The battle for the port city of Delfzijl seemed nearly over by May 1, 1945, but the blown-up bridge over the Drainage Canal and German shelling from the Farmsum church tower blocked the advance toward Farmsum, the last stronghold of German resistance. The village had to wait one more day for the long-awaited freedom. Hindrik Buist experienced this battle as a 13-year-old boy in his village.

"On May 1, I was standing on the Achterweg, and I saw tracer ammunition heading toward the sluices of the Duurswold Canal. But at the same time, I also heard cheering coming from Delfzijl—as if someone had just scored a goal. Apparently, they were already free over there!"

"For days, we had been under fire. There were an incredible number of Germans in Farmsum—also in the old school on Molenstraat, the new school on Nieuwstad, the Reformed school on Weiwerderweg (Proosdij), and the nearby houses. I even saw someone on Molenstraat waving an orange sash. But unfortunately, an officer came from the direction of the bunkers at the end of Molenstraat. He called all the soldiers back. Meanwhile, many civilians had gathered on Pijpplein, even though snipers were still in the tower of the Farmsum church."

"The night of May 1 to 2 was the worst night of the entire war for us in the shelter—a discarded steam boiler from the dairy factory in Holwierde, covered with sand and beams, located on the scrapyard of the Gans metal dealer. We sat in that steam boiler on benches, facing each other. We must have been sitting almost knee to knee. A German stuck his head inside and asked if there were any men. 'No,' was of course the answer. But the watchmaker Windt was hiding behind his wife. Meanwhile, Mother Buist was groaning in pain from a gallstone attack."

"When daylight came, we dared to go outside. A shout: 'They’ve surrendered!' We saw it with our own eyes—a white flag on the tower and a white flag on the bunkers. A little later, we saw Canadians on Molenstraat. Civilians quickly realized there were things to be taken—blankets, emergency rations, and anything else they could get their hands on. There was no authority. Later, people celebrated in Farmsum on Pijpplein. The party went on for days."