Volunteer Herman Sligman's story

Herman Sligman explains:”That's how I 'met' the soldiers buried in Holten”

When and how did you get involved with the information center?

I live nearby, in the mighty beautiful town of Markelo. And I served in the army. My army number starts with 43.02... the experts know enough then. I am not the youngest. Due to the lack of geraniums, I spend more time in retirement than average behind the laptop.

I have always been very interested in the armed forces in general and the army in particular. It is not without reason that I wore the collar mirrors of the Princess Irene Fuseliers Guard Regiment on my uniform as a reserve officer for almost thirty years. Since 2016, I have been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL). I attended commemorations and revelations at various cemeteries and, of course, also at the Canadian Cemetery in Holten. For the Dutch branch of RCL, I wrote the monthly newsletter for over six years, giving context to activities. Each edition contained a background or life story. And that's how I also 'met' a few soldiers buried in Holten, for example:

• Gaston Naudet: survived the war but drowned on May 12, 1945
• Joseph William Campbell: Knight Military Order of William 4^e Class
• Dennis Cooper: 'enlisted' as a Brit into the 1^set Canadian Parachute Battalion
• Edgar Arthur Charman: a Navy man buried in Holten

When I quit as newsletter editor, some time became free. A call for volunteers on Facebook from the information center triggered me and I signed up. Since the end of 2024, I have been part of the research team and I help give the victims “face”. I collect and research information about their often far too short lives and share it on our life story website.

What is your biggest challenge at the information center?

Complete our database. That we actually found out the story behind each of the 1,394 graves and will continue to share it.

What is your motivation to do this volunteer work?

Show respect to those who left a safe country behind to fight overseas against an absolute wrong, if not criminal, regime.

What's the most special thing you've experienced here so far?
During a surveillance after the grand memorial on May 4, at soldier Arthur Vanance's newly unveiled stone, a woman spoke to me. There were many wreaths and flowers near grave 5 row H, block 11. She asked me why right here? To which I told her that this headstone was only unveiled on May 3. A soldier unknown until then had been given a name and face after 80 years thanks to research. The woman then pointed to the grave of an unknown soldier next door. “Too bad you don't have a photo of this stranger. With all those visitors from Canada, there might have been someone who knew who he was”.

Why do people need to visit the information center?
Too many people know little about the latest history. Here you'll discover stories about the liberation of our region and the life stories of soldiers who fought for our freedom today. They are often younger than my grandchildren now. We share the stories in an honest, respectful and clear way, in texts, images, film and online.