Canadian Virtual War Memorial
John Elvin Potts
In memory of:
Private John Elvin Potts
April 4, 1945
Netherlands
Military Service
C/40620
27
Army
Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, R.C.I.C.
Additional Information
February 24, 1918
Campbellford, Ontario
October 11, 1939
Lindsay, Ontario
Son of Walter and Maude Potts of Port Hope, Ontario.
Brother of Rifleman William George Potts, who died while serving with the Royal Rifles of Canada.
"On the night of April 3, 1945 the Canadian infantry regiment Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders - Glens in short - arrived in Vierakker via Toldijk, Baak, Wichmond and Hackfort. They set up headquarters in Huize Vierakker and they divided the regiment into four companies. Company B was taken by truck in the early hours of April 4 and dropped off at the corner of Leestenseweg and Hekklerdijk. Company C was dropped off a bit further eastwards at the driveway of the farm Het Hekkeler. Company B set off towards the farms Bosman and Graffel via Holtmaatweg, where the enemy lay ensconced in trenches. But by nine o'clock on the same morning the enemy positions were in Canadian hands. The company lost a few lives. As soon as the artillery support arrived the patrols advanced across the fields and along Lansinkweg to the farms uitkomst and Klein Have. An enemy position that lay close to the last farm took the lives of at least three Canadians on Klein Have land. The German emplacement was taken over at around five in the afternoon in a combined effort with an English regiment aided by massive flame-throwers.
Meanwhile C Company had arrived at the farm Het Loo via Blekdijk and Looër Enkweg. The patrol began the attack in Looër Enkweg with two armoured cars in the lead. Headquarters was set up in the school in Leesten. Most of the enemy machine gun fire came from Het Groot Graffel. Then help arrived when the artillery rode up via Dennendijk after which C was able to reach the garden of Het Groot Graffel in a tank. This is how Glens finally managed to silence the German machine guns.
A total of eleven soldiers from the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders fell in the hamlet of Leesten. They were temporarily buried in a church graveyard in Vierakker and they were later moved to the Holten Canadian War Cemetery.
Village of Zutphen honours fallen Canadian John Potts with a street name.
Commemorated on Page 555 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.
Burial Information
HOLTEN CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY
Netherlands
XII. F. 7.
Holten is a village 20 kilometres east of the town of Deventer, on the main A1 motorway from Amsterdam to Bremen in Germany. Following the A1 motorway, turn off at exit 26 and follow the N332 in the direction of Holten. Follow the N332 until reaching a signpost for Holterberg. Turn right onto the N344 in the direction of Holten, then at the T junction turn left towards Holten and follow this road to the roundabout. Take second exit then turn first right towards Holterberg. Follow this road uphill until you see a green Commission sign pointing to the right. Turn right down the track and follow to the end. Turn left and the cemetery lies along here on the left hand side.
Historical Information: The Netherlands fell to the Germans in May 1940 and was not re-entered by Allied forces until September 1944. The great majority of those buried in Holten Canadian War Cemetery died during the last stages of the war in Holland, during the advance of the Canadian 2nd Corps into northern Germany, and across the Ems in April and the first days of May 1945. After the end of hostilities the remains of over 1,300 Canadian soldiers were brought together into this cemetery.
Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Digital Collection
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Grave marker – Holten Canadian War Cemetery … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022 -
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Cemetery – Holten Canadian War Cemetery … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022 -
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Memorial – Remembering brothers lost … Brothers In Arms Memorial, Zonnebeke, BE … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens … May 2022 -
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Photo of John Elvin Potts – Private John "Jack" Elvin Potts. -
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Write up about Potts Street – Passage from the Commemorative Booklet prepared for the unveiling ceremony in May 2005 entitled "Zutphen names 11 streets after Canadian heroes, Their Lives for Freedom". -
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Gravemarker and Street Sign – Pottsstrat in Sutphen, The Netherlands, is one of the eleven streets named after Canadian Soldiers from the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders. A replica of the sign was sent to the Potts family and is now at the Port Hope Archives. -
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Grave Marker – Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me -
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Grave Marker
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