Over the years, The Netherlands has struck several versions of their “Medal of Remembrance” to honour the soldiers who helped liberate their country during the Second World War. In 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Holland, the Netherlands offered a "Thank you Canada" anniversary medal to the more than 20,000 Canadian veterans who came to Holland to celebrate this memorable occasion.
To honour the equally important contribution of those veterans who were not able to attend those festivities in the Netherlands, The National Dutch Committee "Thank You Canada and Allied Forces" minted a medal called "Medal of Remembrance in Relation to the Liberation of Holland." This commemorative medal is as a token of the sincere appreciation and lasting gratitude of the Dutch people for the Canadian wartime efforts.
The Netherlands continues to make this Medal of Remembrance available to Canadian soldiers who participated in the Liberation of The Netherlands. Applications may also be submitted on behalf of a deceased veteran. The CMEA will facilitate any application by/for a Sapper and will make the submission to the Embassy of The Netherlands on the Sapper Veteran’s behalf. The Colonel Commandant would prefer that a local representative of the Canadian Military Engineers Family present the medal so the address of that individual making the presentation should be provided.
The following minimum information is required:
- Full name, rank in 1945, Regimental Number and birth date
- Unit and brief information about where he fought in the Netherlands.
- Postal address to send the medal.
It would also be helpful if you could provide a picture in uniform and some additional information such as:
- When did he enlist
- When did he embark for overseas
- When did his unit arrive on the Continent
- When did he demobilize
- What was his Date of Death (if applicable)
Please send the requested information by email to history.heritage@cmea-agmc.ca
