YORKTON - While the Internet in general, and the social media in particular can be a quagmire of misinformation and ridiculous at times, there are wonderful little gems of information too.
Take for example a recent posting I came upon quite by accident. The post was about a professional soccer team in The Netherlands announcing they would be wearing a ‘kit’ incorporating the maple leaf in order to commemorate Canada’s effort to liberate their city from the Nazis 80 years ago as part of the march to Germany as the end of World War 2 neared.
It was such an interesting undertaking I wanted to learn more, so I emailed the club and Ruben Sijtsma with SC Cambuur, a team which plays in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie (second tier of Dutch football) which consists of 20 teams, was good enough to consent to answering some questions via further emails, given the difference in time zones and language.
“This is the first time a special Canada Liberation jersey has been created and will actually be worn in an official match,” he explained.
The city is Leeuwarden which Sijtsma explained has around 125,000 inhabitants and “was liberated on April 15th by the Royal Canadian Dragoons.”
Turning to Wikipedia it was in March 1945 the The Royal Canadian Dragoons “moved with the I Canadian Corps to North-West Europe as part of Operation Goldflake, and the regiment resumed its role as the I Canadian Corps’s armoured car regiment. The regiment was heavily engaged in operations in the Netherlands and Germany until the end of the war. The RCD was the first Allied unit to advance through Holland to the North Sea, famously liberated the city of Leeuwarden and fought off an attempted German amphibious assault. The fighting was so intense and chaotic that two of the squadron sergeants-major, WOII Deeming and WOII Forgrave, were separately awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (second in precedence to the Victoria Cross) for dismounting the members of their supply convoys and fighting through enemy infantry positions to get fuel, ammunition, water and rations forward to their squadrons.”
The Canadian effort has never been forgotten, said Sijtsma.
“Every year on May 4th, we commemorate the victims of World War II across the Netherlands, and on May 5th, we celebrate our freedom,” he said, adding “this year, due to the 80th anniversary, the commemorations and celebrations will be even more extensive.
Part of the effort to remember “are several monuments and references in the city—you can even find ‘Dragoonsplein’ (Dragoons Square) roughly at the spot where they entered the city back then,” noted Sijtsma.
So are Canada’s efforts in the liberation widely known or studied in The Netherlands?
“I’d say so, yes,” offered Sijtsma. “As a kid, I remember seeing lots of Canadian flags on May 5th and didn’t know why at first, but later we learned the stories in school and from our parents.
“In almost every city, there are streets named after Canadian liberators, and the topic holds a permanent place in our education.”
The idea of the special jersey was one that evolved a little over time.
“They already thought the jersey looked great, but once they heard the story behind it—especially the story of Mr. Jim Parks—they were quite blown away,” said Sijtsma.
Parks was just 19 when he landed at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944 with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles to begin the liberation of France from Nazi Germany.
Parks was injured in Delfzijl, Netherlands while serving. He was blown through a window under shell fire and woke up in a military hospital with shrapnel in his arm and legs. The shrapnel in his leg is still there as he is now 100, as it’s too close to a main artery to be removed.
The fans in The Netherlands are excited by the special jerseys and what they commemorate.
“It was almost unanimously positive,” said Sijtsma. “We expected people would support and appreciate this tribute, but we didn’t expect it at this scale or with such enthusiasm. The jerseys sold out within two hours, and the reactions kept coming in.
“Later on, we also received an overwhelming amount of attention from Canada itself, which we hadn’t anticipated at all.
“The personal stories from descendants of veterans moved us deeply, and that’s why we decided to make the shirt available again as a pre-order. You just can’t and don’t want to say no to those people.”
The jerseys will be worn Friday, April 25th, when SC Cambuur plays Vitesse “in our own Kooi Stadion, which seats 15,000 people,” said Sijtsma.
