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Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
VE-Day: Eighty years later, liberation of the Netherlands by Canadians soldiers still burns brightly
Martha van Mourik turns 96 in June, and her short-term memory isn't what it used to be. But days from the distant past come back to her. And one day burns brightest of all: May 8, 1945. V-E Day. Victory in Europe . She was 16. That was what came to mind when she woke one morning this week at her Hamilton retirement home. It is the day that commemorates the Nazi Germany surrender in the Second World War, which came after Canadian soldiers had freed her home country, the Netherlands. 'Liberation,' said Martha's daughter, Jeannette van Mourik. 'Mom said that was the first thing she thought about when she woke up.' Martha van Mourik, who is turning 96 in June, in a photo taken in 2018, wearing her special Remembrance Day top. Jeanette related what her mother talked about that morning: how she recalled jubilation in her hometown of Joure, in the northern part of the country, when Canadian soldiers had rolled through. On May 7, 1945, German Gen. Alfred Jodl signed surrender documents to the Allies in northeastern France. The next day, a second surrender was signed for officials from the Soviet Union in Berlin. Hamiltonians celebrate the end of the Second World War in 1945. But by this time, the liberation of the Netherlands by Canada had already been mission accomplished, in April, following an eight-month campaign in which 7,600 Canadians were killed. An exhibit currently showing at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope commemorates the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. Titled 'Maple Leaves and Tulips: Then and Now,' it highlights Canada's role in the liberation. It also features the postwar era, and the Dutch 'war brides' who returned to Canada as part of a wave of Dutch immigration. Each major V-E Day anniversary in Hamilton has been marked with ceremony and celebration; 2020 was an exception, when all was silent during the pandemic. One of the grandest celebrations was for the 70th anniversary in 2015: a gala dinner and dance at the museum, where about 80 veterans who were between 90 to 96 years old attended. They are nearly all gone now. And those who didn't serve, but who have carried memories of the liberation — like the van Mouriks — also fade into history. That includes Jeanette's father, Albert. He died two years ago, at 93. Albert's eyes would tear up, remembering the liberation and sacrifice of his homeland. He supported veterans' causes in Hamilton for the rest of his life. 'I was always thankful he had those tears, because he had carried so much inside,' Jeannette said. Albert had desperately wanted to join the fight against the Germans, but was just turning 16 by the war's end. He had tried lying about his age, to no avail. Instead, he joined the Princess Irene Brigade drum corps. Albert van Mourik as a teenager in the Netherlands, as a member of the Princess Irene Brigade drum corps. The people in his town of Apeldoorn, 100 kilometres south of Joure, suffered terribly. To the end of his life, he never wanted to talk much about it. He had witnessed corpses hauled down the streets in wagons, from starvation in the final winter of the war. Albert and Martha travelled to the Netherlands in 2005, to take part in 60th V-E Day celebrations. He was photographed by The Spectator for the 70th anniversary, wearing his brigade beret, saluting at the cenotaph in Gore Park. Albert van Mourik pays tribute to Canadian sacrifices in the Second World War, at the cenotaph in Gore Park about eight years ago. He had been a teenager in the Netherlands when Canadian soldiers liberated his hometown. And one year, for Remembrance Day, he simply wrote a message on a cardboard sign and put it on his front lawn on the west Mountain. It read: '70 years ago we were liberated by the Canadian army. Thank you!' Albert van Mourik and his wife Martha show their appreciation for the Canadian soldiers who liberated their homeland on Remembrance Day in this undated picture. Six years ago, Albert was eating a meal at his retirement home in Hamilton. He got to chatting with a fellow resident named Bernard (Bernie) Mudge. (Bernie died in 2021, at 100.) That night, over dinner, Bernie revealed to Albert that he had served in the war. In the town of Apeldoorn. Albert van Mourik, right, and veteran Bernard (Bernie) Mudge, after they had met years ago at a Hamilton retirement home, where this undated photo was taken. Mudge revealed to Mourik that he had served in van Mourik's hometown in the Netherlands, as part of the campaign to liberate the Dutch. 'My dad got very emotional when he heard that,' said Jeannette. 'All he wanted to do his entire life, was personally say thank you. He told Bernie: 'You were in my hometown. You helped save me.''
