By rights, Cobourg resident David Ramsay should be in Holland May 5.
As one of the last surviving Canadian soldiers who helped liberate Holland, he should be honoured that day – as he has three times before on this special anniversary – with parades and adulation and small gifts of gratitude, especially since May 5, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation.
Since that is not possible, his grandson Ian McKelvey hopes to organize some kind of big thank-you for his grandfather for his part not only in this particular military operation but in helping secure the Allied victory in World War II.
Ian accompanied his grandfather back to Holland 15 years ago for the 60th anniversary. The stories of how the Dutch love Canadians for the liberation are all true, he reports, and then some.
If anyone hears you're Canadian, he said, they can't wait to shake your hand and buy you a beer.
And when they were part of a commemorative parade, he added – his grandfather in front of a car and himself in the back – they were greeted with flowers and chocolates and cheers as if they were celebrities.
“I couldn't believe how much they love Canadians – it was crazy,” he said.
The 75th anniversary is coming up May 5. At 98, Ramsay is housebound, not even able to enjoy outings on his scooter or a trip to the beach. He would not have been making his way back overseas for the milestone at any rate, Ian said. But his parents Joan and Ron McKelvey were planning to represent him, bringing along his letters and other memorabilia.
It would have been their first trip to Holland on the big anniversary, though they have been in that country before and seen for themselves the deep love and respect for Canadians.
Joan is making it her quarantine project to put together a book for her father of his memorabilia from his war service, including the 91 letters he wrote home to his mother between August 1944 and October 1945. She has found them so detailed and historic, it truly is a scholar's treasure trove.
The family has secured the help of Tom Warnke in the project. As he carefully curates the fragile 75-year-old letters and works with Ramsay, Warnke describes the experience as a gift.
“The gift was in seeing how much it meant to him to listen to what he had written and the memories that the letters brought back to him,” he wrote to Joan.
“What struck me most was your dad's love for his mother and honesty when he wrote. When he wrote the letters, there was a lot he couldn't say for security reasons, but now he can tell you what was happening when he wrote the letter. He saw and experienced so much and somehow was able to deal with it and continue.”
“The information is phenomenal,” Joan agreed.
“We have learned so much, starting with training in Saskatchewan and Alberta and details from his training on this gun and that gun. Then, within weeks he's 'over there.'”
Points of interest include marks from the military censor and his military ID number on each letter – B 101148, identifying infantry Private David Ramsay of the Essex Scottish Regiment, C Company, 2 Division, Canadian Armed Forces.
Professionally reproduced copies of these letters were gratefully accepted by the Freedom Museum in Holland, Joan said, where they will be used for education and research by future generations.
The family is hoping to recreate, in some way, the sense of thanksgiving and celebration Ramsay enjoyed in Holland with a social-distancing parade and tokens of thanks.
The word is going out on social media that anyone who would like to drive past can do so easily. With Ramsay's home facing north on Water Street, Ian figures anyone who would like to drive by can congregate at the south end of the Donegan Park parking lot at about 11 a.m. for an 11:15 a.m. drive-past that should come as a wonderful surprise. Participants can drive north on Darcy Street, turn left on to Water Street, then exit at the other end.
Weather permitting, and with his mother's help, his grandfather should be sitting in the shelter of his garage to watch.
Thank-you cards and letters are also welcome, he said, perhaps gifts of chocolates or flowers as well, just to say thank you one more time for a difficult and dangerous job well done.
As the family member who takes care of Ramsay, Joan has done her own preparations, including special signs for his front lawn on Water Street (where she has planted the tulip bulbs she had delivered from Holland).
These should be out by May 4, when she will prepare her father by letting him know a few people might be coming by and then, on May 5, she plans to ensure he puts on his war medals and is waiting outside.
If you are interested in being part of the tribute, whether offering some expression of thanks or being part of the parade, you can contact Ian at i.mckelvey@hotmail.com or 289-251-4181.
