The town of Birdaard is situated close to Gytsjerk. On the 15th of April 1945, troops of the Royal Canadian Dragoons were sent to this town in the afternoon. German forces were still present at Birdaard and fighting broke out between them, the local resistance and the Canadian Dragoons. At the end of this battle, William Thomas Buddell, a Canadian Lieutenant, was fatally injured by a German sniper. He was one of at least twelve Canadians who were killed or who died during or as a result of their deployment in Friesland.

The Netherlands

William Buddell

Casualty care

Canadian 'staghound'

William Thomas Buddell remembrance loop

Symbolism &nbsp; The monument's spiritual father, artist Klaas Bokma, chose two carts because this was the means of transport often used by evacuees. The four withered trees symbolise death. The cross is not only a symbol of the Christian faith, but also a reminder of the sacrifice made by war victims for a life of freedom.&nbsp;&nbsp;The oldest pupils of Ichtus and Thrimwalda primary schools take care of this monument.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Seventy evacuees from Arnhem and Limburg  

Bram Houtkruijer, 1939 in Amsterdam&nbsp;Alexander Houtkruijer and his wife Mariana Levi both worked at the Jewish Hospital in Amsterdam. There, they met Cornelia Stolk, who was a district nurse in Oentsjerk. Because of the war, Alexander and Mariana decided to send their son, Bram, to Friesland. There, Cornelia’s sister would pick up 4-year-old Bram.&nbsp;Bram: "I thought it was exciting to be on the train. It was completely full of German soldiers. One was also sitting opposite me. He tried to talk to me, but I kept my mouth shut." Bram first went to Dokkum, before joining his foster parents, Luut and Griet de Vries, in Gytsjerk. "I was very sad in Dokkum. I remember crying a lot when I noticed my parents weren’t there. I also suddenly had a different name. It was Jan."&nbsp;Yet, he had fun in Friesland. "I had a great childhood. Had a lot of friends and just played in the streets. ‘Heit’ and ‘mem’ (because I called them mom and dad in Frisian) had two daughters and a son. My foster mother never told anyone I was Jewish." Bram lived with the family of Luut and Griet de Vries at 61 Nieuwe Straatweg in Gytsjerk. The house is still standing and remains in the family, as it is occupied by his foster sister Anna's son.&nbsp;Bram was the only one of the Houtkruijer family to survive the war. "My parents ended up in Auschwitz and Sobibor. Later, the Stichting Oorlogspleegkinderen (Jewish War Orphan Foundation), the OPK, came to tell me that they wanted me to grow up in Jewish circles. But heit and mem wanted to adopt me." The name on his diploma from secondary modern school in Leeuwarden is Bram, but to the students around him he remained Jan.&nbsp;Bram, or Jan, later worked at a bank and he now lives in Veendam. He figures out his own war story for his children. "Veendam is fine, but Fryslân is my homeland," Houtkruijer says.&nbsp;The project 'The Return of the Jewish Children' is a collaboration between the Stichting de Verhalen (Stories Foundation), Omrop Fryslân, Leeuwarder Courant and Friesch Dagblad. The core editorial board consists of Karen Bies, Marja Boonstra, Martijn van Dijk, Wybe Fraanje and Gerard van der Veer.&nbsp;

Bram became Jan 

William Buddell entered military service on 25 July 1941. And soon he volunteered for deployment to Europe like thousands of his compatriots. William was trained as an officer and assigned to the Canadian Armoured Corps (armoured units). On 23 March 1942, he left the troop ship and set foot on British soil. Many of the Allied forces gathered in Britain to be deployed somewhere in Europe at a suitable time.&nbsp; &nbsp; Buddell was assigned to the 1st Armoured Car Regiment Royal Canadian Dragoons. This was a reconnaissance unit with armoured vehicles. Their baptism by fire followed in early November 1943. The regiment was transferred by ship to Sicily, Italy, where the Allies had landed in July. Until mid-January 1945, the regiment made itself useful here and in southern Italy. &nbsp; &nbsp; Among other things, the Canadian units from Italy were transferred to the front in Northwest Europe to force a decision there. Among them were the Dragoons. When Buddell returned to the Dragoons after a short leave in England, his unit was active in the Netherlands. It was April at this point, and the Dragoons were deployed for the first time to their full potential as a true armoured car regiment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Buddell experienced all this from up close. His Squadron gained a spectacular lot of ground in Friesland. The highlight was 14 April. On that day, B Squadron left Oosterwolde and in the evening liberated Dokkum and reached the Wadden Sea. Throughout the day, the unit, commanded by Buddell, had been at the forefront each time. B Squadron had advanced no less than 91 kilometres in a single day.&nbsp; &nbsp; Now that the Canadians had reached the Wadden Sea, the German troops in Friesland and Groningen were separated. But 15 April also showed that this success had a downside. Buddell and his men were sent to Birdaard in the afternoon. Groups of Germans were still there, and shooting broke out between them and the NBS The Dragoons joined in the fight at the request of the NBS The Canadian contribution soon proved decisive. But Buddell, of all people, was hit in his right shoulder by a sniper at the end of the battle.&nbsp;The Dragoons gave first aid to Buddell, who was bleeding heavily. The regimental doctor noted that he could barely feel a pulse and specialist help was needed. For that, he had to be transferred to the Field Dressing Station in Overijssel.&nbsp; &nbsp; Along the way, every effort was made to keep Buddell alive. Extra blood plasma was administered in the ambulance. But on arrival at 04:00, it turned out that William Buddell had died.&nbsp; &nbsp; Between 12 and 15 April, the Dragoons had penetrated deep into Friesland, well ahead of the rest of the troops. The downside of this success was that they were very far from specialist medical help. A risk that reconnaissance units sometimes had to take. As was the case here. Unfortunately, this proved fatal for Buddell. &nbsp; &nbsp; Buddell is honoured in Birdaard with a plaque on the war memorial.

William Thomas Buddell remembrance loop

Photos

Sites and stories along the route

Seventy evacuees from Arnhem and Limburg

Bram became Jan

William Buddell fatally injured at Birdaard