My father was in RCEME (Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). He was a mechanic that worked on tanks, trucks etc. He was the eldest of 3 children and he could have qualified for a hardship discharge because his family had a farm — he was 20 when he enlisted because as most other men, he felt he was needed to join the fight. He served from 1939, right at the beginning to 1946 and served in Holland, Belgium and England.
He passed away in 1995 and when I saw the Liberation75 Tulip Campaign, I thought it would be a great tribute to have these tulip bulbs planted at his gravesite in commemoration of his time spent in Holland during World War 2.
One of my biggest regrets was not pushing him more to join the 50th anniversary celebrations in Holland – I think he would’ve gone with more encouragement, but with the planting of the bulbs, I’m hoping it will make up somewhat.
