Never again

Wellington on the Lake couple share stories of brave Canadians

The liberation of the Netherlands in the winter of 1944-45 played a pivotal role in the end of the Second World War, as the Allied forces closed in on Germany from all sides. The First Canadian Army played a significant role in the liberation of Dutch civilians who had suffered terrible hunger, deprivation and hardship under increasingly desperate Nazi occupiers.

The First Canadian Army also played a leading role in opening Belgium and the Netherlands’ Scheldt estuary, a gateway to the port of Antwerp. Access to this port was essential to maintain supply lines to the Allied armies as they continued their push toward Germany to defeat Adolf Hitler’s forces and free Western Europe from four years of Nazi occupation which had begun in April of 1940.

Following the conclusion of the Battle of the Scheldt in November 1944, winter brought a period of reduced fighting in anticipation of the push over the Rhine River in the new year. These events also led to the Hunger Winter, the result of a German blockade of the region.

Canadian Lancasters and Allied bombers dropped 510 tons of food to the starving Dutch civilians, and on May 2, the Canadians started transporting thousands of tons of food into the area by road. The starving Dutch were relieved, although they would not be liberated until the official end of the war in May.

More than 7,600 Canadians died in the ninemonth campaign to liberate the Netherlands— 1,000 died in April 1945 alone.

May 4 serves as a Remembrance Day observance every year in the Netherlands. May 5 is Liberation Day, marking the anniversary of Germany’s surrender to the Netherlands under Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes. It is a joyous and glorious annual celebration with Canadians at the centre of the story.

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Netherlands’ liberation by Allied troops.

WIM AND ANNELIES
Wellington residents Willem (Wim) and Annelies Kerkhof celebrated Liberation Day at home on Monday. Wim and Annelies were children when the Canadians arrived in their town.

Wim was not yet a year old. Yet, it is a profound moment in his life. To honour Canada’s role and sacrifice, the couple demonstrate their appreciation by decorating their home and writing messages to Canadians thanking them for their freedom.

“7,600 Canadians are buried in Holland. They never made it home,” says Annelies.

Wim’s father was in the Royal Dutch Army. “He was involved in an anti-tank unit and fought ferociously for 10 days,” he recalls. “The Germans bombed Rotterdam, and were promising to bomb the Hague and Amsterdam.”

Facing mounting casualties, the Dutch government capitulated to the Germans. For Wim’s father, his official capacity in that part of the war was over. But he had more to fight for. He joined the Dutch Resistance, where one of the most widespread resistance activities was hiding and sheltering refugees and enemies of the Nazi regime, which included concealing Jewish families, underground operatives, draft-age Dutchmen and, later in the war, Allied aircrew. It was noble, unselfish work, risking his life to help stand up for his country and save others.

His father was grabbed in a random razzia (hostile raid) and imprisoned, only to escape with the help of Wim’s mother. From there, the family hid on a farm in Siegerswoude until the fighting ended.

Once liberated, his father became a guide for Canadian troops.

Annelies’ father was in the Royal Dutch Navy, and his boat was torpedoed in the North Sea, off the coast of Callantsoog. He usually worked in the machine room, but was off duty and asleep in his bunk when the torpedo struck. He escaped the doomed ship by leaping into the sea and swimming to shore. When he reached shore, he found his bearings and joined the Dutch Resistance in Makkum in Friesland.

She mostly learned these stories from her mother.

“My father was always gone. He was never home. But all the kids I grew up with were in the same boat,” says Annelies. “The Germans had taken everything away from us.”

They both recall stories of the Hunger Winter, when desperation to survive kicked in for many Dutch families.

“The people were starving to death. They were eating tulip bulbs just to survive. Tulip bulbs can be quite poisonous if not prepared properly,” Wim recounted.

The western portion of the Netherlands also suffered from shortages of fuel. To heat their houses, the population tried to find firewood wherever they could. They illegally cut down trees, burned old furniture and stole the wooden blocks from between the tram rails to survive. About 20,000 Dutch citizens died as a result of the famine caused by the German blockade of Freisland.

Although they were both too young to remember details, both Wim and Annelies feel that their families are forever bound to the goodwill of Canadians.

“We will never forget and we will always remember the bravery of the Canadian troops and their families,” says Annelies.

Wim and Annelies moved to Canada in 1974. They lived near Acton, and both joined the Canadian Forces. Wim was a member of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps before the move, and is a retired Captain from the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. Annelies is a retired Second Lieutenant.

“We were liberated by Canadians,” says Annelies wisfully. “We are very grateful, and we will never forget. This is part of the reason we joined the Canadian Forces.”

They later moved to Wellington, drawn here by the natural beauty and reminders of home.

“We saw the Sandbanks, which reminded us of the Dutch coast, and we felt at home.

CROSSROADS
The connections to the Netherlands continued to grow for Wim and Annelies after they moved to Wellington on the Lake. Through friends, they met Sheila Rempel. Sheila’s father, J.P.C. (James) MacPherson, was a Captain with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa—Third Canadian Infantry Division. During the Liberation of the Netherlands, he earned the Military Cross for bravery.

To their surprise, Wim and Annelies learned that Captain Macpherson had been part of the forces leading the liberation of the sector in which Wim’s family had lived.

“How small the world is,” says Wim, who has since pieced together a map of Sheila’s father’s journey through Europe.

“Sheila didn’t know a whole lot about her father’s wartime campaign, and I was able to provide some clarity on where he was and what he did for the Dutch citizens,” says Wim.

Though they were very young, the act of liberation—or the restoration of freedom and dignity—continues to burn intently in their hearts 80 years later.

“We hope that this story serves as a thought-provoking tool for Canadians…why the people in the Netherlands are concerned right now and how the political climate in the world is changing again. We are thinking of Churchill’s words. ‘Never again’. “We surely hope so,” says Wim.