Nowhere did so many shells fall in such a small area as this village. Kool saw the consequences, events that have stayed with him as horrors. Holwierde was liberated after more than a week. “That was not a party for us at the time. Too much had happened for that. The celebration and commemorations only came in later years.” Kool was strongly involved in this and was also one of the initiators of a Canada monument in the village.

The monument contains the names of all fifty fallen soldiers in Holwierde and the surrounding area. The monument is not only there for reflection but is also a tribute to all the liberators who risked their lives in the Eemsmond area.

“When Hitler was already dead in Berlin, there were still victims here. There was still fanatical fighting in the area.”