When names become people A little more than five years ago, I stood in Holten Canadian War Cemetery in Holland. It was Wednesday, May 4, 2005, National Memorial Day in the Netherlands. More then 5,000 people were gathered there, including then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and members of the Dutch Royal family. I was there as part of a group of likeminded people, observing the 60th anniversary ceremonies of the Liberation of The Netherlands in 1945. It would be an understatement to say that day changed me. The Dutch hospitality was impeccable as many veterans attended that day, to honour the things that happened 60 years before. Even today, the Dutch people still maintain an ongoing love affair with Canadian veterans, since the Canadian troops were the ones who liberated most of the Dutch villages from the clutches of the Nazis. There are 1,355 Canadian soldiers buried in Holten, and the local Dutch people still recognize those 1,355 every chance they can. The Dutch school kids place a flower on each individual grave every Christmas Eve, and the finely manicured grounds are nothing short of pristine. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the body overseeing the maintenance of all the cemeteries for Commonwealth soldiers around the world, has done a fabulous job, right down to the inscriptions on the grave markers, explaining who the soldier was, the outfit he was with, and a space for the family to add some comments. Back here at home, members of the local Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee, many of whom have visited cemeteries in Europe, felt those 67 local war dead whose names are inscribed on the Cenotaph in Georgetown, needed more recognition than simply their name on the Cenotaph. After some thought and discussion, they decided to add some memorial plaques at the park, which will go one step further in recognizing the 67 war dead. 7 "Spaces live. Let me help you live well in yours." 905.877.0296 www.haughtonbrazeau.com Complete renovation management, colour harmonizing, furniture & accessories selection, lighting advice... and much more! Let's start creating your dream! Independent & Free Press, Thursday, September 9, 2010 Catherine Brazeau, Interior style consultant Ted Brown The plaque will have the name, registration number, date of death, age and place of burial or commemoration of each of the 67 Second World War troops who never returned from the fighting. Members of the committee, John Blaauwendraat, Martin Boomsma, Rein Pater, Nell Ramakers and Tom Schenk, have a distinct passion about this project. Many of them were young children in Holland when the Canadian troops arrived to liberate their villages or towns-- they know how to properly honour these men. Personally, I'm delighted to see them take this step, and in doing so, transform those 67 names into 67 people-- men who left here to make a difference in the world, and did so by giving their lives. The information elevates them from being mere names, to becoming sons, husbands and fathers. In doing so, we will know who they were, where they served, and where their final resting place is. It's an admirable project and I'm pleased to see our local Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee make it happen. Taking a page from their friends and relatives back in Holland, they are carrying on the tribute to those 67 names. There will be an unveiling ceremony of the new memorial plaques, Sunday, September 19 at 2 p.m. I know, after having experienced similar ceremonies in military cemeteries all over Europe, it will be a somber, but poignant moment, as those 67 names once again become more than mere names-- they will become `people'. 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