“Seven decades ago, Donald Somerville’s life was spared by a twist of fate during the liberation of Holland and this week the Canadian veteran paid what will likely be his final respects to the man who took a deadly sniper’s bullet that should have killed him instead.
Mr. Martel had switched places with Mr. Somerville in an assault boat and was felled by a shot in April, 1945. He is one of about 1,350 Canadian soldiers who died in the bloody assault on German defences in Holland and Germany, and who are buried in Holten,” writes Steven Chase for The Globe and Mail on Monday of this week.
Chase continued, “This year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Holland, the numbers of Canadian vets making the trip is between 115 to 130, according to Ottawa’s estimates. For many, now in their 90s, this may be their final visit. It’s a major change from the 50th anniversary in 1995 when more than 1,000 Canadian veterans marched through the streets of Apeldoorn, Netherlands.”
Read the full article here.
Raymond Matt, CFP, CLU, TEP, CHS
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