Holten Canadian War Cemetery

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

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December 4, 2025.  One of the hardest searches for a photo took several years, and, in spite of dedicated help in looking for family members to contact, newspaper and archive searches, and even a November 10, 2023 article in the Winnipeg Free Press (see a Picture of compassion Winnipeg Free Press Article re John Lewis Hughes Nov 10 2023), we struck out each time.

It was difficult to understand as the soldier in question came from a large family, was married, and had worked for 12 years in a hospital in his hometown. Only one niece responded, saying she remembered that her mother, the soldier’s sister, had a photo, but after she passed away, her effects were put in the basement and were later destroyed in a flood.  We had zero luck with the family of the soldier’s wife, who had remarried.  There was also no response from the local Legion branch, nor from the hospital where he had worked.

Eventually we ran out of leads to contact, and so, although we never gave up the search, we reluctantly put John Lewis HUGHES on our Cold Case List.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/our-cold-cases/) 

…. The Winnipeg Free Press article caught the interest of a local historian…...

Shortly after the Winnipeg Free Press article was published, we had been contacted by local historian Judy Gleich.   “…This project is of great interest to me...” she wrote. Her husband is from Eriksdale and “…I was born at E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital and lived most of my life in the Lundar MB area…”  She explained that, unlike many small communities, “…there was no local paper in Eriksdale at that time….” and so there was no local coverage of soldiers from the area.  Like us, she also contacted someone she knew at the local Legion but no photo was found. 

Judy also told us that “…E.M. Crowe hospital is no longer run locally – but is under the umbrella of the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority…which covers about 1/5 of the province….” 

Judy explained why she was interested to help find a photo.  “…When I read the first article by Kevin Rollason and saw that one of the photos Pieter was looking for was of a veteran from Eriksdale– I was interested although I was not familiar with the Hughes family. I made a couple of phone calls and asked a couple of friends and came up with nothing.….”  (NOTE: A short photo appeal had initially been made in the Winnipeg Free Press in November 2022.)

“….After the second article by Kevin Rollason appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press with more information about the Hughes family it piqued my interest again. I figured if someone like Pieter was putting that much effort into this project that I would try to help him….”

…. The photo search led to a hockey photo 2 years after the Winnipeg Free Press article was published…...

Like us, Judy found that “…most of the older Hughes family members had passed on and we were getting nowhere with their families….” 

Then, two years later, Judy learned about a 1936 hockey photo.  “… Knowing several of the men on the team I was sure that some of their family members might have the photo…. A few more phone calls and BINGO – success at last….”  It was nothing short of a miracle! 

The man with the photo of the 1936 Eriksdale Hockey Team was John Forsyth, whose father Jim was a member of the team. 

Back Row L-R: Johnnie Mills, Bill Smith, Gordon Smith, Stan Mills, Johnnie Forsyth, Lawrence Whitney. Front Row L-R: Don Goodridge(?), Johnnie Hughes, Murray Cox, Jim Forsyth. (Photo courtesy of the Collection of Jim and Kay Forsyth)

We now knew what John Lewis Hughes looked like! (Photo courtesy of the Collection of Jim and Kay Forsyth)

….John was from Eriksdale in Manitoba…

Eriksdale is in the Interlake Region of central Manitoba, near the eastern shore of Lake Manitoba. (Map source: Google maps)

Born January 17, 1916 in Eriksdale, Manitoba, John was the son of Ebenezer George and Ellen (nee Rogan, previously married name Johanson) Hughes.  Both parents came from the United Kingdom – his father in 1911 and his mother in 1914 with two daughters who had been born in Wales.  6 more children were added to the Hughes family, in addition to John – 3 daughters and 3 sons. 

Before enlisting with the No. 3 Field Ambulance of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) on July 5, 1940, John had worked for 12 years as a medical orderly in the E.M. Crowe memorial hospital in Eriksdale.  On June 22, 1940, a few weeks before enlistment, he married Irene Goodwin. 

On October 5, 1940, John was transferred to No. 100 Canadian Militia Training Centre (CMTC) in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.  He was then assigned to No. 100 Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) Training Centre on November 15, 1940, while still attached to No. 100 CMTC.  (No. 100 CMTC and No. 100 NPAM were re-designated as No. 100 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre in February 1941.)

John remained in Portage La Prairie until April 30, 1941, when he was transferred to what the service file termed Fort Osborne Military Hospital, RCAMC, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was likely Deer Lodge Military Hospital, as during WWII, Winnipeg’s military hospital function was not at Fort Osborne Barracks, which had moved in 1920. Deer Lodge Military Hospital took over the former hospital facilities from Fort Osborne at that time.

….John left Canada for overseas service….

On June 8, 1941, John was transferred to No. 1 Motor Ambulance Convoy, RCAMC, Active Force, and sent to Camp Shilo, Manitoba for final training before going overseas. 

With other members of his unit, John left Canada for the United Kingdom on June 19, 1941, sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, disembarking in Greenock, Scotland on July 2, 1941, before moving on to Sussex, England. 

Per the ‘Official History Of The Canadian Medical Services 1939-1945’, edited by Lt Col Dr W. R. Feasby,  the RCAMC “…..order of battle included not only the medical units of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions, and the 1st Army Tank Brigade, but also the following Corps Troops medical units: No. 18 Field Ambulance, No. 5 Field Hygiene Section, Nos. 4 and 5 Casualty Clearing Stations, No. 1 Motor Ambulance Convoy, and No. 1 Advanced Depot Medical Stores….”

The function of No. 1 Motor Ambulance Convoy was to transport wounded from main dressing stations to casualty clearing stations. Transport was by vehicles of the Motor Ambulance Convoy, supplemented by trucks for walking wounded or by railroad when available. 

John and his unit were kept busy with training and in transporting wounded soldiers who arrived in the United Kingdom for treatment. 

One of the largest operations came following the Dieppe Raid, known as Operation Jubilee, on August 19, 1942, a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, in which 505 Canadian soldiers were wounded and 916 lost their lives. (See and https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/military-history/second-world-war/dieppe-raid and https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dieppe-raid)

Evacuation of casualties from Dieppe to England on August 19, 1942.  (Map source: ‘Official History Of The Canadian Medical Services 1939-1945’)

On the morning of August 19, 1942, the medical units under the 2nd Canadian Division were “… responsible for the reception and evacuation of casualties disembarked in the Portsmouth area, where the bulk of them was expected. Two sections of No. 1 Motor Ambulance Convoy were made available … for the transport of casualties from the Portsmouth area to No. 15 General Hospital at Bramshott, and from the Newhaven-Shoreham area to No. 1 at Horsham and No. 14 at Horley…”

On January 14, 1943, No. 1 Motor Ambulance Convoy, RCAMC, became a unit of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC).

….John was transferred to No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station….

