn Canal in The Netherlands.  He was one of 6 soldiers initially buried along the main road to Posterenk, a village near Zutphen.  Samuel was later reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.

…The Posterenk Memorial…

In September 2017, Pieter and I visited the village of Posterenk with Edwin van der Wolf, one of the research volunteers at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.

CIMG9297 Sep 25 2017 Edwin and Pieter with CYR list

Edwin van der Wolf and Pieter in Posterenk in 2017.  Pieter holds up a list of the 6 Carleton & York Regiment soldiers who were temporarily buried in the village.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The village prepared a list of 6 soldiers to commemorate from the Carleton & York Regiment.  Unfortunately, not all soldiers who died are included.

Posterenk list of 6 CYR members

List of 6 Carleton & York Regiment soldiers temporarily buried in Posterenk in 1945.

As well, a memorial stone is inscribed in the village windmill:

CIMG9295 Sep 25 2017 Posterenk windmill

Windmill in Posterenk.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

CIMG9300 Sep 25 2017 Sign Posterenk freed by CYR Apr 13 1945

Translation of memorial stone on the windmill: Posterenk freed by the Carleton & York Regiment of Canada on April 13, 1945. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

To read about two more soldiers who lost their lives in the area of Posterenk, see:

Thank you to Don Hulsman, Sherry Muise, and Gerry Smith and for sharing photos and anecdotes to ensure that Atlantic Canadians who are buried overseas are not forgotten.

If you can help with a better photo of Samuel Porter, or have photos or information to share about other Canadian soldiers buried in The Netherlands, please email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.

© Daria Valkenburg

…Previous postings in the Atlantic Canada Remembers series…

Missed the previous postings in this series? See:

…Want to follow our research?….

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/

Screenshot_2021-02-27 On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg

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