Return To Holland - RCMP Pipes & Drums
On 28 April 2023, a group of 42 pipers, drummers, dancers and support people met up in the Netherlands to begin an incredible adventure. They were members of the Ottawa RCMP band augmented by comrades from Halifax and Regina bands, plus two members currently residing in Europe. This was finally the start of a trip, originally planned for 2020, to join in Dutch celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland.
The itinerary was worked out in concert with our Dutch contacts, who were members of RCL branch 005 in the Netherlands and had helped set up the band's first trip to the Netherlands in 2015. They kept us very busy for the ten days we were there.
Home base for the visit was Koot Kaserne, a Dutch army barracks near Stroe. From there, we bused to our planned stops across the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany.
We honoured Canadian veterans and civilian victims of war by conducting short Remembrance services at community memorials and Canadian War Cemeteries in Groesbeek and Holten. Visiting and performing at our national monument at Vimy and at Hill 70 were very special moments. We also had the privilege to play at the Last Post Ceremony in Ypres, Belgium, where the Menin Gate records the names of 54,389 British and Commonwealth soldiers (including 6,940 Canadians) who died in the area around Ypres and who have no known grave.
We performed in the towns of Bienen and Rees in Germany and visited the only memorial on German soil to Canadian soldiers killed in Germany. On May 4th, Remembrance Day in the Netherlands, where the country pauses for two minutes of silence at 8:00 pm, we had the honour of participating in a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. On May 5th in Wageningen, Netherlands, the RCMP Pipe Band and Dancers were especially honoured to lead the Liberation Day parade together with the City of Apeldoorn Pipes and Drums, following a small contingent of veterans.
The band performed at two sold out evening benefit concerts with local choirs and orchestras in Silvolde and Gendringen, both of which were live streamed. Short concerts were presented in many town squares, parks and other venues to very appreciative crowds. It was an extremely busy tour. The reception by the Dutch people was unfailingly enthusiastic and welcoming, especially in the small towns where the sacrifices of Canadian Liberators were marked by memorials and gravesites. The speeches and conversations by local mayors and dignitaries praised the contribution of Canadian troops in restoring Freedom to the Netherlands in 1945. The children lining the parade routes in large numbers were a reminder of how the Dutch ensure their children also understand that others paid a high price for that Freedom.
The visit was a profoundly moving experience for all band members, and gave us all a better understanding and appreciation of the contributions of Canadian veterans and of our own freedom. It was an absolute privilege for the RCMP Pipe Band and Dancers to represent Canada in the Netherlands for the 78th anniversary of their Liberation.
By John Virag
