I am planting for my parents, Jan and Nell

My mother and father both grew up in the city of Rotterdam. In 1940 they both lived through the heavy bombardment of the city by the German Luftwaffe, also known as the Rotterdam Blitz. Later in the war, my mother’s home was destroyed by an accidental bombing of a residential area of Rotterdam by Allied bombers known as the “Forgotten Bombardment”. After the “Hunger Winter of 1944-1945, the liberation of the city by Allied forces was a cause for celebration and giving thanks. I grew up with their stories of the war, and how it affected them and their families. I will always be grateful for the Canadian men and women who sacrificed their lives to free the people of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. And I am grateful to Canada for welcoming my parents and I with open arms when they chose to emigrate here.
Ingrid Janssen