On January 21, 1944, John was transferred to No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station, and later sent to France, arriving on July 10, 1944, a month after D-Day. As noted in the ‘Official History Of The Canadian Medical Services 1939-1945’ “…with the formation of the 2nd Canadian Corps in France, the medical services were greatly increased. For the coming attack it was decided to constitute a massed medical centre at the Secqueville-en-Bessin area. In addition, No. 6 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station was located at Cazelle, under command of 2nd Canadian Corps, with No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station sited alongside….”

The ‘coming attack’ referred to the Battle of the Falaise Pocket (also called Battle of the Falaise Gap), part of the Battle of Normandy, and which was fought between August 12 and 21, 1944. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falaise_pocket)

In addition to a large number of battle casualties from engagement with German troops, a bombing error on August 14, 1944 resulted in more casualties when “… the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force bombed behind our own lines, causing 200 casualties…” placing enormous strain on Casualty Clearing Stations.  “…The bombing casualties arrived in a sudden rush about four o’clock….” making it impossible to find “…shelter for all the wounded…”

In addition to 537 admitted to the Casualty Clearing Stations, “….Nos. 9 and 10 Canadian Field Dressing Stations in the same area admitted 569 and were so rushed that it was necessary to open both No. 6 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and No. 33 British Casualty Clearing Station at Cazelle where a further 694 casualties were taken for treatment….”

No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station, along with other medical units, moved just behind troops as they advanced through France, into Belgium, and then into The Netherlands.  John was very experienced by now and on September 11, 1944, he qualified as a Nursing Orderly ‘C’, which meant he was responsible for initial treatment in the most forward battlefield areas and stretcher-bearing, while working under the direction of medical officers.

…. John’s unit was assigned to British Commandos for an attack on Walcheren Island during the Battle of the Scheldt…...

John Lewis Hughes was killed on Walcheren Island (top left), near Westkappelle, on November 2, 1944.  (Map source: ‘Official History Of The Canadian Medical Services 1939-1945’)

On October 21, 1944, a number of Canadian medical units were “…put under command of the 4th Special Service Brigade….” of the Royal Marines (United Kingdom) “…for training to support the amphibious operation of the brigade….” No. 17 Light Field Ambulance Company, Nos. 8 and 9 Canadian Field Surgical Units, No. 5 Canadian Field Transfusion Unit, and No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station were involved.

Operation Infatuate, part of the Battle of the Scheldt, was the codename for the attack on German batteries on Walcheren Island in The Netherlands, located at the mouth of the Scheldt River. German fortification of the island blocked Allied access to the captured port of Antwerp, Belgium. The Belgian port was crucial in order to supply advancing Allied armies as they moved towards Berlin.

“…Training for the operation against Walcheren continued until the end of October when units embarked at Ostend and began to move towards their objective. At three o’clock on the morning of 1 November the flotilla of landing craft sailed out of Ostend harbour….” Ostend is in Belgium.

“…Just before dawn, they met their supporting warships, turned and bore down on Westkapelle. The assault was to be made in daylight on either side of a gap blown in the Westkapelle dyke, and just before “H” hour (9.45 a.m.) the guns of Warspite, Roberts, and Erebus opened up and flights of rocket-firing Typhoon aircraft went to work on the shore batteries….”

In ‘Towards Victory In Europe: The Battle For Walcheren’, J. O. Forfar, Medical Officer, 47 Marine Commando,  explained that “…Commander Pugsley and Brigadier Leicester had been informed on leaving Ostend that due to fog in England the Lancaster bombers which were to carry out a preliminary bombardment of the Walcheren defences while the assaulting craft moved in were grounded…” 

The two men decided to go ahead with the operation, which resulted in high casualties, but the Battle for Walcheren was ultimately successful.  “…The Germans had sown sea mines in the approaches to the island; the beaches were laced with barbed wire, landmines, and covered by machine guns firing from cement pill boxes. Five minutes before they were due to touch down the two landing craft which had been prepared as hospital ships were sunk by mines.  Immediately after this the assault began…” with shelling from cannons at the battery in Dishoek.

“…One section of No. 17 Canadian Light Field Ambulance landed with No. 41 Commando on the left of Westkapelle gap and another section with No. 48 Commando on the right of Westkapelle gap. Of the 25 close support naval craft engaged in the operation only six were left by mid-afternoon, and 172 of those on board had been killed and 210 wounded. Casualties among those who got ashore in the face of stiff enemy resistance were heavy….”  The medical teams had to work in close proximity of the fighting.

…. No. 10 Field Dressing Station set up on the beach on the afternoon of November 1, 1944…...

Beach dressing station of No. 10 Field Dressing Station being set up by personnel of No. 10 Field Dressing Station at Westkapelle. (Photo source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, Donald Carson fonds, PR2011.0001/14)

“…Casualties on the left of the gap were given first aid and collected into a shell hole on the edge of the dyke until Westkapelle was clear, when they were moved into a house in the village. On the other side of the gap the casualty collecting post was set up on the inside of the sea wall, and casualties were held until No. 10 Canadian Field Dressing Station came ashore at 2 pm and set up a beach dressing station….”

Most of those wounded on November 1, 1944 were taken off the Island during the night and returned to No. 6 Canadian Field Dressing Station at Ostend. Meanwhile the medical teams prepared for the next day.

…. John was killed in the afternoon of November 2, 1944 …...

No. 8 Canadian Field Surgical Unit, a medical operation team of around 10 people, was attached to No. 10 Field Dressing Station, and was the field hospital located behind the No. 10 Field Dressing Station. 

The November 2, 1944 War Diary entry for No. 8 Canadian Field Surgical Unit relates what happened when they came ashore with landing tracked vehicles, which the diary writer referred to as Alligators. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Vehicle,_Tracked)  “…The morning of November 2nd dawned bright and clear….About 0900 the Alligators moved to the beach and there we met the rest of our unit.  I was relieved to find in spite of many harrowing experiences they were all quite safe. We off loaded the vehicles onto the beach….The beach head was under intermittent fire but the greatest worry we had was mines…”

Tragedy struck in the early afternoon.  “…A salvo of shells hit 3 Alligators in front of the dugout and the Alligators caught on fire.  Each Alligator had 7 tons of ammunition on board and this all exploded during the next ¾ of an hour. About 20 men were killed, including the Quartermaster and one Other Rank of No. 10 FDS….”  The ‘Other Rank of No. 10 FDS’ was John Lewis Hughes.

Caroline Raaijmakers, Chair of the Faces To Graves Bergen Op Zoom Committee, told us that  “….on the same spot….” where John was killed, “…Doctor Captain Frank Sidney Manktelow was Wounded In Action on 2-11-1944 and he died on 3-11-1944…..” 

Dr. Frank Sidney MANKTELOW, of Pointe aux Trembles, Quebec, son of Frederick Sidney and Mary Jane (nee MacKay) Manktelow, and husband of Laura Francise (nee Quinn) Manktelow, was serving with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps when he died, at the age of 30.

Both men were initially buried in a temporary cemetery in Zoutelande on Walcheren Island.

 …. John is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten…...

