Maritime man appeals to public for help in identifying lost Canadian soldiers overseas

A Dutch-Canadian man living in P.E.I. is appealing to the public for help paying tribute to Canadian soldiers who lost their lives liberating the Netherlands.

Former Dutch diplomat Pieter Valkenburg is on a mission to match the faces and stories of lost soldiers in their final resting places in his homeland.

“No soldier buried overseas should ever be forgotten,” Valkenburg said.

Valkenburg’s efforts are part of a bigger project called “Faces to Graves” -- a collaboration between the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten, Netherlands, and private cemeteries to establish a virtual memorial to Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the liberation efforts.

“I’ve made it my goal to know these soldiers and to learn more about them,” Valkenburg said.

Valkenburg and his wife, Daria, are part of the massive online undertaking working to identify the more than 7,600 Canadians resting in the Netherlands.

Their latest quest dates back to March 25, 1945, during the Battle of Bienen in Germany, where members of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders were on the front lines.

“I contacted the (Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands) in which those soldiers are buried and they sent me a list of 39 names,” Valkenburg said.

Those who lost their lives that day came from Newfoundland, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec.

They have been able to identify all but four of the fallen soldiers, and are hoping to track down photos of the following individuals:

• Donald John MacKinnon, born Oct. 8, 1925 in Sydney, N.S. His parents were Joseph and Catherine (nee MacNeil) MacKinnon.
• Austin Havelock Munroe, born Dec. 2, 1919 in Little Dover, N.S. His parents were Edward and Minnie Munroe. He was married and his wife's name was Ana Elizabeth (nee Barry) Munroe.
• John Lewis Wallace, born June 1, 1921 in Canning, N.S. His parents were William Edward and Amy Louise Wallace. He was married and his wife's name was Doris Avanelle (nee Crowe) Wallace. They had one son, William Lewis Wallace.
• A fourth soldier, Louis Allan Sexton, son of James E. and Ethel Sexton, of Maria Est, Bonaventure County in Quebec. It’s believed he had family in the Maritimes.

Anyone with information is encouraged to email Pieter at [e-mail].

The Valkenburg’s chronicle their journey on their blog and YouTube channel called "On the War Memorial Trail."