HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-11-13, Page 17Crossroads—Nov. 13, 1985
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By John H. Martens room in Hotel Bonnema, where, be- receptio hall an ancient street organ feelings, where a false show of exag-
h the local organizers take v
dows of the
Friday. May 3rd. It is early in the hinda long tableagainst a wall, with .naged for the occasion, greets the gerated emotions evokes a shrug of
erans in a typical Dutch fashion. the shoulders.
tioned earlier two flights of
morning.' Somewhere over the Atlaiv m
tic two gigantic Boeing 747s are wing- t
ing their way. toward the shores of i
Europe. Amon -g the passengers cin v
each plane is. a party of Canadian
veterans bound for Schiphol airportnea. f
• Amsterdam.
The first plane is a KLM flight bear- r
ing 46 guests, and.whose destination is
Sneek, Friesland, Holland. For many
of these veterans and their wives it i -
.their first trans-Atlantic flight and
their first-ever visit to Holland since
the war, a land of so many memories,
Of heartbreaks, but also of fond recol-
lections.
Soon the veterans will set foot once
more on the soil of Holland, the land'
they helped to free so long ago. Their
wives will look -up at their menfolk,
whose thoughts and experiences at the
moment of touchdown'they can only
faintly sense or comprehend. What
are the innermost feelings of a return-
ing veteran when he breathes again
the air of the countries where the mili-
• tary campaigns of World War II led
him arid his buddies?
. Does he first remember his fallen
comrades? Does he first envisage the
long rows' of crosses in the military
cemeteries where his buddies from
many a campaign are buried,' never to
join' him in a joyful return like this one
to Holland, so many years later?
No doubt such thoughts Will cross
his mind and he will Ie sad deep in his
sotil, for why ..?
However, the excitement of the
moment, the hustle -and bustle of de-
_p_la ning and the mild confusion which
surround a long frifi regionsuw.
known will bring him back to reality.,
' His wife will nudge her man and tell
him to. lead the way in this strange
airport.
RECEPTION COMMITTEE
At midmorning in Sneek the first
members of the local welcoming corn-
mittee enter the stylish reception
heir places at 10 a.m. They are await- Behind the tinted -glass win
uc glass,
ng the arrival of the Canadian bus are middle-aged men in blue veterans. When the first plane landed
eteraris. jackets and berets, chests lined with at Schiphol airport at 7:00 in the
The reception room is large and of- medals and their .ladies dressed in morning, the second flight — a British
ers room for a couple of hundred of smart travel outfits. The men are Airways plane — was still flying over
people. Members Of host families ar- wearing broad grins, their faces Scotland. It was a clear day and the
i on the scenes of welcome dented shoreline of the west coast
and affection surrounding them.
A representative of the welcoming
committeee leads them inside, where
the veterans and their wives are wel-
comectwith applause.
Casting curious glances at the as-
sembled hosts, the ex -servicemen
wonder who will be matched with
whom.
SYMBOLS OF SPRING
A speech of welcome is read and
more coffee is served. Each of the
veterans is -presented with a small
bouquet of tulips. In Holland the flow-
ers are just beginning to bloom and
tulip fields stretch to the horizon as
they do at the beginning of each
. spring.
- They are the symbols of new life,
just as the presence of .Canadian
veterans here is a reminder of Hol-
land's rebirth as an independent na-.
tion. Then, after a fitting word of
thanks by the Canadian officer) in
charge, programs of the events and
ceremonies of the coming .days are
distributed. Each is given a street
map of Sneek, beside an identification
folder. The host families are not for-
gotten and are presented with an
orchid corsage.
Now the job of matching the veter-
ans with their hosts begins.
It was an uplifting experience to see , never ceased to cherish them as was
TiosT§—and t-gTists-greet-eachother-a.ncl—___shavioa._again this spring at this unique
even embrace one another in a spirit. juncture -in the historyOf Candda" and—
.. _
of brotherhood and friendship. This Holland. Although the memories of
show of dignified behavior spoke of the past are fading, it will take more
great mutual respect and affection. It than the mere passage of. time for the
will always be remembered for it Dutch to forget their rescue by men
' spoke again of the meeting of two na- like the Perth veterans.
tions, both civilized and full or warm
ive, in most cases the lady o
house, for it is a working day. Not in-
frequently it is 'a business man, who
has left his wife to mind the store. We
notice a very old couple with clear re-
collections about "their", Canadian
boy, who Vras billeted in their home in
1945; also a young couple, just ..
married, who in this way demonstrate
their consciousness of the historical
significance of the Canadian visit to
Sneek. For, let us face it, will the fu-
ture ever see again veterans from
Canada in such large numbers in.
Holland as there'were this year?
Is it not heartening to know that .
young and. old alike. are expressing
tribute and gratitude? ,
The microphones' on the --table are
tested. Welcome speeches in well -in-.
tentioned English are rehearsed an
programs of the impending festivities .
. are strategically placed.
An air of anticipation fills the recep-,
• At 10:30 a m. after a two-
hour trip from Schiphol airport the
first bus carrying veterans is expect-
. ed to arrive in front of the Hotel -
Bonnem'a.
More people. arrive, onlookers and
those drawn by the unusual bustle out-
side on the street. The reception com-
. .th micro -
• mgiattteeeet_Bis ononnwerna2sa
t tuii Moments later the bus rolls up to the
• mind and dispel some vveariness.
Dutch -coffee- toalert
The excitement in the room' is ris-
phones are adjusted again and strong
ing. Someone telephones from a
neighboring village to report that the
first bus with veterans aboard has
passed on its way to Sneek.
At me_entry' to the
beam ng up
was slowly passing below. The plane
was heading for Heathrow, London's
airport, where it intended to land be-
fore proceeding to Schiphol.
• SECOND GROUP
It was a tired but happy group of
travellers which finally arrived at the ,
latter airport after nine hours aboard
the plane. It was .not until 3 p.m. that
their bus pulled up to the lobby of
Bonnema's in Sneek, where a similar
reception was accorded the tired
veterans and their spouses as had
been staged that same morning for
the earlier arrivals.
As in the morning, a handkerchief
daubing a moist eye or a quick brush
with the back of a hand across a
veteran' -face occasionally betrayed
the human emotions generated by this
extraordinary occasion.
Off they went in the different direc-
tions, the veterans in their smart
jacikets and jaunt); berets on the arm
of 'matronly Dutch ladies or accom-
panied by their Dutch friends.
During the hours of night when
Sneek was _asleep and citizens and
veterans alike rested from ,the emo-
tions of the' day, more planes would -
take to the air from Canadian air-
ports. They would bring still other
veterans to Holland', for Holland has
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