Pieter stands behind the grave of John Lewis Hughes in Holten, The Netherlands.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

On September 9, 1946, John was reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.  We visited his grave this spring when we were in The Netherlands for our 2025 European Memorial Tour, and Pieter placed flags of Canada and Manitoba by his grave. His was one of 383 graves in 14 cemeteries that we visited on this trip.

….Hughes Hill in northern Manitoba named in John’s honour…..

Hughes Hill in northern Manitoba was named after John ‘Jack’ Lewis Hughes.  (Map source: Mapcarta)

Hughes Hill in northern Manitoba, northeast of Wither Lake, was named after him in 1995.

….A great deal of research happened before a photo was found…

Many people assume that it’s easy to find family and photos of soldiers who are buried overseas.  Unless you are lucky enough to stumble across someone else’s research, or a media appeal is seen by the right person with a photo, it can be an onerous and long drawn out process.  

The search for a photo of John Lewis Hughes took several years.  Thank you to Judie Klassen for going above and beyond to find family and reference material, to Shawn Rainville for newspaper searches, and to Judy Gleich for continually contacting people from Eriksdale.  Thank you to Robert Catsburg for sending the war diary entry for November 2, 1944 and to both Robert Catsburg and Caroline Raaijmakers for excerpts from Dutch accounts.

Thank you to John Forsyth for the hockey photo that included a photo of John.  And a big thank you to Kevin Rollason of the Winnipeg Free Press for writing the article about the photo search. 

The flags placed at John’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
  • Brad Robertson, Chief of Protocol, Government of Manitoba, on behalf of Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, for the Manitoba flag. 

The work of remembrance of those who served continues as do our adventures on the next leg of our 2025 European War Memorial Tour.

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/

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On The War Memorial Trail….Remembrance Week 2025 – Reflections and Updates

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November 9, 2025.  When we write a story on the blog, we often receive additional information about the soldiers we’ve written about, about other soldiers buried in the same cemetery, or who served in the same unit. This Remembrance Week 2025 posting gives an update on three soldiers whose stories were previously told, one whose story is coming up in a future posting, and about our visit to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission office in Ottawa, Ontario.

Each year we also try to visit one or more war memorials in Canada. In this posting we feature a visit to the Memramcook Veterans Park in Memramcook, New Brunswick, and Beach Grove Memorial Forest in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

…A banner for WWII soldier Joseph ‘Ambroise’ Comeau….

Banner for WWII soldier Joseph ‘Ambroise’ Comeau. (Photo credit: Simone Comeau)

One of the WWII soldiers buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, is Joseph ‘Ambroise’ COMEAU, from Lower Saulnierville, Nova Scotia. Ambroise was one of 5 soldiers from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment who drowned in a tragic accident in the Battle of Leer in Germany on April 28, 1945, aged 21.  His was one of the 383 graves we visited this spring during our 2025 European War Memorial Tour, and Pieter had placed flags of Canada and Nova Scotia, as well as an Acadian flag, by his grave.

When Simone Comeau recently sent us a photo of her uncle’s banner, she explained why it included both a Canadian and Acadian flag.  “…We had a choice as to which flag we wanted along with the flag of Canada so since you honoured the Acadian veterans this year in Holland and we are Acadians I figured it was only appropriate to do so….”

You can read Ambroise’s story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/05/17/on-the-war-memorial-trail-a-tragic-drowning-on-the-leda-river-in-germany-part-3/  and about our visit to his grave at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-4-soldiers-who-drowned-during-operation-duck/

 ….The family of WWII soldier James ‘Jimmy’ Oliver Thomas framed the photo we sent…

Framed photo taken at the grave of James ‘Jimmy’ Oliver Thomas.  (Photo courtesy of Rodd Cooper)

During our visit to the various cemeteries during the 2025 European War Memorial Tour, we took photos of each grave at which Pieter placed flags, and later sent photos to the families of these soldiers.  Rodd Cooper, nephew of WWII soldier James ‘Jimmy’ Oliver THOMAS framed the photo we had emailed him, and emailed us back a photo of the framed picture with the family’s thanks.  We were deeply touched by this!

Born in St. Peters, Manitoba, Jimmy died in Germany on May 2, 1945, aged 33, a few days after being liberated from the Stalag VII-A POW Camp in Moosburg, Germany. He had been taken prisoner of war on May 22, 1943, while serving with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, during the breaking of the Hitler Line.

You can read Jimmy’s story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2024/02/18/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-manitoba-who-died-shortly-after-being-liberated-from-stalag-vii-a/  and about our visit to his grave at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-5-indigenous-soldiers/

….WWII soldier Samuel George Engen was remembered by his great-niece Clover Rusk on National Indigenous Veterans Day…

In a November 8, 2025 Facebook posting, Clover Rusk remembered her great-uncle, Samuel George ENGEN of The Pas, Manitoba on National Indigenous Veterans Day….and thanked Pieter “…for dedicating his time to Indigenous war vets buried overseas…”

After a 3 year search by various family members, a photo was found by Clover earlier this year, in an album that had belonged to her great-grandfather Aaron, the older brother of Samuel.

The son of Louis Julius Engen and Mary Helen (nee Buck) Engen, and husband of Miriam Susan Pranteau, Samuel died April 23, 1945 in Germany, during the Battle for the Kusten Canal, aged 27, while serving with the Lake Superior Regiment.  

Samuel is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, which we visited this past May, and where Pieter placed flags of Canada and Manitoba by his grave.  His story will be told in an upcoming posting.

….Flags were placed at the grave of WWII airman William Andrew Hood on our behalf…

Grave of William Andrew Hood.  (Photo credit: Robert van der Ende)

One of the cemeteries to visit on our 2025 European War Memorial Tour was Eindhoven General Cemetery in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, where WWII airman William Andrew HOOD, of Little Bras D’or, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is buried. 

Eindhoven was near where we were for a family visit, and we had planned to go to the cemetery before we left for Belgium the following day.  But….by this time we were totally exhausted, and didn’t see how we could manage it.  Thankfully, Robert van der Ende volunteered to take flags of Canada and Nova Scotia and place them at William’s grave on our behalf.  We were very grateful for that act of kindness!  This was the only cemetery on our list that we didn’t personally visit.

William was the mid-upper gunner aboard Halifax JD215 when it was shot down over The Netherlands on June 29, 1943.  None of the crew survived.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/09/19/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-airman-from-bras-dor-who-was-aboard-the-last-flight-of-halifax-jd215/

….We visited the CWGC office in Ottawa…

This year, Pieter became one of the volunteers across Canada participate in the National Volunteer Program.  He was assigned 4 cemeteries on Prince Edward Island to visit and gather information about the condition of Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) war graves, and to clean the grave stones as needed. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/08/08/on-the-war-memorial-trail-cwgc-volunteer-at-cape-traverse-community-cemetery/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/28/on-the-war-memorial-trailthe-wwii-carpenter-buried-in-seven-mile-bay-who-does-not-have-a-cwgc-headstone/ for stories about two of the soldiers buried in a CWGC grave)

Left to right: Pieter Valkenburg, Julene Warren, Daria Valkenburg, Elizabeth Hale.  (Photo courtesy of Valkenburg Family Collection)

During a trip to Ottawa in October, we visited the CWGC office and met with two of the coordinators overseeing the volunteers:  Elizabeth Hale and Julene Warren.  It was a chance to put faces to names, and to learn more about the important work being done to look after war graves here in Canada.

