80 Years of Freedom!

Monday, May 5, 2025, marks 80 years since Nazi Germany surrendered to the First Canadian Army, under the leadership of General Charles Foulkes. It was finally an end to several nightmarish years of war.

Allied troops landed in Normandy in June 1944. After a brutal summer of fighting, they began to advance northeast through France, Belgium and The Netherlands. The First Canadian Army was in charge of that front, aided by British, American, Belgian, and Polish troops.

By November 1944 they had reached the Scheldt Estuary. This waterway was vital to the Allied movement, as it connected the port of Antwerp and the North Sea. The Germans had it heavily fortified and flooded the land to further impede the advancing Allies. After weeks of fighting - at a cost of 20,873 casualties, 6,367 of them Canadian - success was achieved. It took another three weeks to clear the mines from the harbours. Between November 1944 and April 1945, more than 2.5 million tonnes of Allied supplies arrived in Antwerp.

The winter of 1944-1945 was harsh, made worse because the people were starving. The Germans had stopped sending supplies as retaliation to the Dutch railway strike and the Dutch support of the Allies. This winter is known as “The Hunger Winter”, with an estimated 20,000 people starving to death. By the end of April 1945 the Germans agreed to a truce, and Allied bombers dropped 510 tonnes of food. On May 4, Canadians were told to halt all operations, and that a ceasefire would come into effect the following morning.

After losing more than 7,600 Canadians the war was finally over. There are several Canadian cemeteries in the Netherlands, lovingly tended by predominately school children.

While this was a horrific period of modern history, there are heartwarming stories. Canadian soldiers were met with open arms and many of the soldiers came home with Dutch brides! To this day, people flock to The Netherlands to visit the graves of loved ones and are treated with warmth and respect. The bond between the Dutch and Canadians is incredibly strong, marked with partnerships like the city of Apeldoorn being twinned with Burlington, Ontario. The Canadian Tulip Festival is held each May in Ottawa, Ontario with 20,000 tulip bulbs being given by the Dutch Royal family and the Dutch Bulb Growers Association. This is an expression of their thanks, not only for liberating the Netherlands, but also for sheltering the Dutch royal family during the war. Princess Margriet was actually born in Ottawa, with the hospital room being temporarily declared extraterritorial so she would still be born a Dutch citizen.

Many Dutch families emigrated to Canada after the war, building lives and contributing to their adopted country. We are well into the third and fourth generation of Dutch Canadians, but we still cherish our Dutch roots and traditions. Canada imports over 1 million chocolate letters each year!

On May 5, and really every day, lets remember all those who fought for freedom and hold on to the belief that right will always triumph over wrong.

This year in the Netherlands large celebrations were held across the country. CBC has a special on this history and partnership, which you can watch here.