Jan de Vries (Canadian Army soldier)
Jan de Vries | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 January 1924 Leeuwarden, Netherlands |
| Died | 27 May 2012 (aged 88) Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
Buried | Pine Hills Cemetery, Scarborough, Canada |
| Allegiance | .svg.png){kind=small} Canada |
Branch | .svg.png){kind=icon} Canadian Army |
Service years | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Paratrooper |
| Unit | 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion |
Conflicts | |
| Awards | Order of Canada Legion of Honour |
Jan de Vries, CM (24 January 1924 – 27 May 2012) was a Dutch-born Canadian World War II paratrooper and veteran's advocate. From June 1944 to June 1945 he was active with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He served with them from the Normandy Invasion until the unit made it all the way to the German Baltic coast by the end of the war. His work as a board member of the Juno Beach Centre contributed to its creation and was at Normandy in June 2005 for its official opening. He also worked hard at successfully fundraising to prevent Canadian Army medals being sold to foreign buyers, including the rare Victoria Cross. For his advocacy and public speaking, he was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2007. He died in Ajax, Ontario in May 2012.
Early life
Jan de Vries was born on 24 January 1924 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands.[1] He immigrated to Canada with his father Romke and mother Rinske de Vries in 1930.[1] His family included his brother, Harry. They lived in the Township of East York, Ontario, where the family operated a gasoline station and he worked there in his teenage years.[2] He attended school at both East York Collegiate Institute and Scarborough Collegiate Institute.
Military service
He enlisted in the army in 1943. De Vries served with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, parachuting into Normandy on D-Day and later parachuting across the Rhine River into Germany on March 24, 1945. He was wounded in action by a German sniper in July 1944, however had returned to combat by September 1944.
When he came home, he worked in the construction trades, and moved up into managing sites for Cadillac Fairview and the Daniels Group Inc.[1]
Philanthropy
De Vries was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for 40 years. Additionally, de Vries served on the Advisory Board of the Canadian Airborne Forces Museum as well as on the Board of the Canadian Airborne Forces Association. His efforts contributed to the successful opening of the Juno Beach Centre. As a founding member of the Living History Speakers Bureau and a member of the Dominion Institute Memory Project, de Vries also regularly spoke to school children and cadet groups, including the Cadet Basic Parachutist Course, regarding Canadian contributions during World War II.[3]
Also, in 2004, de Vries was Honorary Chairman of the Corporal Frederick Topham Victoria Cross fundraising project.[4] Because of this fundraiser, all of Topham's medals are displayed at the Canadian War Museum, including his Victoria Cross.[5] He was a Patron of the Victoria Cross Trust.
He served as a President of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion Association for twelve years. Under his leadership, the Association installed memorial plaques in Europe to commemorate their fallen comrades.[2] On 25 March 2007, de Vries and other members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion Association, placed a plaque near Frederick Topham's grave at Sanctuary Park Cemetery, in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. The large plaque recounts Topham's Victoria Cross gallantry and his family was there to receive it.[6]
Honours
In June 2004, de Vries was named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour by President Jacques Chirac.[7][8] For his advocacy, public speaking, and educational endeavours to keep the history of Second World War troops alive, he was invested into the Order of Canada as a member on 4 May 2007.[9][10][11] In 2010 he was selected as an Olympic torchbearer as part of the 2010 Olympic Games.[12]
Personal life
He was married to Joanne de Vries (née Nicoll), and was the father of six children.[1]
Death
He died on 27 May 2012 at the Ajax-Pickering Hospital and is buried at Pine Hills Cemetery in Scarborough.[13]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Jan de VRIES C.M. Obituary". Legacy. Toronto Star. 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- 1 2 Barris, Ted (6 June 2012). "A D-Day survivor's lifetime of service". National Post. Toronto: Postmedia Network. ISSN 1486-8008. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Gurney, Mark (6 June 2012). "My morning with the angry D-Day veteran and his shocked audience". National Post. Toronto: Postmedia Network. ISSN 1486-8008. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Szklarski, Cassandra (9 November 2004). "Battle on to keep Canada's last VC public, not private". Daily Herald-Tribune. Grande Prairie, Alberta: Sun Media. The Canadian Press. p. 8. ISSN 0839-4873. Retrieved 12 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Nolan, Daniel (26 March 2005). "Topham's Victoria Cross stays in Canada". The Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton, Ontario: Torstar. p. A4. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved 12 May 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Petersen, Roger (25 March 2007). "WWII Victoria Cross winner remembered". CTV News. Toronto: CTV Globemedia. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Biography - Veterans Affairs Canada". Veterans.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ↑ "La Légion d'Honneur à des vétérans canadiens - La France au Canada/France in Canada". Ambafrance-ca.org. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Governor General to invest 41 recipients into the Order of Canada". Archive.gg.ca. Retrieved 6 July 2012. Cite error: Unknown parameter "oc"" in
<ref>tag; supported parameters are dir, follow, group, name (see the help page). - ↑ CBC Staff (4 May 2007). "Baseball great, fiddler receive Order of Canada". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcast Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ "Pickering war hero appointed to Order of Canada". DurhamRegion Article. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ↑ "Decorated war vet to carry Olympic torch in Pickering". DurhamRegion Article. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ↑ Dillon, Moya (29 May 2012). "Death of Pickering war veteran mourned". Oshawa This Week. Toronto: Metroland Media Group. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.