On Remembrance Sunday, the Sunday nearest to November 11 , each year in the UK and the major countries of the Commonwealth ( Canada , India , Australia , New Zealand and South Africa ) military casualties from the 1st World War and all armed conflicts after that are commemorated.
The Netherlands was neutral in the 1st World War and commemorates the Dutch casualties (military and civilian) from the 2nd World every year on May 4.
The Dutch branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, with its annual Poppy Campaign, wishes to maintain the attention of the public to the 7,700 Canadian soldiers, mostly volunteers, who have given their lives during the liberation of the Netherlands in the years 1944 and 1945.
In some places the defense of the occupier was fierce. This also explains the location of the three largest Canadian war cemeteries: Bergen op Zoom , Groesbeek and Holten.
The mission of the Royal Canadian Legion in the Netherlands is clear: to continue to commemorate the Canadians who have paid the highest price for our freedom far of their homes and continue this thought to future generations.
This year as usual early November members of RCL Branch 005 reach out to the public in various parts of the country e.g. in Brunssum, Wassenaar, The Hague, Apeldoorn, Heemstede, Bloemendaal, Zandvoort and other places to bring this subjects to the attention and pin up the wellknown Poppies.