Canadian Ground in the Holterberg

The Canadian Cemetery is a unique place in Holten. Here you can find peace and remember the sacrifices that were made in the past. The grounds always look beautifully maintained, thanks to the hard work of André and Jan Deijk. Together, they have more than fifty years of experience in landscaping. We spoke with them about their work, the importance of remembrance, and the preparations for the celebration of eighty years of freedom in Holten.

 

André begins: "I have been working for the Commonwealth for almost thirty years now. I attended agricultural school and had just returned from Germany, where I worked for a large agricultural company. In the Netherlands, I was approached by the employment office: 'Is working at the cemetery something for you?' I didn't know... My parents said: 'You can always go back to agriculture, just give it a try.' Initially, I was supposed to help for one month with the preparations for the fiftieth anniversary of freedom. Quickly, I went from a six-month contract to a permanent contract, and now, thirty years have passed."

 

Extra help
"I did various other things and worked for different landscapers before I was approached by André," says Jan. Initially, he wasn't interested in the job. Laughing, "I went to see it on a dreary morning, so you don't get the best impression. I received the same advice from several people that André did back then: 'Just try it, you can always leave later.' That turned out to be a good choice: twenty years later, I'm still here!"

 

Keeping a beautiful place beautiful

 The grounds always look beautiful thanks to years of hard work. "Simply put, we are responsible for the maintenance 'within the gates.' This includes the grass, keeping the stones and graves clean, and the planting," explains André.

 Jan adds, "There is an entire system behind the planting. Each year, we renew about five thousand plants. This year, we started with perennials. Unfortunately, we are increasingly dealing with diseases in the heather that are harder to combat. The well-known heather garden will slowly become a flower garden."

 He continues, "It might sound odd, but we now see it more as a large garden rather than a cemetery. We work all day in the fresh air with the birds around us. For us, it's always a moment of reflection. It really is a very beautiful place." Many residents of Holten and people from the surrounding area who are dealing with stress come here regularly to find some peace."

André adds, "The most important thing is that we can honor the boys who are buried here properly. Even after eighty years, families still come for the first time to visit their relative's grave. Recently, we spoke with two Canadians who came to see their relative's grave for the first time in their lives. They were very moved and told us that this place is truly beautiful. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile."

Passing on History

The men passionately discuss the history of World War II at the table. André says, "Here in the Netherlands, we tend to think that the liberation started in Normandy. That's not entirely accurate. The 48th Highlanders also fought incredibly hard in Rome and Sicily before coming here in March 1945. That's why we commemorate them every year on April 13th in Holten. Through my work here, I've become much more aware of history. Thanks to Gert Jan van 't Holt, who visited with schools, many stories have been passed down. In my opinion, he has done a fantastic job of further putting the cemetery on the map with limited resources."

Jan adds, "Every commemoration on May 4th gives me a certain feeling. The stories themselves and the entire history are extremely interesting. The appreciation you feel from people on those days is also very special. We get a lot of visitors, but I've never heard anyone say that this place is a mess. We are all very proud of that."

'Secret' Commemoration

Which commemoration stands out the most for the men? "The 2020 commemoration was very special to me. In January, we were almost finished with the preparations for 75 years of freedom when the coronavirus pandemic hit," says Jan. "After one video call with the board, it was decided to cancel the commemoration."

"I then said: as long as I work here, there will be a commemoration. No matter what," André continues. "We organized flags, a wreath, and 3000 white roses with a small group of volunteers. The plan was to lay the roses in the morning, followed by our children laying the wreath together. But ten days beforehand, I got a call from the mayor's secretary: then Minister of Defense Ank Bijleveld had promised her Canadian colleague to lay a wreath as well. The mayor couldn't be left out either. In the end, there were thirteen of us."

Jan adds, "Everything went smoothly, and we adhered to the corona rules. No one complained to us. We only had one unforeseen guest: RTV Oost. They posted something on Facebook, which led to many negative reactions. André received an official warning from the Commonwealth. We still stand by our decision and are glad we did it that way. Not commemorating the boys was not an option for us."

Eighty Years of Freedom

In 2025, we will celebrate eighty years of freedom in the Netherlands together. "We already started the first preparations last June," says Jan enthusiastically. "For instance, if you want certain plants to be in full bloom in 2025, you need to start working on it the year before. Imagine if we had only started this year and we get bad weather: the whole grounds would be a mess in 2025! If everything goes well, we’ll have less work on the grounds themselves this coming winter. Most of the planting is already done."

"While Jan focuses mainly on the physical preparations, I also sit at the table with the National Holidays Celebration Foundation and other stakeholders," André adds. "There will probably be no veterans present. But remembrance doesn't stop with the death of the last veteran. Instead, we commemorate together with the second and third generations. The aim is to further involve both Dutch and Canadian youth. Especially considering everything that is happening in the world right now, it is important that we continue to remember and learn from our mistakes."

Canadian Land on the Holterberg

What few people know is that the Commonwealth owns twelve hectares of land on the Holterberg. André explains, "Initially, they anticipated a higher mortality rate. That's why so much land was donated to the Commonwealth, to provide our liberators with an eternal resting place. The remainder was returned to nature. As a result, over three-quarters of the Oranjekuil is owned by the Commonwealth." The expectation of more casualties is also evident behind the cemetery. "If you look closely, you can still see additional stairs in the forest and the foundation for a cross. That cross was eventually placed in the middle of the cemetery," Jan explains.

The Future

Having been involved for quite some time now, how do these gentlemen see the future? "I'll still be around for this major commemoration, but after that, my longest time here will likely be over," André muses aloud. "I don't always agree with the new regulations and ideas that are being proposed. This could make it harder for me to do my job well in the future. And if I don't support it, I don't want it keeping me awake at night. However, of course, I will continue to dedicate myself to a beautiful commemoration in 2025. Besides, my wife is from Canada, and my daughter also wants to study veterinary medicine there. Who knows, we might even emigrate in a few years."

"I hope to stay here until my retirement," Jan adds. "I also want to maintain the enjoyment of my work, of course. But I'm not too worried about that! I still love coming to work every day."

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The CWGC was established in 1917. They commemorate all fallen Commonwealth forces. In total, they do this in more than 150 countries for over 1.7 million graves. The CWGC takes care of over 16,000 graves in the Netherlands. Sixteen gardeners, including Jan and André, are employed by the CWGC and carry out the maintenance.