YouTube: Photo Search – WW2 Soldier John Clifford Rogers

On The War Memorial Trail…. The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition Part 1: The Soldiers From Prince Edward Island

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 9 Comments
CIMG6201 Apr 27 2023 Dutch flag by garage

The Dutch flag flew proudly at the Valkenburg household on Liberation Day.   (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

May 16, 2023.  One of the events planned for the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of The Netherlands in May 2020 was to place photos by the graves of soldiers at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands.  Unfortunately, due to social distancing measures from Covid, this was postponed for a year.

In 2021, photos were placed at more than 1,600 graves for three weeks.  The event was so successful that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which oversees the cemetery, gave permission for photos to be placed by the graves every two years.

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

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

CIMG8927 Sep 15 2017 Entrance to Groesbeek cemetery

View as you enter the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek – before the photo exhibition.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Volunteers from Faces To Graves Foundation Groesbeek, of which Alice van Bekkum is the Chair, worked tirelessly to make this exhibition possible, and to organize the Liberation Day commemoration events.

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

…5 Islanders Commemorated…

In this posting, the graves and photos of five soldiers from Prince Edward Island, whose stories have previously been told, are featured.

BOULTER Ralph Schurman - XIX C 01(1)

Ralph Schurman Boulter. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Ralph Schurman BOULTER of O’Leary was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders when he was killed on March 25, 1945, during the Battle of Bienen in Germany, at the age of 27. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-2-the-wwii-battle-drill-instructor-from-oleary/

IMG_8925 George Ivan MacKinnon

Grave of George ‘Ivan’ MacKinnon.  (Photo courtesy of Ad Scheepers)

George ‘Ivan’ MACKINNON of Albion was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders when he was killed on December 4, 1944, during the defence of the Nijmegen Salient in The Netherlands, at the age of 27. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/11/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwii-soldier-from-albion-who-died-during-the-defence-of-the-nijmegen-salient/

IMG_8941 Barney McGuigan

Grave of Bernard ‘Barney’ Reuben McGuigan.  (Photo courtesy of Alice van Bekkum)

Bernard ‘Barney’ Reuben MCGUIGAN of Sturgeon was serving with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment when he was killed on February 26, 1945, during Operation Blockbuster in Germany, at the age of 16. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2020/08/07/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-barney-reuben-mcguigan/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/12/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-photo-search-for-barney-mcguigan-is-successful/

IMG_8935 John Clifford Rogers

Grave of John ‘Clifford’ Rogers. (Photo courtesy of Alice van Bekkum)

John ‘Clifford’ ROGERS of Hope River was a sapper with the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment when he and six other soldiers died on March 3, 1945 in the Balburger Wald, Germany.  He was 19 years old.  You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2021/08/24/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-search-for-a-photo-of-john-clifford-rogers-is-successful/

SMITH Edison Alexander - V H 13

Edison Alexander Smith. (Photo courtesy of Faces To Graves Groesbeek)

Edison Alexander SMITH of West Point was serving with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders when he was killed on March 25, 1945, during the Battle of Bienen in Germany, at the age of 32. You can read his story at https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/03/04/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-battle-of-bienen-part-1-the-wwii-soldier-whose-body-shielded-a-wounded-major/

…The search for photos continues…

What is striking is how many photos have been found! Out of 2,619 graves in the cemetery, 2,338 are Canadian, with 103 in graves marked ‘unknown’.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if photos for all of the known graves of Canadians buried in Groesbeek will be found for The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition in 2025?

Thank you to Alice van Bekkum and Ad and Noor Scheepers for taking these photos. The Dutch continue to stress the importance of remembrance to the next generation so they can continue to remember those who lost their lives in WWII.

In Part 2, the graves and photos of Indigenous soldiers whose families contacted us will be featured.

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

…Previous postings about The Faces Of Groesbeek Exhibition at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek…

…Want to follow our research?…

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Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEuropeDaria’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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© Daria Valkenburg

On The War Memorial Trail….. The Continued Search For A Photo Of John Clifford Rogers

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 1 Comment

January 18, 2021.  Last fall, a posting featured Pieter’s search for 5 soldiers from WW1 and WW2:

  • WW1 soldier Bazil CORMIER
  • WW1 soldier James CAIRNS
  • WW2 soldier John Clifford ROGERS
  • WW2 soldier Vernon James NIXON
  • WW2 soldier Philip Hubert LONG

Family subsequently came forward with photos for Vernon James Nixon and Philip Hubert Long, but the rest are still ‘faceless’.

Numerous attempts have been made to find family of the three others, with no success.  I would have given up, but not Pieter.  On Friday, January 15, 2021, he was interviewed by Angela Walker on CBC Radio’s Mainstreet PEI about WW2 soldier Pte John Clifford Rogers, who is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek in The Netherlands, after losing his life on March 3, 1945 in Germany. Here are the key facts known about him:

  • He was born 19 August 1925 in Hope River, Prince Edward Island, the son of Andrew Rogers and Phoebe Gallant.
  • He had three other siblings: The oldest, Ferdinand Joseph, was born in 1921 and served with The North Nova Scotia Highlanders. He landed on D-Day in France and was killed in action on July 25, 1944.  His body was never found and he is commemorated on a monument at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Bayeux, France.
  • The younger siblings were Walter Angus, born around 1930, and Marie Gladys, born around 1934.
  • The family lived at No. 7 Young Street in Charlottetown when John Clifford and Ferdinand Joseph were killed.

You can listen to the radio interview here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-130-mainstreet-pei/clip/15819180-pieter-valkenburg-searching-john-clifford-rogers-information

In addition to the radio interview, an appeal has gone out on YouTube, which you can watch here: 

Let’s hope someone will see one of these appeals for a photo and help put a face to the name of John Clifford Rogers! If you can help with a photo or information, please email Pieter at dariadv@yahoo.ca, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.  Photos and stories are still being collected for the Atlantic Canada Remembers series. 

Thank you to Angela Walker and the team at CBC’s Mainstreet PEI and to Wendy Nattress, our post-production editor for the YouTube videos. 

To read the original posting about the 5 soldiers, and a profile on Philip Hubert Long:

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. 

© Daria Valkenburg