Published Apr 29, 2025 • Last updated 13 minutes ago • 4 minute readThere will be a liberation parade in Apeldoorn on May 3 commemorating Canada’s role in the liberation of Holland. Photo by ContributedA unique 80th anniversary is unfolding across the Netherlands right now.Canadian troops played a large part in liberating the Dutch in 1945 and they have never forgotten who kicked the Germans out.The liberation may have a greater poignancy for me than for most Nova Scotians because my dad was one of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders who took part.On May 8, he wrote a letter home to his parents in Wolfville.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“The Second World War was officially and irrevocably over today and I spent a slightly incredible afternoon driving through the streets of Amsterdam. It was all rather reminiscent of the welcome received in Paris and Brussels last fall, but in many ways the Dutch were more demonstrative,” he wrote.“From three or four miles outside the centre of the city to the town hall stretched a wildly cheering throng of Hollanders – most of them young people. They filled the open jeep with flowers and my neck was entwined with tulips and roses. Hundreds of people attempted to climb on the back of the jeep.”Read More WENDY ELLIOTT: Gardening is one way to combat food insecurity WENDY ELLIOTT: The future of the CBC Earlier that April, my father encountered Mona Parsons near the border with Germany after she had walked for a month toward freedom. Dad let his parents know that Parsons, the heroine who’d grown up in Wolfville, was alive, but weighing just 87 pounds due to her wartime deprivations.Article contentBack in the 1990s, a Dutch track and field team came to compete here in the Valley. I got to meet one of the coaches – Ben Zonnenberg, of Apeldoorn.He was eager to meet Second World War veterans so I introduced him to my father. They clicked right away and Zonnenberg stayed in touch after returning home.Folks from the Netherlands have warm feelings about their liberators to this day. Children light candles on Christmas Eve in Canadian war cemeteries.I got to visit Apeldoorn some years ago in late May and the lampposts downtown were all adorned with red maple leaves.REMEMBERING SACRIFICESToday in that city there is a park with a Canada House Pavilion. For four days in May, visitors of all ages are invited to stop by the pavilion to learn about Canada’s military service around the world, including the Netherlands.Article contentOn May 2, there will be a commemorative ceremony at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. It will be co-hosted by Faces to Graves and the Government of Canada.Faces to Graves is an effort to honour and tell the stories of the 2,338 war dead that are buried there, along with 100 Canadians listed among the fallen who have no known grave. Groesbeek is a beautiful and solemn place to visit and move among tombstones that mark the loss of such very young men. Ben Zonnenberg, of Apeldoorn, pictured with his mother, was an infant when the Second World War concluded but he still, to this day, recognizes and honours the sacrifices Canadians made to liberate Holland. Photo by ContributedApeldoorn’s liberation parade is set for May 3 and recently, Zonnenberg got in touch because he wanted a British Ensign flag. He was keen to have the flag that was in use in Canada prior to 1965.His seniors home had planned a special day of remembrance because, as he wrote: “The Dutch show their gratitude to the great nation of Canada for the sacrifices during WWII.”Article contentAs he’s on the organizing committee, Zonnenberg wrote that “special pipe and drums” will be at the parade, as well as Second World War vehicles.Fortunately, there are two flag stores in Dartmouth and I was able to obtain the red flag with the green maple leaves to send to Apeldoorn.Zonnenberg says he’s looking forward to sharing war history with local children and other residents of his seniors’ facility.It’s amazing to me that this man, who was just two years old at the end of the war, is so enthusiastic to tell the liberation stories from 1945.According to Zonnenberg, the Canadian Legion acts as a kind of godfather to Prince Floris of the Netherlands. The honour was bestowed on the organization because of its heritage.Article contentPrince Floris is a son of H.R.H. Princess Margriet, who was born in Ottawa during the Second World War. The prince is invited to attend the parade in Apeldoorn and Zonnenberg fully expects “it will be a great day.”The most recent issue of the Legion magazine marks the key battle that ended the Second World War. I was totally surprised to turn the cover and see a full-page picture of Mona Parsons’ sculpture.Created by Dutch-Canadian artist Nistal Prem de Boer, it depicts an emaciated woman in wooden shoes celebrating her freedom. Her story of the only Canadian female civilian imprisoned by the Nazis, was written by Alex Bowers.It was a bit of a battle to raise the funds for Parsons’ statue, so a small group now gathers on May 5 each spring to appreciate her liberation and that of the Netherlands.This year we’ll miss Dick Groot, a caring Dutch man, who shared his experience of the starvation that marked his youth during those war years. We will remember them.Wendy Elliott is a former reporter for the Kentville Advertiser and Hants Journal. She lives in Wolfville.Article content
WENDY ELLIOTT: Remembering the liberation of Holland 80 years later