….We visited the Memramcook Veterans Park in Memramcook, New Brunswick…

Our friend and fellow researcher, Etienne Gaudet, had invited us several times to visit his hometown of Memramcook, New Brunswick, and one Saturday in June we were able to do so.  Etienne proudly took us around the Memramcook Veterans Park, which commemorates those who served and are from the Memramcook area. 

Etienne Gaudet (left) with Pieter at Memramcook Veterans Park. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

A unique billboard highlighted the ships on which troops travelled to Great Britain, and the countries in Europe in which they fought. 

Etienne Gaudet (left) with Pieter at Memramcook Veterans Park. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Etienne also wanted us to meet 102 year old WWII veteran, Romeo LEBLANC, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to do so. 

Etienne Gaudet (left) and Pieter (right) with WWII veteran Romeo LeBlanc. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

….We visited the Beach Grove Memorial Forest in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island…

Pieter at the entrance to Beach Grove Memorial Forest in Charlottetown. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

This spring we received an email from Jim Little, saying he was writing a story about Private Frank LUTZ, an orphan from Prince Edward Island, who was badly wounded on February 20, 1945 during the Battle of Moyland Wood, while serving with the Canadian Scottish Regiment. He died on March 2, 1945, aged 19, and is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands. (See https://www.facestograves.nl/LifeStories/LUTZ%20Frank-JLE-bio-EN.pdf)

Jim wanted to know if Frank was listed on a cenotaph on the Island.  Yes, was the answer….he is listed on a Canadian Army memorial stone at Beach Grove Memorial Forest in Charlottetown.  The memorial forest honours WWII veterans from Prince Edward Island with granite stones that list their names and includes a tree for each person that is honoured.

Pieter walks along the path in Beach Grove Memorial Forest.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The memorial stones are located along a path in the forest, which, during the war, had been used as a training facility for various regiments and units.  The stones honour those who died during the war while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy, Merchant Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.  We found Frank’s name listed on the stone for the Canadian Army.

Frank Lutz was listed on one of the memorial stones for the Canadian Army. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We ended up spending a long time in the forest, looking at each stone, as Pieter had researched so many of the names listed on each stone!

Thank you to Simone Comeau, Rodd Cooper, Etienne Gaudet, Clover Rusk, and Robert van der Ende. The work of remembrance of those who served continues.

The flags placed at William Andrew Hood’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
  • Kyle Graham, Research Officer, Military Relations, Nova Scotia Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Premier Tim Houston, Province of Nova Scotia, for the Nova Scotia flag.

If you have a story to tell, please let Pieter know. You can email him 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/ 

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.

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 3: Visit To Stefanuskerk in Holwierde

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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 10, 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)

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/)

Now, in Part 3, we left Appingedam and travelled to Holwierde, where our first stop was at the Canada Memorial.

…. The Canada Memorial in Holwierde…

Pieter and Joël at the Canada Memorial in Holwierde. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Front view of the Canada Memorial in Holwierde.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We knew that there was a plaque at the church in Holwierde that commemorated the Canadians who lost their lives during the Battle of Delfzijl Pocket, but had no idea there was also a monument in the town itself…. with houses on either side of the main road where it’s located.

Called the Canada Memorial, with red and white flowering plants around it, the stone plaque simply states ‘In honour of our liberators from Canada. Their glory is our freedom. 21 April – 2 May 1945’

Closeup of stone plaque at the Canada Memorial in Holwierde.  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

…. Canadian soldiers called Holwierde ‘a killing ground’…

Battlefields Tour poster describing Howierde as a ‘Killing ground’.

As we walked through this quiet and picturesque town towards the Stefanuskerk, we asked Joël about his poster describing Holwierde as a ‘Killing ground’.  He explained that “….Holwierde was one of the most heavily contested villages during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket in April 1945. The Perth Regiment fought intense house-to-house combat here, as German paratroopers and naval infantry had fortified nearly every building.  Many Canadian soldiers referred to the village as ‘a killing ground’ due to the high casualties on both sides…..”

Holwierde in April 1945, with a temporary bailey bridge, leading towards the Stefanuskerk. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

Holwierde in April 1945.  A temporary bailey bridge allowed residents and troops to cross the canal.  The Stefanuskerk is on the right. (Photo Courtesy of Joël Stoppels / Battlefield Tours)

“…The Stefanuskerk, although spared from destruction, stood right in the middle of the battlefield and witnessed days of shelling and close-quarters fighting….”  

Holwierde in 2025, 80 years after its liberation.  The bailey bridge from 1945 is now a permanent bridge over the canal! (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

 …. We found a banner for one soldier whose story was previously told…

Banner for Joseph ‘Gerald’ Fougere in Holwierde. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

As we walked down the street towards the Stefanuskerk, the main reason for our visit to Holwierde, we saw a banner for Joseph ‘Gerald’ FOUGERE, who was serving with the Perth Regiment. He was wounded on April 24, 1945, during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket, and died on April 26, 1945, one month before his 29th birthday. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/01/27/on-the-war-memorial-trail-atlantic-canada-remembers-part-5/)

Joseph ‘Gerald’ Fougere’s banner was by the canal in Holwierde, but this wasn’t where he died.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

The banner was by the canal, and while I was busy snapping photos, thinking this is where he died, Joël said “…no, he actually died in nearby Nansum.  Since Nansum is such a small village, his banner was placed in Holwierde for greater visibility...” He then kindly pointed out that “…the bridge over the canal had been blown up by the Germans on April 25, 1945.…”

Never mind…Nansum was quickly added as our next stop after Holwierde!

…. A solemn few moments at Stefanuskerk…

Entrance to Stefanuskerk in Holwierde. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

We continued walking down the road until we got to the Stefanuskerk.  A plaque near the door noted that the church dates to the 11th century!  In the 13th century the church was enlarged.  It was severely damaged in April 1945, but restored by 1950, to give the appearance as to how the church would have looked before 1830.

Pieter by the plaque in Stefanuskerk that commemorates Canadian soldiers who died during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket.  (Photo credit:  Joël Stoppels)

We wanted to visit the church in order to see the plaque that commemorates many of the Canadian soldiers who died during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket.  It was a very solemn few moments for us, as we looked over the names, many of them of soldiers that Pieter had researched over the past years.

From the Royal Winnipeg Rifles:

From the Perth Regiment:

From the Cape Breton Highlanders:

Not mentioned on the plaque:

From the 9th Armoured Regiment (BC Dragoons), who is commemorated on a plaque in Appingedam:

…. We couldn’t miss seeing Nansum…

We left Stefanuskerk in a reflective mood after looking at the names on the plaque, and quietly got back in the car for the short drive to Nansum, which is indeed a tiny place, near the coast.   Joël didn’t know exactly where Joseph ‘Gerald’ FOUGERE was killed, unfortunately.  What remained of a German bunker was still visible, so he likely died of shrapnel wounds. 

