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~» THE CGHAWA TIMES, Twesdey, Mey 31, 1960 vie Whi) MAJOR LEO TIGGLERS TO TAKE OVER REGIMENT'S The changeover ceremony is fixed for June 12 at Oshawa Armoury. Nazi Invasion Vivid In Memory Of New Commanding Officer By CHRIS DENNETT Of The Oshawa Times Tt was early on the morning ef May 10, 1940, that 14-year-old Leo -Peter Tiggelers first heard the sounds of war. On that day, the goose-step- ping German Wermacht crash- ed their way into Holland. *Y'll never forget the sound ef those hob-nail boots," recall- ed the Ontario Regiment's new Commanding Officer. "They walked down the street with their rifles pointing at the windows in case of-trouble. I can remember all so viv- idly " it For the young Netherlander it | well, For the remainder of the | was the beginning of a new life.| war and occupation he and his | During the next few years he was to see his town all but destroyed; he was to know hun- ger and pain, he was to see close friends out town in the streets; he was to come close to death many times himself. Born in the Dutch town of Venlo, on the German border, he was one of the first to see the dreaded Wermacht as they swarmed into Holland plunged on into France. Young Leo Tiggelers was a schoolboy at the time. German occupation, he "IT guess we knew it was go- ing to happen really. It was just that we never said it out aloud. "A few days before the inva- gion the Dutch army blew up all the trees in our street to block the road. They said it was an exercise. They even army that. "T can remember thinking that it was a shame those beau- tiful trees had to go. I think I, and everybody else, realized it was something more serious than an exercise. "When the Germans invaded they just drove right around those trees." Leo Tiggelers had two more years. at school. When he left, the authorities made it patent- ly ciear that they wanted him to work in the German owned Zeiss factory making periscopes for the German U-Boats. and | through Belgium | re- members, came as a surprise. | told the Tigglers refused: "I didn't want to help make those things | for the Germans. I lied and said |I wanted to work in communi- cations." Apparently, no-one complain- led. Tiggelers was young and | they thought he was sincere. So, at the age of 16, he went to work in tele-communications. "It was a repeater station in | Venlo,' Major Tiggelers ex- | plained. "The 'station formed a | vital link in the German's com- |munication system. Their mes- |}sages to Germany were chan- neled through our station." The young worker did his job ifellow workers specialized in | fouling up German communica- tions. | "We were guarded all the time,"' he recalled. "But they | didn't know @ thing about tele- communications. | "If they had found out what |}we were doing we would have |been shot for sure. But they | never did. "On occasions,"' Major Tiggel- | ers remembered fondly, "things got really funny. "Every now and again we | would have to help transmit an important speech to Hitler. "The speech would start and we would wander around pull- ing out plugs. The speech would be full of long interruptions. "The guards, of course, just |thought we were adjusting | things. They never realized it |was wus who were messing things up." Jerry-baiting became a favor- | ite occupation for Tiggelers and his young friends. 'We weren't playing games | either," he said. "It was a ser- | ious business. We never accom: | | plished anything too much; but | | we generally made life very un- | | comfortable for the Germans." | One of his favorite tricks was to pour sand into the wheel- 'bearings of railway freight | cars. TRAVEL Extend their To The ONTARIO 57 King Mt. E FOUR SEASONS Best Wishes on their 100th ANNIVERSARY Four Seasons Travel REGIMENT During the last six months of occupation the Germans finally evacuated from the repeater station. Major Tiggelers was left te fend for himself. It was at this point that things really became tough. Allied troops, creeping ever clacer many, were suddenly fighting the war on the door steps of Venlo. "The British began shelling the hell out of the place," said Major Tiggelers. 'The Ger- mans evacuated everyone and declared the whole city off limits." Tiggelers, stayed behind, Living on whatever he could steal in the deserted city, he took up residence in a care fully concealed basement next door to his shell - shattered home. "Eventually we were the first to welcome the Americans into the city." It was not long after the war that Tiggelers, now 20, was con- scripted into the Royal Dutch Marine Corps. After boot camp he was shipp- ed off to Indonesia to fight the nationalist rebels. "I guess Indonesia was a bit like Viet Nam", Major Tiggel- ers said. "It was dirty, jungle warfare. "It was tough, I can tell you. We used to go out on 12 hour patrols. We would get back, sleep for four hours and then go out again." Except for dysentery, and a slight touch of malaria when he got home, Major Tiggelers came through his term of duty with- out a scratch. : At the end of his term he had risen to the rank of corporal. Back in Holland he found his | horizon too small. "So I came to Canada', he said. Except for a small sojourn | gold mining in northern Quebec | he and his wife Ruth have spent | all of their time in Whitby. He |has two children, Patricia, 16, |} and Johnny 13. | Jt is in Whitby that he and his | brother-in-law run a plumbing | and heating business. In 1954 Major Tiggelers join- ed the Ontarios. He started off as an officer- vedet. As the years passed he moved quickly through: Second | Lt., Lt., Captain and then Ma- | jor. which were ta Cor. however, COMMAND "It worked every time," Major Tiggelers said with a laugh. 'We just had to open a panel, pour the sand in and run like hell. "The train would get about a mile out of the station and | command of the Regiment from then the sabotaged wheels | Lt. Col. W. C. Paynter. would seize up. "It is going to be a wonderful Tt used to throw them into a/| challenge," he said of his new | real panic. They would have to | job. 'I am taking over one of | back the whole train up to get|the best militia units in the | the seized freight-cars. out of | country,.I know we are going the line-up." } 10 work well together." On June 12 he takes over CENTRAL ONTARIO TRUST & Savings Corporation Ltd. | SALUTES A goaliant ond Distinguished Regiment | t The Ontario Regiment on their 100th Anniversary