Princess Louise Fusiliers in Akkrum

After Germany's surrender, Canadian troops remained in the Netherlands for a long time. The last troops would not leave until February 1946. Getting all the troops home from Western Europe was a huge logistical problem. Which therefore took a lot of time. In the meantime, these troops had to be accommodated somewhere. This also applied to the tens of thousands of Canadians in the Netherlands. 
 
These men had not seen their loved ones for a long time. Often they had experienced terrible things. To help prevent morale from sinking to an all-time low, the Canadians tried to make the best of the period during which they were in the Netherlands. 

The 11th Independent Machinegun Company Princess Louise Fusiliers had landed near Naples in Italy in November 1943. With their heavy machine guns and mortars, they distinguished themselves in Italy on multiple occasions. In early 1945, they were transferred to north-western Europe. In April, the unit was still fighting in Gelderland near Arnhem and Otterlo. 

The unit then stayed briefly in Franeker to relieve other Canadian units that were to be deployed in Groningen. In late April, they were also sent to Thesinge in Groningen. On 14 June 1945, the unit was moved to Akkrum. In this village, they left an indelible impression. 

 
The men lodged with Akkrum residents. Then nine-year-old Sjoerd Schilstra recalled the following: 

"One of the soldiers lodging with us was Sergeant Douglas MacDonald. His gun was just standing there in his bedroom and when Douglas was not home, I would parade around the house with his gun over my shoulder. With the pupils of the public primary school, we went on a one-day school trip. We were driven around in the Canadian army trucks. That was an extraordinary experience for a nine-year-old boy."  
 

The Canadians had quickly found their feet in Akkrum. In the mornings, there was frequent exercise. In the afternoons, there were sports. And the evenings regularly featured bingo, movies or dances at the local hotel run by the Canadians, called The silver slipper.   

These activities were also often enjoyed together with residents of Akkrum. In summer, they sailed. And up until they left, a lot of softball was played. Sometimes they also played football. And romance was not lacking either. A famine refugee from the south of the country who was housed in Akkrum married a Canadian.   

By the end of November, return to Canada came in sight. At the request of the people of Akkrum, one last photo of the unit was taken. And by the end of December, the entire unit had left. In the village, a memorial stone and street named the Kanadeeske Strjitte act as reminders of the stay of the Princess Louise Fusiliers.