On May 5th, we mark the 75th anniversary of the Liberation
of the Netherlands that took place in 1945.
It is important to take a moment to remember our fallen heroes.
To commemorate and to recognize
those that made the ultimate sacrifice;
the gift of their lives.
Soldiers from all corners of Canada decided to join the military
to fight for our freedom during the Second World War.
Some may even be from your hometown
or have the same background.
Hi, my name is Vanessa, I am 22 years old.
I’m a proud francophone from Sudbury, Ontario,
and today I’d like to share with you the story of a soldier named Arthur.
Arthur Joseph Martin was a brave young man,
son of Lea and George Martin.
He was born on May 31, 1921, in Sudbury, Ontario.
Arthur was a francophone who grew up with one sister,
two brothers and his widowed mother in Azilda,
a community nearby the city of Sudbury.
It was on May 2nd 1944, when he officially enlisted in
the Canadian armed forces in Chatham, Ontario.
He was a young man who was in good overall health
despite moderate smoking, and had the ability to read and write.
Private Arthur Joseph Martin was part of the
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada,
also known as the Princess Louise’s of the Royal Canadian
Infantry Corps and wore the service number A113518 proudly.
The 28th of August 1944 would be the last day that Arthur Martin
was on Canadian soil as he was sent overseas to
the United Kingdom for additional training.
On September 23, 1944, he was taken on strength
with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,
who were part of the 10th Brigade of the
4th Canadian Armoured Division in France.
September 1944 would mark the beginning of
the Netherlands campaign which would last until May 1945.
In a war diary from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,
it says they spent New Year’s Eve 1944 and January 1st, 1945
in Holland with the view of a German air attack,
and the launching of several buzz bombs in the cold winter skies.
Here is an extract from the Argyll’s war diary:
“By 2200 hours most military activity had ceased,
a lucky few obtained bottles of liquor for New Year’s Eve,
but most of us were “firmed up” in the arms of Morpheus
while a troubled world passed from anno 1944 to anno 1945”.
It must have been tough for these soldiers
to be so far away from their loved ones.
I can just imagine how Arthur Joseph Martin felt that night.
It was on January 30th, during fighting along the Maas River
at Kapelsche Veer, that the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
attempted an attack on a house that was given the codename “Raspberry”
in order to gain control of the German stronghold.
In general, the plan was that the tanks would engage
with machine-gun fire and the infantry would go in.
In the second attempt they finally gained control of “Raspberry”
but they did suffer a high casualty.
During that fateful night of January 30, 1945,
at the young age of 22, Private Arthur Joseph Martin
had died, fighting for his country.
Today, he rests in the Netherlands,
at Groesbeek War Cemetery in, section XVI, row C, plot 7.
The Liberation of the Netherlands is a very important
piece of history as it helped in bringing an end to
the Second World War and liberated the Dutch people.
This was a great victory, however, victory does not come without great loss.
More than 7,600 Canadians would have died
in the efforts to free the country.
One of which was Arthur Joseph Martin,
that I will always keep close to mind.
On this day of remembrance, during Veterans’ Week
or any day of the year, I challenge you to learn more about
a soldier from your city, from your background,
from your interest, whether that person died in service,
or continued to serve in times of war and times of peace,
or is currently serving.
We will remember them.