Yellow arrow indicates the remains of a German bunker in Nansum.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Joël noted that 177 Kriegsmarine were captured here. 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.

From Nansum we continued on the last leg of our battlefields tour, as we followed the route taken by the Cape Breton Highlanders to Delfzijl. Coming up in Battlefields Tour With Joël Stoppels Part 4: From Nansum To Delfzijl And Wirdum.

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 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. 

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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

….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….. Staghound Fatality Part 2: The WWII Trooper From Brookfield Killed By A Mine During The Battle For The Küsten Canal

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Pieter at the entrance to the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

September 25, 2025.  While in Europe for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, Pieter placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers he’s researched over the years, which took us to 14 cemeteries in The Netherlands and Belgium. Out of this total, 156 flags were placed at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.  

Pieter’s research results are faster than I can keep up with, and so several of the graves we visited were for soldiers whose stories have yet to be told.  Two of these soldiers, both of them with the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), lost their lives on April 19, 1945 when the armoured car they were in hit a mine. 

In Staghound Fatality Part 1, the story of Stewart Lyon ANDERSON was told. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-staghound-fatality-part-1-the-wwii-trooper-from-bagot-killed-by-a-mine-during-the-battle-for-the-kusten-canal/)

Staghound Fatality Part 2 tells the story of Merle Vincent HAMILTON, who was born in Brookfield, Nova Scotia on October 23, 1918, the son of George Elwood and Gertrude Edna Anderson.  He was the husband of Margaret Bessie (nee Johnston) Hamilton and the father of two daughters: Marilyn Jean and Karen Vera.

Pieter’s search for a photo of Merle ended when Jill Ley contacted him, saying “…Merle was my mother’s father…. I have passed your message on to my mother, Marilyn (Hamilton) Fallon and her sister, Karen (Hamilton) Davis….” A few days later, a photo was received.

….Merle enlisted in 1943….

When Merle enlisted at the No. 6 District Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 26, 1943, he had already been with the 2nd Battalion of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, a reserve unit, since June 1941. 

It was noted on his service file that he had completed Grade 10 and taken auto mechanics courses at Nova Scotia Technical College.  He also had worked as a car mechanic, in a box factory running various machines.  At the time of his enlistment, he was employed as a store clerk at Agricola Coop.

In an interview for his Personnel Selection Record, Merle was described as having a “…quiet, cooperative, nonaggressive manner….” and was a “…steady, reliable type…” who had “….definitely superior learning ability….”

….Merle qualified as a Driver Mechanic….

Merle Vincent Hamilton.  (Photo courtesy of his daughters: Marilyn Fallon and Karen Davis.  Photo restoration and colourization by Pieter Valkenburg )

On April 1, 1943, Merle was sent to No. 60 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre (CABTC) in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  After completing his basic training, he next was sent to A27 Canadian Reconnaissance Training Centre at Camp Dundurn in Dundurn, Saskatchewan for a driver operator course.

Merle qualified for a Class III Certificate as Driver (i/c) Wheeled on July 23, 1943 and Driver Class III Tracked on August 6, 1943.  (The term ‘Driver i/c’ refers to ‘Driver, internal combustion’.  Receiving a Class III in both Wheeled and Tracked meant he was qualified to drive heavy trucks and armoured cars, as well as tanks.)

On September 24, 1943, Merle qualified as a Driver Mechanic Group ‘C’.  This meant that, in addition to being a driver, he would also be responsible for minor vehicle repairs on vehicles in his unit.

From October 25, 1943 until November 14, 1943, Merle was granted a furlough and embarkation leave, for what turned out to be the last time he saw his family.

….Merle left Canada for overseas service….

Shortly after returning from his leave, Merle left Canada on November 25, 1943 for the United Kingdom.  Upon arriving on December 1, 1943, he was assigned to No. 1 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit (CACRU). 

While in the United Kingdom, Merle continued training, and qualified as a Driver Mechanic MV ‘C’ on February 17, 1944. He qualified to drive a Staghound on August 26, 1944.  A Staghound was an armoured vehicle that could also be used as a scout car. 

T-17E1 Staghound armoured cars of “A” Squadron, 12th Manitoba Dragoons, in the Hochwald, Germany, March 2, 1945. The first car has tire chains on all four wheels. (Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, taken by Jack H. Smith)

A few weeks after his Staghound training, Merle was transferred to the X-4 CAC (A) Reinforcement list of the 9th Battalion on September 12, 1944, arriving in Northwest Europe two days later.  (CAC refers to Canadian Armoured Corps.)

On September 24, 1944, he was attached to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) as a Driver Mechanic MV ‘C’ for a few weeks.  The RCASC was responsible for moving supplies from the rear areas to the front-lines. They delivered rations, ammunition, petroleum products, and other essentials.

….Merle was transferred to the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons) …

On October 10, 1944, Merle was transferred to the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), joining them in De Haan, Belgium.  As a self-contained unit attached directly to II Canadian Corps, the Regiment had long range reconnaissance regiment, equipped with a wireless transmitting and receiving set, for their role as scouts in finding the best roads for the troops.  Providing route information over the radio was of great importance to the troops that followed in their path, often 50 or more kms behind.

In an entry on the ‘Flames of War’ website (see https://www.flamesofwar.com), John (Jock) Buckmaster wrote that in Belgium, “….Nieuwport, Ostend and Bruges were all liberated by the Dragoons, with Bruges and Ostend naming roads and squares after the regiment…”

After the war ended, a memorial in Zeebrugge, Belgium was placed to honour the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), who liberated the city on November 3, 1944.

Memorial of the liberation of Zeebrugge (Belgium) on November 3, 1944 by the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia, taken by Marc Ryckaert)

The ‘Flames Of War’ entry went on to note that by late 1944, “…the front-line between German and Canadian troops was now the Maas River, and for three months the Dragoons patrolled the river in one of the coldest, wettest, winters to hit the region. The regiment ….. liberated multiple cities, including Lichtenvoorde, Leeuwarden, and Almelo…” in The Netherlands “…before heading into Germany….”

The Regiment experienced difficulties in Germany. “….Heading into the Hochwald forest proved difficult for the regiment, as the armoured cars did not fare well in the restricted terrain. The weight of the Staghounds proved to be a problem when recovering bogged-down vehicles…”  At one point, horses from a German village were needed “….to pull two 14-ton Staghounds from the mud…” The Regiment continued “…through Bad Zwischenahn, and further into the Hochwald forest…”

….Merle lost his life during the Battle for the Küsten Canal…

Map showing location of Küsten Canal, and Esterwegen where Stewart Anderson was initially buried. (Map source: Google maps)

The next objective for Allied troops was the clearing of the 70 km (43 mi) long, 100-metre (330 ft) wide, Küsten Canal, a significant obstacle to Allied forces advancing from the Ems estuary into Germany.

