First Nations, Inuit And Métis People Killed During World War II To Be Recognized

Veterans Affairs Canada is supporting a delegation to the Netherlands to recognize First Nations, Inuit and Métis people killed during World War II, including a Vancouver Island man.

Earlier this year, a group of Canadian, Indigenous and Dutch individuals created the Indigenous Legacy Project, a research and remembrance based initiative to identify and mark the graves of Indigenous soldiers buried in cemeteries across the Netherlands.

The Liberation of the Netherlands was Canada’s last major contribution to helping the Allies to victory during the Second World War.

More than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served in the conflict—over 3,000 of them were Indigenous.

The delegation to the Netherlands will honour, acknowledge, and feast the spirit of the deceased Indigenous soldiers through traditional ceremony, to recognize the contributions of Indigenous Peoples in the Second World War and thank the group responsible for the Indigenous Legacy Project.

The delegation includes family members and representatives from 13 of the recently identified Indigenous soldiers, including  Private Edward Underwood, from Saanichton, member of 1st Battalion, Canadian Scottish Regiment. Underwood died on 17 November 1945 at 27 years old.

Veterans Affairs says it’s an opportunity for those connected to the Indigenous soldiers to honour their ancestors and reconnect with their shared history.