ENSCHEDE
hugging, kissing and drinking

It was on April 1st", 1945 Enschede was liberated by British forces. It's possession was important for the Guards Armoured Division, because this 'Dutch Manchester' was lying on the divisions 'Club route', running from Rees on the Lower Rhine towards Hamburg-Bremen in Germany.
Although not expected, the battle for this town was stiff and eventually twenty-two British soldiers, among them two RAF-pilots, payed our liberation with their young life!
Besides these military casualties, eighteen civilians lost their life too in the course of the battle, apart from thirteen members of the local resistance being shot by the Germans within their sight on freedom, they had longing for and they did fighting for, for five long years! For the relatives of these brave men this liberation meant an occasion of mixed feelings!
On the other hand however the feelings concerning  the  moment of being liberated cannot be described.Not only large parts of Enschede were devastated by bombing, but also more than 630 Jews were murdered and another 600 inhabitants became victims too due to various causes.
Most important however was not to be occupied anymore, which meant permanently being oppressed, being watched, nor allowed to walk and talk  freely and even not knowing for sure if your neighbours, friends and even sometimes your own family could be trusted!
Due to the fact some important bridges were blown, the liberating forces were pressed to advance throughout the centre of the town."Here we met", one of the Allied reporters noted "the most jubilant people since we left Brussels. We were engaged by all kind of people who did not show any consideration of our tactical warfare, since they walked, stalked, jumped and danced  all over the roads, climbing  our vehicles, shaking hands, hugging, kissing and drinking and sometimes bagging for cigarettes and chocolate.....as it there was no any war to be won! We got badly stuck in the middle of the centre and these people showed us better skills in obstructing our advance than the Germans had shown us till then!"
Partly together but mainly directly after these British forces left already for Germany, the Canadians occupied the city and stayed under the same conditions and good feelings for a long time.
On the large German occupied aerodrome just to the North of the town, called Twente,the RAF cleared the rubble and with the help of some 6000 labourers, the airfield was able to receive its first squadrons within a week. Also Canadian squadrons were operating there with Typhoons, Spitfires and Mosquitoes and were being involved in supporting groundforces on their advance into Germany en route towards the Baltic.

Following the cease-fire on May 5th 1945 however, many squadrons remained operational at this airfield doing exercises and flying corss-country. "War was also over for our 409 RCAF squadron. Armed with cameras we did some trips by air to the 'happy valley'to have a look if our boys from Bomber Command had done their job well", the squadrons liason officer told. "On June  19th our C.O. made us clear we would be in England once again within three weeks but some lucky guys would be on leave earlier."
On one such an occasion F/L/ Skelly (pilot) and F/O Lim(nav.) attempted to formate another of the squadrons Mosuitoes for their last fly-past over the drome before leaving home. While doing so they hit the other machine, dropped to the ground and crashed in a hayfield near the aerodrome where some farmers of the Rotman family and their children were working.
Apart from the two already mentioned Canadian airmen and a new Zealand passenger, a mother and her just married son were killed instantly, others being badly wounded by debris and fire. People who had survived the war with daily bombing- and  fighter attacks, shooting, a.s.o. without a single scratch!  On June 26th the funeral was held at the Enschede Eastern Cemetry with the whole Squadron present."While holding our open air service for our comrades and having not any knowledge of their presence, two youngsters of this family, who just had lost their father and brother did attend our service and laid down some flowers and a large wreath, saying "To our allied friends"; they made us completely speechless...! We never will forget the way they showed their respect for our men, who caused this accident and the loss of their beloved partners too and have this great people, who must have had more than enough to solve their own sad feelings in mind as a symbol for real peace and understanding!

TWENTERAND
Though years go by:  we will remember!

Liberation in the Municipality of Twenterand.
In the early hours of 5 April 1945, the Manitoba Dragoons pursued their advance towards Vriezenveen from Almelo.
The joy in this village, in the region of Twente (in the province of Overijssel) was immense when the brave Canadians brought liberation. The first contact was made with Corporal Frederic Pope from  Winnipeg and trooper George B. Hall. The first platoon of the A Squadron was led by Lieutenant Graeme T. Haig and trooper and radio operator David Shiffman, both from Winnipeg. Once Vriezenveen had been liberated,  the troops immediately headed north and liberated Westerhaar-Vriezenveensewijk

and Vrooomshoop.
In this last village, the arrival of the Manitoba Dragoons prevented the mass execution of fifty men by the Germans at the very last minute. The local resistance fought hard to secure the bridges over the canal. Unfortunately, the liberation of these villages came at the expense of many lives on both the Dutch and German sides.
The D Squadron of the Twelfth Regiment of the Manitoba Dragoons liberated the village of Den Ham a day after the liberation of the village of Vroomshoop. Untold suffering was brought about in Den Ham during the war, following the deportation of five men to concentration camps. Four of them were never to see their homes again. A number of Jews had also been ceased in Den Ham and taken away during the war and have since never returned.
The inhabitants of the said rural centres within the current municipality of Twenteraad, are profoundly grateful for the efforts of their liberators. Polish, American, Russian and Belgian liberator also poured, on the heels of the  Canadians. Since 1990, the Canadian liberators of yesteryear have been warmly received by the Twenteraad population once every five years and housed under the motto “Welcome back veterans”. The Canadian guests thus attend the remembrance and liberation celebrations together with their host families. The Twenteraad town hall is situated on Manitoba Square. In the village of Vroomshoop, a remembrance plaque was unveiled on 5 April 2005 at the spot where the Manitoba Dragoons liberated the canal village sixty years earlier.  With the passage of time, the number of veterans still alive continues to dwindle, naturally. Nonetheless, every year on 4 May, people everywhere in the region take time to remember and meditate on the huge sacrifice that was made so many, including our liberators. Though years go by: we will remember!

MEPPEL
They drove through the overcrowded streets.

Liberation of Meppel, April 13, 1945
Sixty years ago the town of Meppel was liberated from all sides. The regiments that liberated Meppel belonged to the 2nd Canadian Division.  At the Werkhorst Bridge, the Canadian commanding officer promised to return as soon as all those present were able to remove the barricade. This did not fall on deaf ears and in next to no time the job was done. The Meppel Assault Group marched into town from Hoogeveenseweg towards the