The Dutch Appreciation

Heroes Remember

The Dutch Appreciation

Transcript

There was no running around, cheering, or anything. Everybody was very quiet. It was a very quiet time and finally when the word did come it was, it was really wonderful and our padres had a non-denominational service for it for thanksgiving and that night we had a big party. I’ll tell you it was a wing dinger you know, but the next day, it was a beautiful day because the villagers all came from around us. That was the most beautiful part of it. That was really, really moving. All the children came. They brought a little band with them. We were right out in the country, really out in the boondocks and everybody had something orange on for the House of Orange, you know, arm bands. Little girls had hair ribbons and it was, it was beautiful. They brought us flowers and they brought us eggs and they sang their beautiful national anthem and they had their own flags. It was wonderful. That’s, I think that’s the most moving national anthem there is. The Dutch. And it was so beautiful when they sang it. Our commanding officer spoke and thanked the Dutch people because you know, they had a terrible time. They were starving to death. Oh, it was awful hard. You know, drink, making coffee out of tulip bulbs and all this stuff. That last winter was a terrible, terrible winter for all the Dutch. It was a terrible, terrible winter, starving, terrified of what’s happening with the Germans you know. What a terrible life, frightening all the time. It was so cold, that was the other thing. It was so cold that winter.

Description

Ms. Sloan describes a very moving celebration when the villagers came out to show their appreciation to the Canadian soldiers.

Hallie Sloan

Hallie Sloan was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1920. At age ten, she and her family moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Ms. Sloan always had the desire to become a nurse and moved to Vancouver where she obtained a nursing degree at the Vancouver General Hospital. When war was declared she became very anxious to serve her country in the medical field. She decided to join the army. She held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Matron-in-Chief in the Medical Service, serving in Germany and many parts of Canada. After the war, Hallie continued her nursing career and devoted much of her time towards advocating the vital part that nursing sisters played during wartime service and post-war. Ms. Sloan was the National President of the Nursing Association of Canada (1994-1996) and was active in volunteer work. She has become a strong role model for the Nursing Sisters Association.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:04
Person Interviewed:: Hallie Sloan
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Holland/Netherlands
Branch:: Army
Rank:: Lieutenant-Colonel

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Date modified:: 2019-06-20