WWII veterans, local MLAs Shirley Bond and Mike Morris, Prince George Mayor Shari Green, and members of the local Dutch Community gather at Veterans' Plaza for the annual Dutch Canadian Tulip Commemoration       250News photo

Prince George, BC – Prince George resident, Bill Zwiers, was just six years old when he and his parents survived what is known as the 'Hunger Winter' of 1944-45 in western Holland…

While other areas of the Netherlands had already been liberated, the western provinces were still under German rule and had their food shipments and fuel supplies cut off.  Speaking at the 6th annual Dutch Canadian Tulip Commemoration at Veterans' Plaza in front of City Hall yesterday, Zwiers told those gathered there were 4.5-million people living in the western part of Holland at that time – 24-thousand died over the course of the winter due to war-related health issues and 18-thousand died from starvation.

His two older sisters and a brother had been sent to live with billets in the north, but, as the youngest, he stayed with his parents.  The trio survived the winter on a diet that consisted for months of a slice of sugar beet for breakfast, and, if lucky, another slice for lunch, followed by a dinner of tulip bulbs fried in butter.

"Sometimes my dad had no butter – he just had a little machine oil and did it that way," said Zwiers.  "When I look at all (these) nice tulips here, I can gag – I'm sorry," he said as those in the crowd chuckled. "But I really can.  It was such a horrible taste, it was unbelieveable."

Zwiers said when the truce was arranged on April 28th, 1945 and the fighting ceased, food supplies moved through to the starving people, "No part of Western Europe was liberated at a more vital moment than the west of Holland."

"I have no idea what I looked like in May of 1945, or my mom or dad – pretty skinny, I suspect."

Western Holland was liberated by the First Canadian Infantry Division and the Fifth Canadian Armoured Division.  "Their food supply was good," said Zwiers, "But they gave so much away to the population that they, themselves, went hungry and the Dutch never forget – every year their celebrate their freedom with many Canadians."

Zwiers says Friday was one of those 'beautiful days', when he celebrated with four WWII veterans and others at a special dinner commemorating the 70th Anniversary of D Day at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #43 in Prince George.

The liberation of Holland occurred on May 5th, 1945.

The tulip was a gift to the Canadian people for providing safe harbour to the Dutch Royal family during the Second World War.  Upon the Royal family's return home, the Dutch people sent 100,000 tulips to Ottawa and, since then, have sent 10,000 tulip bulbs to Canada, annually.

In 1994, members of the local Dutch community, led by Jerry DeWitt, began commemorating Holland's liberation locally by planting tulips in various locations around the city.

The completion of Veterans' Plaza six years ago, marked the first annual gathering at the cenotaph – the tulips in the nearby beds were supplied by members of the local Dutch community.  They were planted and are maintained by city employees.