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Waterdown Museum of Hope

We were honoured last evening to welcome Harry Boers to the museum to view a special showcase of his father’s story during the German occupation. His presence, coinciding with the arrival of the Liberation Flame from the Netherlands, made the evening especially meaningful. Lambertus E. Boers was a Dutch resistance fighter, and Harry generously donated his father's captured German Mauser rifle, canteen pouch, and ammunition pouches.

Harry’s father, Lambertus E. Boers, was just 28 years old, residing in Naaldwijk with his wife and young son, Harry, who was only two years old when the Germans occupied the Netherlands. He operated his own business tilling soil for local greenhouses and fared better than many during the occupation.

Resistance members often adopted standard workwear such as coveralls to blend seamlessly into daily life, helping them move around without drawing suspicion. To avoid forced labour during the German occupation, Lambertus built a hidden crawl space beneath his bedroom floor, reinforcing it with steel, as it was known that German soldiers would sometimes fire beneath houses in search of those in hiding. The space was concealed by a chest of drawers that his wife would slide into place whenever he needed to disappear.

After the war, Harry was strictly warned by his mother never to touch anything on the beach, as unexploded ordnance and booby traps could still be hidden in the sand.

The museum is pleased to have the Boers collection as a permanent display, to educate future generations about the resilience and sacrifices of the Dutch resistance.

To learn more about this story and others, today is the final day of our May Museum Experience. Visit us between 12–4 PM!

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Waterdown Museum of Hope6 days ago

At 5:30 PM today, the flame from Wageningen, the Netherlands was welcomed to the Waterdown Museum of Hope, accompanied by RCAF pilots.

A heartfelt thank you to Dutch historian, Dr. Jay Pinto, whose years of dedicated effort made this flame’s visit to our museum possible.

This arrival marks a powerful tribute during the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands. 🇳🇱🇨🇦

Tomorrow, the flame will be flown to Brandon, Manitoba, where it will be permanently housed at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. We hope this symbol of freedom was inspiring to those in attendance. #LiberationFlame ##80thanniversaryliberation

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