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
V-E Day: Eighty years later, liberation of the Netherlands by Canadians soldiers still burns brightly
Martha van Mourik turns 96 in June, and her short-term memory isn't what it used to be. But days from the distant past come back to her. And one day burns brightest of all: May 8, 1945. V-E Day. Victory in Europe . She was 16. That was what came to mind when she woke one morning this week at her Hamilton retirement home. It is the day that commemorates the Nazi Germany surrender in the Second World War, which came after Canadian soldiers had freed her home country, the Netherlands. 'Liberation,' said Martha's daughter, Jeannette van Mourik. 'Mom said that was the first thing she thought about when she woke up.' Martha van Mourik, who is turning 96 in June, in a photo taken in 2018, wearing her special Remembrance Day top. Jeanette related what her mother talked about that morning: how she recalled jubilation in her hometown of Joure, in the northern part of the country, when Canadian soldiers had rolled through. On May 7, 1945, German Gen. Alfred Jodl signed surrender documents to the Allies in northeastern France. The next day, a second surrender was signed for officials from the Soviet Union in Berlin. Hamiltonians celebrate the end of the Second World War in 1945. But by this time, the liberation of the Netherlands by Canada had already been mission accomplished, in April, following an eight-month campaign in which 7,600 Canadians were killed. An exhibit currently showing at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope commemorates the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. Titled 'Maple Leaves and Tulips: Then and Now,' it highlights Canada's role in the liberation. It also features the postwar era, and the Dutch 'war brides' who returned to Canada as part of a wave of Dutch immigration. Each major V-E Day anniversary in Hamilton has been marked with ceremony and celebration; 2020 was an exception, when all was silent during the pandemic. One of the grandest celebrations was for the 70th anniversary in 2015: a gala dinner and dance at the museum, where about 80 veterans who were between 90 to 96 years old attended. They are nearly all gone now. And those who didn't serve, but who have carried memories of the liberation — like the van Mouriks — also fade into history. That includes Jeanette's father, Albert. He died two years ago, at 93. Albert's eyes would tear up, remembering the liberation and sacrifice of his homeland. He supported veterans' causes in Hamilton for the rest of his life. 'I was always thankful he had those tears, because he had carried so much inside,' Jeannette said. Albert had desperately wanted to join the fight against the Germans, but was just turning 16 by the war's end. He had tried lying about his age, to no avail. Instead, he joined the Princess Irene Brigade drum corps. Albert van Mourik as a teenager in the Netherlands, as a member of the Princess Irene Brigade drum corps. The people in his town of Apeldoorn, 100 kilometres south of Joure, suffered terribly. To the end of his life, he never wanted to talk much about it. He had witnessed corpses hauled down the streets in wagons, from starvation in the final winter of the war. Albert and Martha travelled to the Netherlands in 2005, to take part in 60th V-E Day celebrations. He was photographed by The Spectator for the 70th anniversary, wearing his brigade beret, saluting at the cenotaph in Gore Park. Albert van Mourik pays tribute to Canadian sacrifices in the Second World War, at the cenotaph in Gore Park about eight years ago. He had been a teenager in the Netherlands when Canadian soldiers liberated his hometown. And one year, for Remembrance Day, he simply wrote a message on a cardboard sign and put it on his front lawn on the west Mountain. It read: '70 years ago we were liberated by the Canadian army. Thank you!' Albert van Mourik and his wife Martha show their appreciation for the Canadian soldiers who liberated their homeland on Remembrance Day in this undated picture. Six years ago, Albert was eating a meal at his retirement home in Hamilton. He got to chatting with a fellow resident named Bernard (Bernie) Mudge. (Bernie died in 2021, at 100.) That night, over dinner, Bernie revealed to Albert that he had served in the war. In the town of Apeldoorn. Albert van Mourik, right, and veteran Bernard (Bernie) Mudge, after they had met years ago at a Hamilton retirement home, where this undated photo was taken. Mudge revealed to Mourik that he had served in van Mourik's hometown in the Netherlands, as part of the campaign to liberate the Dutch. 'My dad got very emotional when he heard that,' said Jeannette. 'All he wanted to do his entire life, was personally say thank you. He told Bernie: 'You were in my hometown. You helped save me.''
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton-area Today: Liberation burns bright + Matty Matheson restaurant + Council votes for tailgating
G ood morning! It's May 8, here are the top stories today in the Hamilton area. Cool and cloudy today with 30 per cent chance of rain early in the morning. Environment Canada says the daytime high will be 13 C but for those who jumped into planting season, be aware there is a risk of frost overnight. There are no weather alerts. Find the latest provincial road closures and traffic incidents via Ontario 511 . Closures in Hamilton are available on the Hamilton police incident feed . Taking transit today? Find the latest GO Transit service updates here . The latest information on local bus services are available here: Hamilton , Burlington and Oakville . V-E Day: Eighty years later, liberation of the Netherlands by Canadians soldiers still burns brightly VE-Day on May 8 commemorates the Nazi Germany surrender in the Second World War, which came after Canadian soldiers had freed the Netherlands. It was the first thing 95-year-old Martha van Mourik was thinking about when she woke up this week, said her daughter Jeannette. Who is 'The Bear' star opening a restaurant in revamped Hamilton Arena? Matty Matheson's Iron Cow Public House will span more than 9,500 square feet and seat up to 185 guests. Builder fined 16 times over rogue construction now faces new violation after city issued permit City granted building permit for homeowner while provincial offences charges against him remain before the courts. Man convicted in hit-and-run death of Boris Brott has sentenced reduced Appeal Court says trial judge shouldn't have treated Arsenije Lojovic's bipolar disorder as an aggravating factor. Brott Music Festival announces 38th season 'It's exciting and life-enhancing to be around these musicians, and to witness the kind of music that they create.' Proposed tailgating ban shot down at city hall Hamilton city council votes 13-1 not to ban tailgate parties and add other stricter alcohol policies. Encampment enforcement sweeps Hamilton's rail trail Tent dwellers mull next move after receiving trespass notices. How would Donald Trump's threatened film industry tariffs affect Hamilton? Hamilton is a go-to spot for filming, with local buildings and streets featured in Hallmark movies, 'Murdoch Mysteries' and the recently released Trump biopic 'The Apprentice.' He wasn't allowed to watch UFC. Now, he's an ultimate fighting star Waterdown's Mike Malott steps into the cage for his 15th pro fight in Montreal Saturday. Personal Finance | Considering adoption? This is how much it costs to add a dog to your family There are significant expenditures during the lifetime of the animal. Subscribe to our newsletters for the latest local content .
