Liberation of Netherlands marked

Eunice Gore-Hickman remembers well her brother who sacrificed his life to help liberate the Netherlands.

Her brother, Cpl. Kenneth Scott Ferguson, was the last Canadian soldier to die in the Netherlands during the Second World War. He died on April 2, 1945, just one month before the Netherlands was officially surrendered by the Nazis.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the Canadian army liberating the Netherlands from Germany in the Second World War and a memorial ceremony to mark the occasion was held Tuesday at the Sherbrooke Community Centre’s Veterans Village in Saskatoon.

Those participating in the ceremony included honorary consul Judie Dyck from the Consulate of the Netherlands, along with Legion representatives and about 30 Second World War veterans from Saskatoon and area who fought in Holland.

Dyck said the ceremony is important for both the Dutch and Canadians to remember the sacrifices that Canadians made.

"The Dutch have not forgotten the sacrifices made by the Canadian soldiers in liberating the Netherlands after five long years of oppression, fear and hunger," she said. "We owe our freedom and democracy to the Canadian soldiers. We know that freedom is not free and that it can never be taken for granted."

Sixty-five years ago, Ferguson and his regiment was attempting to enter Zevenaar, Holland, an important German-held railway link, when he was shot and killed by a German soldier. Ferguson was 19. He had joined the army at 15, following his two older brothers.

To show gratitude to Canadian soldiers, the city of Zevenaar erected a memorial bridge on the old bridge site where Ferguson and others had fought and died. On April 2, 2004, the bridge-opening ceremony was held and the bridge was named Fergusonbrug after Ferguson.

The ceremony was held on this date to mark the anniversary of Ferguson’s death.

Gore-Hickman attended the bridge-opening ceremony and spoke at the reception about her brother. She was 14 when he was killed. She still remembers vividly the day she came home from school and saw her mother with a telegram, informing the family that Ferguson had been killed. She describes him as "a happy-go-lucky kid, who was just happy with the world and looking for some excitement."

While in Holland for the ceremony, Gore-Hickman was impressed with the gratitude the Dutch had for Canadian soldiers.

"The people are so wonderful," she said. "They just opened their arms and welcomed you because you were Canadian."

She said the Dutch knew their history of the Netherlands liberation well.

"The Dutch are very Canadian. They are probably better Canadians than we are. They teach their children about the Netherlands liberation. Their kids know about the Canadians and what they did, but I don’t think our Canadian kids know about the Dutch and what happened as well."

In the Netherlands, every fifth year of the Netherlands liberation is declared a national holiday and Dutch students learn the Canadian national anthem in school.

Gore-Hickman believes it’s important for Canadians to know the part they played in the liberation of the Netherlands and to show appreciation to their veterans.

"All those boys died for them," she said. Getting emotional, she recalled visiting Ferguson’s grave at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, Holland, and seeing another grave of an 18-year-old boy beside her brother’s.

She appreciates it when she sees younger individuals pay tribute at memorial ceremonies.

"I’m pleased how we are on Remembrance Day and seeing all the young people there," she said.

The theme of this year’s ceremony was bonds of friendship. More than 2,000 students, including students from Waldheim School are visiting the Netherlands this month to help maintain the strong bonds forged during the Second World War between the two countries.

"It is now the next generation’s responsibility to pass on these memories, to continue the bonds of friendship and together defend the values we hold dear," said Dyck.