Why these Londoners are celebrating the 80th anniversary of Dutch liberation
7,600 Canadian soldiers died in the effort to free the Netherlands from Nazi occupation
For Anja Hamilton, marking the anniversary of Dutch liberation is very personal.
"I think so many people think that, if they hadn't been liberated, what would the world look like?" said Hamilton, president of the Dutch Canadian Society of London and District.
Traditionally known as Dodenherdenking, the first weekend in May marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War. It commemorates the deaths of both soldiers and civilians since the beginning of the war.
About 7,600 Canadians died, freeing the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. Although D-Day was June 6, 1944, the Netherlands wasn't liberated until May 5, 1945.
If the Canadians hadn't liberated Holland, where would I be?- Anja Hamilton
"At that time, the Germans actually surrendered to a Canadian general," she said.
Hamilton was not alive during the war, but said that her father Joop Valkenier was 14 years old when it began and 15 years old when the country was occupied. In 1943 at the age of 18, he was conscripted by the Germans to work in a forced labour camp, where he remained until the end of the war.
"If the Canadians hadn't liberated Holland, where would I be or would I be [here]?" said Hamilton.
Each year, members of the Dutch Canadian Society of London and District meet at the liberation bell in Remembrance Gardens, located at the corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and River Road. They ring the bell, eat Dutch treats and reflect on the day their homeland was liberated from Nazi occupation.
Membership in the society has decreased as members have gotten older and passed away. However, there is still a handful who are still alive and have memories of the occupation and how difficult it was.
Corrine Ham was four years old when the war began, and recalls seeing a girl having her head shaved in the street for dating one of the German soldiers. She said it's important to never forget the past.
"I hope for peace from now until eternity," she said.
The Liberation Day Gathering begins on Sunday, May 4, at 12:30 p.m. at Remembrance Gardens.