CARLYLE - Recently May 5, or as it is known in Spanish, Cinco de Mayo, has become a day to have a party. Cinco de Mayo is the recognition of an important battle in Mexican history. However, May 5 has a much more sombre meaning for Canadians, and a joyous meaning for those in the Netherlands.
On May 5, 1945, the battle for the Netherlands was over and German forces surrendered to Canadian Lt.-Gen. Charles Foulkes. This surrender ended the German occupation that began in May 1940. The German occupation of the Netherlands had caused hardship, privation and starvation as the occupiers did everything in their power to suppress the populace. The Diary of Anne Frank was written during this time, while she and her family were hiding in Amsterdam from the German occupiers and documented the horrors they faced.
The Allied effort to free the Netherlands had begun in September 1944, and it required eight months of fighting through the winter amid heavy resistance by German forces. The obstacles they faced included heavily entrenched positions and environmental obstacles such as vast areas flooded by the Germans in an effort to inhibit them.
The lead forces in this battle were the Canadian military, although they had aid from other allies. A famous painting by renowned Canadian wartime artist Alex Coleville shows exhausted Canadian soldiers trudging across a flooded field during the battle.
The Canadian forces, The First Canadian Army, that were involved in this battle ranged from 105,000-175,000 service personnel and was the largest Canadian military force that had been assembled. More than 7,600 Canadian military personnel sacrificed their lives in this battle for freedom. The final resting places for those lost are honoured throughout that land.
Although the date of the surrender in the Netherlands is often overlooked because the war in Europe ended only days later with the ultimate surrender of Germany, the people of the Netherlands have never forgotten those Canadians who fought and died to free them from oppression and occupation. The sacrifice of those who gave so much for the Netherlands is honoured and revered to this day.
If you attend a Cinco de Mayo party be sure to enjoy it. But this year, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, please take a moment to pause and honour the sacrifice of those who gave so much to allow us to enjoy the freedoms that we have. Be assured that the people of the Netherlands are thanking and honouring Canada and Canadian forces for their freedoms.
