With the sound of pipes still echoing from a spirited send-off parade in downtown Chatham on Saturday, members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642 Pipe and Drum Band are now preparing to travel to the Netherlands for a series of historic commemorations.
The group is part of the Ontario Massed Pipes and Drums band, a 55-member pipe band and colour guard that will take part in events marking the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands — a moment Canadians played a pivotal role in during the final stages of the Second World War.
Jim Meurkes, a co-organizer and bass drum player with the band, said the group has been preparing for over a year for the meaningful journey.
“We will be marching on May 4,” he said.
“We do the Holten War Cemetery — the all-Canadian war cemetery. That night we’re doing the resistance march to the Markelo monument. The next day, we’re doing the national parade in Wageningen. That’s where the Germans surrendered in the Second World War to Field Marshal Montgomery and the Canadian contingent.”
Meurkes added that the parade route passes the hotel where the surrender was signed, calling it a deeply symbolic moment for the group.
Saturday’s local march through downtown Chatham served as a dress rehearsal for the overseas events and drew a supportive crowd. The band marched from the Chatham Legion to Sons of Kent Brewing Co. and back, followed by a community barbeque to raise funds for the trip.
Len Maynard, a veteran and president of the Chatham Legion Branch 642, said the trip is a powerful way to honour those who served.
“That’s a big milestone for the veterans, and probably some of the veterans’ last,” he said.
“So, to have my people be a part of that — very proud.”
Maynard emphasized the deep ties between Canadians and the Dutch, forged during the Battle of the Scheldt and other key moments of the liberation campaign.
“Our veterans are very much respected over there, incredibly so,” he said.
“This is one of the reasons we’ll never forget. A lot of sacrifice. A lot of the boys didn’t come home, and the ones that did, came broken. But they paid the price. Freedom always comes at a high price.”
Dutch Canadian resident Eugene Putman, who now lives in Chatham, said he still feels a deep sense of gratitude.
“World War II means a lot to people in Holland. That’s where I’m from,” Putman said.
“If it wasn’t for the Canadians, we’d probably be speaking German right now — and maybe here too.”
The delegation from Chatham will be joined by members of the Ontario Massed Pipes and Drums. Drum Major Meg McKinnon, from Midland, said the journey is both a musical and emotional experience.
“It’s a blessing to be able to go over there and see all of our Dutch friends and celebrate this milestone,” she said.
“We had a veteran in our branch who helped liberate Holland. It’s absolutely fun, and it’s meaningful — we get to honour them through music.”
The group will also extend their European visit to include stops at Vimy Ridge and the Menin Gate in Belgium to pay tribute to Canada’s First World War fallen.
“We want to do a little bit of exploring and playing over there for the First World War dead in the Canadian Vimy Memorial,” Meurkes said.
His wife and co-organizer, Dee Meurkes, said the trip has taken more than a year to plan and couldn’t have happened without teamwork.
“It takes an army,” she said. “We have a great group.”
As the group prepares to represent Chatham and Canada on an international stage, organizers say they are mindful of the stories they carry — and the sacrifices they honour.
“They haven’t forgotten their country,” Jim Meurkes said of the Dutch people.
“It’s different over there. They view the commemorations differently, because they were occupied at one time.”
And for him, it’s also personal.
“My parents are both passed away now, but they were early teens at the end of the war,” he said.
“They remembered it vividly.”
The Chatham group is helping organize the trip along with the Sun Parlour Pipes and Drums and Branch 80 Midland Pipes and Drums. Nine different bands from across the region will be represented with others from across Canada to remember, reflect and represent — a journey more than a year in the making, and generations in the remembering.
To donate or learn more about the upcoming liberation event, contact the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642 at 519-351-8733 or online through their social media channels.