In the ‘Regimental History of the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons)’, published in 1945, author Charles Eric Henry writes that “…the Regiment was detailed to take over a sector of the Küsten Canal 14 April 1945….The enemy did not seem to be overactive but did send over quite a few shells.  The main task seemed to be to remain on the southwest side of the canal until the friendly troops on the other side had worked their way along it to a point opposite our positions…”

Unfortunately, casualties still occurred, and on April 19, 1945, Merle was one of 5 men who lost their lives during the Battle for the Küsten Canal.  The War Diary for that day recorded that “…17 Troop lost their Sgt’s Stag and all his crew on a mine today.  It took place at 14:33 hours…The mine completely destroyed the Stag and caused a crater 20 feet by 20 feet.  It must have been one of these marine mines containing some 500 pounds of explosives…”

In addition to Merle, the rest of the crew that died were:

  • Sgt Alexander James BALFOUR of Lindsay, Ontario, aged 25
  • Trooper Stewart Lyon ANDERSON of Bagot, Manitoba, aged 25
  • Trooper Patrick James DEVINE of North Bay, Ontario, aged 22
  • Trooper Willard James MORRIS of St. James (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, aged 23

….Merle is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten….

Merle was temporarily buried in Esterwegen, Germany, before being reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands in 1946.

Grave of Merle Vincent Hamilton with Canadian and Nova Scotia flags placed by Pieter.  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Thank you to Jill Ley, Marilyn Fallon, and Karen Davis for providing a photo of Merle. 

The flags placed at Merle’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flags.
  • Kyle Graham, Research Officer, Military Relations, Nova Scotia Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Premier Tim Houston, Province of Nova Scotia, for the Nova Scotia flag.

Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com. 

© 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….. Staghound Fatality Part 1: The WWII Trooper From Bagot Killed By A Mine During The Battle For The Küsten Canal

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Commemoration for Stewart Lyon Anderson. (Courtesy of the William Anderson family)

September 23, 2025.  While in Europe for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, Pieter placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers he’s researched over the years, which took us to 14 cemeteries in The Netherlands and Belgium. Out of this total, 156 flags were placed at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.  

Pieter’s research results are faster than I can keep up with, and so several of the graves we visited were for soldiers whose stories have yet to be told.  One of these is the subject of this posting:  Stewart Lyon ANDERSON, who was born in Rignold, Manitoba on November 22, 1919, the son of William and Isabella (nee Lyall) Anderson.

Map showing Rignold, Bagot, and Edwin.  (Map source: http://www.mapcarta.com)

Pieter’s search for a photo of Stewart ended when he got in contact with Lindsay Edmunds–Judson and her mother, Lana McCleary Edmunds, daughter of Stewart’s sister Agnes ‘Isabelle’.  “…Mum is so excited to be part of this!…” Lindsay wrote. “…How wonderful that your birth and upbringing has undoubtedly fostered your interest in this project which will be bringing joy to so many….”

Lana explained that “…two of Mum’s brothers and one sister served.  Stewart was killed.  Willie came home a broken man and died because of that.  Elizabeth showed us how to be the most wonderful aunt.  In Mum’s last days, she called for Stewart in her sleep- he had been the favourite I think….” Stewart’s brother William served with the Princess Patricia Light Infantry and was wounded in Italy.  His sister Elizabeth served at the First Base Post Office in London, England.

….Stewart enlisted in April 1941…

Stewart Lyon Anderson. (Courtesy of the William Anderson family)

Stewart grew up in Bagot, Manitoba, attended school in Edwin, and worked on his parents’ farm before enlisting under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) at the No. 10 NRMA Clearing Depot in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on April 17, 1941 and began basic training at No. 100 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre (CABTC) in Portage La Prairie. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Resources_Mobilization_Act)

He was described as having red hair and blue eyes, that he was cheerful and neat, robust in appearance, and that he enjoyed swimming and playing softball.

A little over a month later, on June 25, 1941, Stewart enlisted in the Active Army at No. 10 District Depot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was immediately attached to A15 Canadian Infantry Advanced Training Centre (Rifle) at Camp Shilo in Shilo, Manitoba.

He remained there until September 4, 1941, when he returned to No. 10 District Depot in Winnipeg, and attached to the Tradesman Training Wing of the 18th (Manitoba) Reconnaissance Battalion, ‘D’ Company, for basic training.

From December 19, 1941 until January 7, 1942, Stewart was granted a furlough, for what turned out to be the last time he saw his family.

….Stewart was assigned to the 18th (Manitoba) Reconnaissance Battalion…

Stewart was transferred to 18th (Manitoba) Reconnaissance Battalion’s ‘D’ Squadron on February 2, 1942, and sent to Work Point Camp in Esquimalt, British Columbia. While Work Point Barracks served as the headquarters for Military District 11, which oversaw Canadian military operations in British Columbia, Stewart was there for a driver operator course. 

On February 5, 1942, the 18th (Manitoba) Reconnaissance Battalion was re-designated as the 18th (Manitoba) Armoured Car Regiment and was part of the Canadian Armoured Corps.

Stewart remained at Work Point Camp until May 4, 1942, when he returned to his unit at Otter Point in Sooke, British Columbia.   

….Stewart qualified as a driver operator…

On July 13, 1942, after qualifying as a Driver Operator Class III, Stewart and the rest of the  18th (Manitoba) Armoured Car Regiment moved to Debert, Nova Scotia, for final training and preparation before going overseas.

While at Debert, Stewart qualified as a Driver i/c Class III Wheeled on July 21, 1942. (The term ‘Driver i/c’ refers to ‘Driver, internal combustion’.  Class III meant he was qualified to drive heavy trucks and armoured cars, but not tanks.)

….Stewart left Canada for overseas service….

On August 22, 1942, Stewart was aboard the ‘Letitia’ with the 18th (Manitoba) Armoured Car Regiment when they sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia for the United Kingdom, as part of the Scotland bound convoy T-20. Upon arriving in Glasgow, Scotland on August 31, 1942, they remained on board until September 2.

While in the United Kingdom, the 18th (Manitoba) Armoured Car Regiment trained for their role as a reconnaissance unit for the II Canadian Corps. As a reconnaissance unit, its purpose would be to gather tactical information for its parent infantry division, scouting ahead and screening flanks.

Initially based in Aldershot, England, the Regiment trained in Bramley, Surrey, and other locations, from November 1942 to June 1943.  

On December 16, 1942, the regiment was re-designated the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons).

….Stewart landed in Normandy a month after D-Day…

On July 8, 1944, Stewart and his Regiment left England, landing the next day at Juno Beach in Normandy, France. They were reported to have brought 72 Staghounds with them, an armoured vehicle that could also be used as a scout car. 

T-17E1 Staghound armoured cars of “A” Squadron, 12th Manitoba Dragoons, in the Hochwald, Germany, March 2, 1945. The first car has tire chains on all four wheels. (Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, taken by Jack H. Smith)

As a self-contained unit attached directly to II Canadian Corps, they had long range reconnaissance regiment, equipped with a wireless transmitting and receiving set, for their role as scouts in finding the best roads for the troops.  Providing route information over the radio was of great importance to the troops that followed in their path, often 50 or more kms behind.

