​​The speed with which the 12th Manitoba Dragoons reached the Belgian border was tremendous, however it took a heavy toll on the troops. 

​​During the liberation at the end of the Second World War, a squadron of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons, under the command of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, was sent from Saint-Omer, France, to Bruges in Belgium. This route took them via the Belgian city of Veurne.

​Because all the bridges over the Canal de l'Aa (north of Saint-Omer) had been blown up by German forces, the squadron sought out a bridge that had just been built by the 1st Polish Armoured Division, slightly south of Saint-Omer. From there, without much resistance from the enemy, they crossed the Belgian border via Hondschote, Leyseele, Wulveringem, and towards Veurne. 

​Veurne itself was liberated on 8 September 1944. The monument located here commemorates the event and the efforts of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons.​