Thank you Holland

[Lawrence Tandy]

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/11/27/airmen021127



Dutch town buries Canadian war heroes
Last Updated Wed, 27 Nov 2002 22:20:37
WILNIS, NETHERLANDS - Nearly 60 years after they died fighting the Nazis, three Canadian airmen were buried with full military honours in the Netherlands Wednesday.




Robert Moulton, Joseph White and Joseph Thibaudeau were laid to rest in Wilnis, just south of Amsterdam.

Many people from the town of 10,000 attended the service and schools were closed to honour the men.

They were hailed as heroes for staying with their crippled plane to the end, rather than risk crashing it into a residential neighbourhood.

Military procession

A military guard from all parts of the Canadian Forces led the procession, followed by Dutch war veterans.

Guests included Canada's ambassador to the Netherlands and about 20 of the airmen's relatives from Canada.

The three members of the Royal Canadian Air Force were shot down while returning from a night raid on May 5, 1943.

Two of the crew of five parachuted to safety and were later taken prisoner by German forces.

The other three remained in the plane, which crashed in a peat bog.

The plane was discovered only two months ago, after an elderly resident recalled watching the Vickers Wellington bomber crash in a farm field.

The plane, its contents and the remains of Thibaudeau and White were well preserved in the peat.

Searchers also discovered some of Moulton's remains.




I thank the people of Holland for the love and respect they show for Canadian veterans and war dead. The gratitiude and love you have shown for us is truely flattering and it means alot to us. I hate to say it but you have more respect for our fallen soldiers than alot of people in our country. My best friends girl is related to one of the gentlemen who was killed from this bomber crew, and she was overwhelmed and grateful for the way she was treated treatment while in Holland.
May our countries always be close and it is my fondest wish to some day see Holland.

LT

[Aufklarung]

Hi Lawrence
I can only echo your praise of the way we are treated by the Dutch. As a Canadian it is almost impossible to get arrested in the Netherlands!! Every year the city of Ottawa is sent a very, very large amount of tulips from Holland to ensure we don't forget that they haven't forgotten who help liberate them from the Germans and sheltered then Princess Beatrix.

Many Cdns do not realize that 1st Cdn Armys "long left flank" was as important to winning the war as any other. The fact that we were also able to help the Dutch people while battering the German 15th Army Group makes me extra proud of our vets in that theatre. Few also realize that daily Cdn casualties in Holland '44-'45, exceeded the worst daily rate in WW I.

I had read this article last year and was very pleased in the respect shown to our war dead by these fine people. It's flattering to be appreciated in this manner on a constant basis.

In 1989 I was very fortunate to be part of a small group from my Regiment invited to Leuwarden to commemorate our liberation of that town. For 4 days we were fetted and treated to formal receptions and school visits. Besides being quartered in one of the best Hotels in town, we also ate and drank for free the whole timeThe Mayor and all his townsfolk almost made us feel very humble. Definately one of those happy moments in my life I'll never forget.

Every year on since, on April 15th, our Regiment (no matter where they are) raises the Frisian flag and the town raises our Regimental flag.

That day also happens to be the birthday of my youngest daughter. I did ask my wife, half in jest, if we could name her Leuwarden but that was shot down right away.

Thank you, Holland for your endearing respect to something we were glad to do.

regards
A

[Lord Gort]

I'm so glad that the people of Holland have shown such reverance and respect to the fallen, who gave their lives so many years ago.

The bravery of the men is incredible. Incredible if you havent met a Canadian or seen their feats or what they have done in times of dire need for their friends and against their foes.

For a Briton, this story of bravery isnt a revelation, rather a confirmation, that we have some very bravefriends across the icy waters of the atantic. And in a world like ours, that means an awful lot.


regards,

[Englander]

Thank you,Canada.

[Matt H.]

Thank you, Canada.

Indeed, I concur.

[Eightball]

A great gesture (if I may call it that) by the Dutch.

[Tony Slug]

A great gesture by the Brits and Swedes was the decision to start food droppings in the harsh winter of 44-45 after livestock, food, fuel etc. was transported out of occupied Holland, into Germany.

I remember my grandmother telling me they had eat their own cats, and lived on some kind of nasty porridge made of treebark, sugar beets and tulip bulbs in order to survive.

This so-called "Hunger winter" caused tens of thousands to starve to death, and traumatized probably more than one generation.

So it might explain some of the gratitude expressed by the Dutch towards the Canadian and Polish liberators up to this day.

[Aufklarung]

Hi Tony S
Good point.
Also IIRC No.6 Bomber Group RAF (All Canadian Sqns) also dropped food supplies to the Dutch people during that hard winter. There are also many refences in the Cdn army unit histories of the individual soldiers giving up their own rations to the starving Dutch. I believe there were cases of those poor people eating tulip bulbs as well as shoe leather!!
This was mainly due to 15 Army Group of the German Forces raping the civilians of almost all of their food sources. Those in the cities were obviously hit harder than those Dutch in the farmlands.
The vets I've spoken with in that area of Operations were very saddened to see the state some of the local people were in and risked punishment from their own higher ups to give out there rations to the local populance. Just one of many reasons I'm proud of our vets.

regards
A

[G-1Reaper]

Hi all
I am new to this board and my eye fell on this message. I can only confirm that the Dutch people are still very grateful for the liberation by the allied forces back in 45. Every year the number of monuments, commemorances and number of people attending ceremonies is still rising.

Anyway, let me conclude by saluting you all and I hope I can be of any help concerning Dutch topics (or any other)
Greetings from Leeuwarden!!!
CU
Edwin

[sauce]

i was at the opening of the juno beach center on june 6'th, and there was thousands of people there waving canadian flags, we thought they were french and were surprised because the french had been rude to us all week long, but it turned out they were all dutch, no french, but all dutch that had traveled to say thanks, so thank-you for remembering, because its obvious buy there attitudes that week that the french have forgot.