For the last 50 years, the coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist, in Belgium, celebrates Remembrance Day with thousands of Canadian flags. Despite being separated from Canada by an ocean, the community has celebrated Remembrance Day since the end of the Second World War. That’s because Canadian soldiers of the First Canadian Army played an extensive role in liberating the town in 1944 from the German occupiers, during what became known as the Battle of the Scheldt.

The battle started at the Belgium-Dutch border in mid-September 1944 and ended in victory in November 1944. The mission was to unlock the shipping route to the port of Antwerp so food, fuel, ammunition, and other crucial supplies could be delivered to the Allied troops advancing in northwestern Europe. The annual march follows the path the Canadians took in October 1944. It runs from Hoofdplaat, a village along the river Scheldt in Holland to Knokke-Heist Belgium. The event attracts more than 4,000 participants every year.

The following article by Major Vlast Pojman, reports the story of the 35 CAF members and nearly 130 Canadian teachers and family members who participated in the 33 kilometre march last November.