In an entry on the ‘Flames of War’ website (see https://www.flamesofwar.com), John (Jock) Buckmaster wrote that as they reached Belgium, “….Nieuwport, Ostend and Bruges were all liberated by the Dragoons, with Bruges and Ostend naming roads and squares after the regiment…”

After the war ended, a memorial in Zeebrugge, Belgium was placed to honour the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons), who liberated the city on November 3, 1944.

Memorial of the liberation of Zeebrugge (Belgium) on November 3, 1944 by the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia, taken by Marc Ryckaert)

The ‘Flames Of War’ entry went on to note that by late 1944, “…the front-line between German and Canadian troops was now the Maas River, and for three months the Dragoons patrolled the river in one of the coldest, wettest, winters to hit the region. The regiment ….. liberated multiple cities, including Lichtenvoorde, Leeuwarden, and Almelo…” in The Netherlands “…before heading into Germany….”

The Regiment experienced difficulties in Germany. “….Heading into the Hochwald forest proved difficult for the regiment, as the armoured cars did not fare well in the restricted terrain. The weight of the Staghounds proved to be a problem when recovering bogged-down vehicles…”  At one point, horses from a German village were needed “….to pull two 14-ton Staghounds from the mud…” The Regiment continued “…through Bad Zwischenahn, and further into the Hochwald forest…”

….Stewart lost his life during the Battle for the Küsten Canal…

Map showing location of Küsten Canal, and Esterwegen where Stewart Anderson was initially buried. (Map source: Google maps)

The next objective for Allied troops was the clearing of the 70 km (43 mi) long, 100-metre (330 ft) wide, Küsten Canal, a significant obstacle to Allied forces advancing from the Ems estuary into Germany.

In the ‘Regimental History of the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons)’, published in 1945, author Charles Eric Henry writes that “…the Regiment was detailed to take over a sector of the Küsten Canal 14 April 1945….The enemy did not seem to be overactive but did send over quite a few shells.  The main task seemed to be to remain on the southwest side of the canal until the friendly troops on the other side had worked their way along it to a point opposite our positions…”

Unfortunately, casualties still occurred, and on April 19, 1945, Stewart was one of 5 men who lost their lives during the Battle for the Küsten Canal.  The War Diary for that day recorded that “…17 Troop lost their Sgt’s Stag and all his crew on a mine today.  It took place at 14:33 hours…The mine completely destroyed the Stag and caused a crater 20 feet by 20 feet.  It must have been one of these marine mines containing some 500 pounds of explosives…”

In addition to Stewart, the rest of the crew that died were:

  • Sgt Alexander James BALFOUR of Lindsay, Ontario, aged 25
  • Trooper Patrick James DEVINE of North Bay, Ontario, aged 22
  • Trooper Merle Vincent HAMILTON of Brookfield, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, aged 26
  • Trooper Willard James MORRIS of St. James (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, aged 23

Another Manitoba soldier who lost his life on April 19, 1945 was Andrew KERELCHUK of Zbaraz, Manitoba, who was serving with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/08/24/the-wwii-soldier-born-in-zbaraz-who-lost-his-life-during-the-battle-of-the-kusten-canal/

….Stewart is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten….

Stewart was temporarily buried in Esterwegen, Germany, before being reburied in the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands.

Pieter beside the grave of Stewart Lyon Anderson, after he’d placed flags of Canada and Manitoba. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

“…To visit his grave has been something I’ve always wanted to do….” Lana explained to Pieter. “…Thank you so much for your work with this project.  I hope you know how much it meant to Stewart’s three sisters to know his grave was tended. My imagination has me enjoying a flask of tea while I soak in the peace and beauty that resulted from the pain and loss of war….”

Stewart Lyon Anderson is remembered on the grave of his parents at Hillside Cemetery in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. (Photo source: Find A Grave)

Thank you to Lana McCleary Edmunds and Lindsay Edmunds–Judson for providing photos and information on Stewart. 

The flags placed at Stewart’s grave were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
  • Brad Robertson, Chief of Protocol, Government of Manitoba, on behalf of Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, for the Manitoba flag.

Staghound Fatality Part 2 will be about Merle Vincent HAMILTON of Brookfield, Nova Scotia.

Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com. 

© 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….Indigenous Flags Donated To Holten Information Centre

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

Pieter outside the Information Centre at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

September 18, 2025.  Since 2014, Pieter has been involved in finding photos of Canadians who are buried in all three Canadian War Cemeteries in The Netherlands, with stories of many soldiers told on this blog. 

While we were in Europe for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, he placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers in 14 cemeteries. At the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, 156 flags were placed.

Families of two Indigenous soldiers, Pte Leo Francis TONEY and Sapper Sanford Steven SAULIS, had sent flags to be placed at their graves.

In addition to Leo Toney and Sanford Saulis, the graves and photos of 6 more Indigenous soldiers, whose stories were previously told on this blog, were featured in our 2025 Faces of Holten Exhibition. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-5-indigenous-soldiers/)

….The two Indigenous flags were donated to the Holten Information Centre…

While the Commonwealth War Graves Commission allowed displays to remain during the 3 week period in May for the 2025 Faces Of Holten Exhibition we were aware that they would soon be removed. The photo stands would be packed away until 2027, while the flags and other mementoes left behind by visitors would be discarded or scooped up by ‘souvenir hunters’. 

So that the Lnu (Mi’kmaw) flag and Wolastoqey Nation flag would not be lost, we decided to donate the flags placed at both graves to the Information Centre at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.  Both flags were presented to Henk Vincent, a long time volunteer.  (For more information on the Information Centre, see https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2018/01/17/on-the-war-memorial-trail-at-the-information-centre-at-holten-canadian-war-cemetery/)

Grave of Sanford Steven Saulis.  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Sanford Steven SAULIS, from Maliseet, New Brunswick, died of a brain hemorrhage in The Netherlands on August 10, 1945, aged 30, while serving with the 16th Field Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/02/27/on-the-war-memorial-trail-remembering-sanford-steven-saulis/

Henk Vincent with the Wolastoqey Nation flag.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Pieter holds onto the personalized Lnu flag from the Toney family at the grave of Leo Francis Toney. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Leo Francis TONEY, born in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, was serving with the South Saskatchewan Regiment, when he was killed on Saturday, April 7, 1945, aged 21, while trying to cross the Schipbeek in The Netherlands at  a bridgehead that had been formed at a weir on the border of the municipalities of Bathmen and Holten. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/05/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-remembering-ww2-soldier-leo-francis-toney/

Henk Vincent with the Lnu (Mi’kmaw) flag.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

….All of the flags placed at graves were donated…

All of the flags placed at graves were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Della Maguire on behalf of the Toney/Smith Family in memory of Pte Leo Toney for the Lnu (Mi’kmaw) flag.
  • Conrad Saulis in memory of Sapper Sanford Steven Saulis, courtesy of Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, for the Wolastoqey Nation flag.
  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flags.
  • Armel ‘Mel’ Lanteigne, President of the Caraquet Legion in New Brunswick for the New Brunswick flag.
  • Kyle Graham, Research Officer, Military Relations, Nova Scotia Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Premier Tim Houston, Province of Nova Scotia, for the Nova Scotia flag.

