War Memorial Hoofdplaat

The text on the plaques from left to right may be translated as follows:

On the first plaque:
In memory of the members
of our community that fell
during the liberation of our fatherland

Jacob Ocké born 28 March 1894, deceased 15 Sep. 1944 at Hoofdplaat.
Pieter Ocké born 11 Feb. 1926, deceased 15 Sep. 1944 at Hoofdplaat
Abraham Ocké born 3 Oct. 1931 deceased 15 Sep. 1944 at Hoofdplaat
Wilhelmina Ocké born 7 Sep. 1934 deceased 15 Sep. 1944 at Hoofdplaat
Hendrik Willem van Hanegem born 12 Jan. 1908, deceased 10 Oct. 1944 at Biervliet
Widow P. Erasmus born Adriana de Roover born 3 Dec. 1865 deceased 13 Oct 1944 at Biervliet
Cornelis Jacobus Verplanke born 29 May 1924, deceased 26 Dec. 1944 at Flensburg.

I am the resurrection and
life: who believes in me
will live even
when he passed away. Joh. XI : 25

The text on the second plaque can be translated as follows:
Hoofdplaat 14 October 1944
liberated by the Canadians

Therewith fell
M.J. Boogaard 50 years of age 15 Sep 1944
J. Ocke 50 ,, ,,
P. Ocke 18 ,, ,,
A. Okce 12 ,, ,,
W. Ocke 10 ,, ,,
E.F. Martens 44 ,, 8 Oct. 1944
S.L. Martens 48 ,, ,,
A.F. Molet 78 ,, ,,
Ch. L. de Smit 43 ,, 9 Oct. 1944
R.S. de Meijer 63 ,, ,,
C-. A. van de Velde 36 ,, ,,
A.P. Pijcke 12 ,, ,,
Th. P. Langeraert 27 ,, 10 Oct. 1944
Ch. L. van Voren 30 ,, ,,
G.F. Mollet 27 ,, ,,
H.W. van Haneghem 36 ,, ,,
A. de Roover 75 ,, 13 Oct. 1944
Ch. Tanghe 28 ,, 14 Oct. 1944
P.J. de Bie 57 ,, 17 Oct. 1944
P. Cornelis 42 ,, ,,
A. Cornelis 2 ,, ,,
J. Th. H.de Poorter 4 ,, 19 Sept. 1944

The text on the bricked in memorial column indicates:
Canadian
liberation road
1

The figure ‘1’ means that this is the first memorial column of the eighteen next columns which line the route which the Canadians followed in October and November 1944 in the framework of "Operation Switchback" by the 3 rd Canadian Infantry Division.
This liberation operation has started in Hoofdplaat in Zeeuws Vlaanderen (Zeelandic Flanders) by the 8th and 9th Canadian Divisions that had landed here in order to attack the Germans from behind.
The last memorial column can be found in Knokke which is in Belgium.

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Source

• Text: Mia van den Berg
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1, 2), Arjan Vrieze (3, 4, 5)