Remarkable scenes of gratitude greet Canadian war veterans in the Netherlands

Chris Brown · CBC News

· Posted: May 03, 2025 4:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

As a erstwhile Spitfire aviator who flew 60 missions implicit Nazi-occupied Europe during the Second World War, George Brewster is not 1 to beryllium rattled easily.

But helium says experiencing the warmth and gratitude of the Dutch radical who person travel retired to cheer him and different Canadian Second World War veterans this play has near him speechless.

"It's a consciousness of wonder," said the 102-year-old nonmigratory of Duncan, B.C., who's visiting communities successful the Netherlands arsenic portion of a Canadian delegation to people the 80th day of the extremity of the war.

Twenty-two Canadian vets, ranging successful property from 96 to 105, person made the agelong transatlantic trip. Several, similar Brewster, saw enactment successful the skies, astatine oversea oregon connected the crushed successful Holland during those important last months of aggravated combat.

"When you conscionable radical you recognize however gracious and benignant they are, and however they remember. And that remembrance is simply a happening that is etched successful my mind," Brewster told CBC News.

On Saturday, thousands of residents of the metropolis of Apeldoorn, which was liberated by Canadian troops connected April 17, 1945, lined the streets and draped Canadian flags from their balconies arsenic a parade with the veterans and bagpipers coiled its mode done the streets. 

Volunteers handed retired Canadian flags and pins, and galore adjacent homes were decorated with reddish maple leafs.

Heartfelt gratitude

Brewster and the different vets, who were mostly pushed successful wheelchairs, were treated similar celebrities with onlookers reaching retired to shingle their hands and accidental convey you.

"I'm a precise mean idiosyncratic who has lived done galore bonzer events, but lone by the grace of God. And I'm humbled by this," helium said.

The propulsion done Holland and the Rhineland by the First Canadian Army successful 1944 and 1945 saw a bid of vicious and yet decisive battles that helped seal the decision of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

Out of an estimated 175,000 Canadian soldiers who served successful the First Canadian Army, 6,700 were killed.  

It was a Canadian wide who yet accepted the surrender of Nazi forces successful the Netherlands successful the municipality of Wageningen connected May 5, 1945, the day the Dutch present telephone "Liberation Day."

With the state facing a terrible famine owed to a harsh wintertime and inhumane attraction by its Nazi occupiers, the Canadians saved countless Dutch from dying by rapidly bringing successful nutrient supplies, and staying connected for months afterward until the colonisation could basal connected its own.

"We are conscionable grateful to those from overseas who came to our small state and acceptable america free," said 57-year-old Ronald Grin, who attended the Apeldoorn parade with his 27-year-old daughter, Shawna.

'We emotion them and they emotion us'

"They (the veterans) merit everything — we person to invited them backmost here. The youngest is 96 years aged and that says however overmuch we emotion them and they emotion us."

Shawna Grin said she has visited each of the adjacent cemeteries with Canadian warfare dead. The fact that determination are 16-year-olds among them leaves her speechless.

"To spot that they were that young, to dice for my freedom, that means a batch to me."

Travelling with the warfare veterans are much than 200 different Canadians. Many are adjacent household of soldiers who fought successful the Netherlands campaign.       

Ellen Mole of Etobicoke, Ont., didn't question with the authoritative delegation but said she felt compelled to travel pursuing an affectional acquisition being portion of the bagpipe set during commemorations successful 2010.

"It was conscionable 1 of the astir unthinkable experiences of my life," she said, holding backmost tears.

"I was truthful arrogant to beryllium Canadian. I truly understood from the emotion and gratitude of the Dutch radical however important our spot tin beryllium and however we tin assistance the world."

For the veterans, it was besides intelligibly an affectional time — particularly for William Seifried, who celebrated his 100th day connected Saturday. When connection spread, immoderate successful the ample parade assemblage sang Happy Birthday.  

Seifried served arsenic an infantryman with the Royal Regina Rifles and acted arsenic a reconnaissance scout up of the beforehand lines, an particularly unsafe job.  

Leading the Canadian delegation of veterans is 101-year-old Honorary Lt.-Gen. Richard Rohmer, who served arsenic reconnaissance aviator successful the skies implicit the Netherlands and aboriginal went connected to a distinguished peacetime vocation with the Canadian military.

Rohmer told CBC helium hopes Canadians marque the transportation betwixt the liberation of the Netherlands 80 years agone and the request to support beardown corporate information relationships, specified arsenic NATO, which whitethorn beryllium weakening nether U.S. President Donald Trump.

"One of the things that we person to bash successful our state is to wage a batch much attraction than we bash astir our ain defence," said Rohmer.

"NATO is simply a precise important concern … and to spot it starting to travel isolated a small spot is not precise encouraging due to the fact that the large nations similar Russia and others volition instrumentality vantage if they perchance can. So I'm hopeful that Canada volition bash its part, fully." 

The Apeldoorn parade is 1 of respective commemorations taking spot this weekend.

Canada's Governor General Mary Simon is acceptable to laic a wreath astatine the Holten Canadian War Cemetery connected Sunday and be commemoration events successful Wageningen the adjacent day.