Our adventures on our 2025 European War Memorial Tour continue as we next follow the route of Canadian troops who participated in the Battle of Delfzijl in April 1945.  

Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com. 

© 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….2025 Faces of Holten Exhibition Part 6: Soldiers Killed In Battle In The Netherlands

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

September 14, 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 for the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Commemoration events, he placed flags at the graves of 383 soldiers in 14 cemeteries. At the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, The Netherlands, flags were placed at 156.

Our visit coincided with The 2025 Faces Of Holten Exhibition, which ran for three weeks in May, showing photos of the soldiers by their graves. Visitors found it meaningful to see what the soldiers looked like.

—-Recap…..

In Part 1, soldiers who were killed near Posterenk in April 1945, were featured.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/08/24/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-1-soldiers-killed-near-posterenk/)

In Part 2, the graves and photos of two soldiers listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion in Prince Edward Island, were featured.  (See 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/)

In Part 3, the graves and photos of two soldiers who lost their lives while travelling in military vehicles were featured. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/01/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-3-soldiers-killed-while-travelling-in-vehicles/)

In Part 4, the graves and photos of six soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Leer during Operation Duck were featured. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-4-soldiers-who-drowned-during-operation-duck/)

In Part 5, the graves and photos of 8 Indigenous soldiers were featured. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2025/09/10/on-the-war-memorial-trail-2025-faces-of-holten-exhibition-part-5-indigenous-soldiers/)

…7 soldiers are commemorated…

Now, the 2025 Faces of Holten Exhibition series concludes in Part 6, as we feature the graves and photos of seven more soldiers, whose stories have previously been told, who lost their lives in battles in The Netherlands.

Grave of Clive Elbert Steele Gerow.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Clive Elbert Steele GEROW, from Burk’s Falls, Ontario, was killed in action during the liberation of Deventer in The Netherlands on April 10, 1945 while serving with the 27th Armoured Regiment (Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment), aged 30.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/10/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-burks-falls-killed-during-the-liberation-of-deventer/

Pieter by the grave of Carman Edward Gillcash. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Carman Edward GILLCASH, from Glenwood, Prince Edward Island, was serving with the Cape Breton Highlanders when he lost his life on April 29, 1945 during the Battle of the Delfzijl Pocket in The Netherlands, aged 27. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/10/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-glenwood-killed-during-the-battle-of-the-delfzijl-pocket/

Daria and Pieter at the grave of Theodor ‘Ted’ Henschel. (Photo courtesy of Valkenburg Family)

Theodor ‘Ted’ HENSCHEL, who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but lived in Trail, British Columbia, was serving with the Canadian Scottish Regiment when he was killed in action during the Battle for Wagenborgen in The Netherlands on April 22, 1945, aged 28. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/08/14/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-trail-who-played-the-cornet/

Just as Pieter finished placing flags at Ted’s grave, an elderly Dutch lady approached us, and asked if she could take our photo by the grave!  We were a bit confused, but then wondered if she thought that we were relatives.  Pieter explained to her that we were not relatives, but were placing flags at graves of soldiers that he had researched.  She wanted a photo anyways, and so it’s one of only two photos of the two of us together by a grave at one of the cemeteries!  (The other photo had been taken in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek by a Faces To Graves Groesbeek volunteer.)

Grave of Gordon Frederick Johnson. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Gordon Frederick JOHNSON, from Truro, Nova Scotia, was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders when he was killed in action, at the age of 33, on April 8, 1945, near Zutphen, The Netherlands, while trying to retrieve an anti-tank weapon that one of the members in his platoon had left behind. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/07/17/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-a-photo-of-gordon-frederick-johnson-is-over/

Grave of Michael Joseph ‘Joe’ McKenna. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

Michael Joseph ‘Joe’ MCKENNA, from Newton Cross, Prince Edward Island, was serving with the Queen’s Own Rifles when was killed in The Netherlands on April 5, 1945 during the Battle of Rha, at the age of 26. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/09/22/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-prince-edward-island-killed-during-the-battle-of-rha/

Grave of Archibald Phillip ‘Archie’ McLean. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Archibald Phillip ‘Archie’ MCLEAN from Edmundston, New Brunswick, was serving with the the Carleton & York Regiment when he died from wounds received on April 13, 1945 during Operation Cannonshot in The Netherlands, aged 25. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/09/13/on-the-war-memorial-trail-archie-was-a-good-guy/

When Pieter was researching Archie’s story back in 2023, we met with Archie’s nephew, Donald Moore, who gave Pieter a poppy pin, and asked if Pieter would place it at his uncle’s grave next time we visited the cemetery in Holten.  Shortly after the story was published in the fall of 2023, Donald passed away. 

Pieter never forgot Donald’s request, and when we were preparing for our 2025 European War Memorial Tour, the poppy travelled with us. On May 1, 2025, Pieter affixed Donald’s poppy pin onto Archie’s grave.

Pieter places the poppy pin from Donald Moore onto the gravestone of Archibald Phillip ‘Archie’ McLean.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Pieter by the grave of Charles Borden Tuplin. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Charles ‘Charlie’ Borden TUPLIN, from Indian River, Prince Edward Island, was serving with the Black Watch when he was fatally wounded in The Netherlands, and listed as having died on December 8, 1944, aged 34. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/03/29/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-ww2-soldier-from-indian-river/

….All of the flags placed at graves were donated…

All of the flags placed at graves were donated.  Our thanks go to: 

  • Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flags.
  • Jean-Claude D’Amours, MLA for Edmundston-Madawaska Centre, Minister responsible for Military Affairs, with the help of Cécile LePage, Province of New Brunswick, for the New Brunswick flag.
  • Matt MacFarlane, MLA for District 19, Borden-Kinkora, for the Prince Edward Island flag. 
  • Don Coutts on behalf of the Muttart and Coutts families in memory of Flight Sergeant Elmer Bagnall Muttart for the Ontario flag.
  • Brad Robertson, Chief of Protocol, Government of Manitoba, on behalf of Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba, for the Manitoba flag.
  • Kyle Graham, Research Officer, Military Relations, Nova Scotia Intergovernmental Affairs, on behalf of Premier Tim Houston, Province of Nova Scotia, for the Nova Scotia flag.

This concludes the 2025 Faces Of Holten Exhibition series, featuring soldiers whose stories have been previously told on this blog. But our adventures are not over, as we continue with our 2025 European War Memorial Tour.

Pieter encourages readers with photos to come forward so that eventually all the known graves of Canadians buried in Holten will have a photo displayed by their grave. Email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com. 

© 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.