#Vector of Memory
Cross Road Vector - Holten as a final resting place
After the war, the Canadian army leadership decided to establish a central cemetery for its soldiers who had fallen in the Netherlands and neighbouring north-west Germany. Holterberg was chosen because of its peaceful, natural, setting and its landscape, which is reminiscent of parts of Canada, for example Ontario's vast forests. This symbolic connection to the homeland gave the site a special meaning, both for the bereaved and for the Canadian government.
For many of the soldiers buried here, the liberation of the eastern and northern Netherlands was their last battle. Soldiers who were killed or died in captivity after the liberation are also buried at the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten.
The first reburial took place on 16 December 1945: Sergeant Ernest J. England was the first to be buried (plot I row A grave 1). This was the beginning of a long and careful reburial of victims in this place of international remembrance.
Information Centre
The adjacent Information Centre at the Canadian War Cemetery (ICB) has grown, since its opening in 2011, into a meeting place that welcomes around 25,000 visitors each year. Through videos and other digital presentations, visitors are interactively informed about the past—the cemetery, the Canadian liberation advance in 1945, and the remarkable life stories of many of the liberators who found their final resting place there.
The Information Centre is run entirely by volunteers. They welcome visitors, guide groups, conduct research into the backgrounds of the soldiers, and organise temporary projects and exhibitions. Each year, the centre receives nearly one hundred primary and secondary school classes for guided tours. Some choose to take part in the educational project developed by the ICB, “Give Every Stone a Story”, before their visit.
More information about the Canadian War Cemetery and the Information Centre in Holten can be found at: www.canadesebegraafplaatsholten.nl