In no time, her father, and her oldest brother and sister had obtained jobs. The Bisschop family, seen here outside their Thamesville-area home in the 1950s. “He helped them transition,” Vandermeer said. Vanderzeil, greeted the family as they came off the train. Vandermeer said the minister of the Christian Reformed Church, Rev. They left for Chatham by train shortly thereafter and arrived Aug. She received clearance three months later and the Bisshops went to France, boarded a ship and landed in Quebec City on Aug. The Bisschop family was to come to Canada in May of 1949, but Vandermeer said her mother, pregnant with her 11 th child, couldn’t initially get health clearance. Vandermeer said her father didn’t want that for his sons. “My father just felt that this was the country that helped us in times of war, and because Canada wanted immigrants, they made the choice,” Vandermeer, now 65, said of her parents.įurthermore, every man in Holland had to sign up to serve in the military back in 1949. 11, attending the ceremonies at the Chatham cenotaph en masse without fail for many years. It was also something the family showed respect for each Nov. Vandermeer, one of three children who were born in Canada, said the Canadian military effort that helped liberate Holland during the Second World War played a big role in where her parents chose to go. This from Nancy Vandermeer when talking about her parents, Arend and Aaltje Bisschop, who came to Chatham from Holland in 1949. “They came here with 10 children and suitcases.” They say the fact Canadian soldiers played a huge role in the liberation of Holland in the Second World War was a big factor in the decision to move here with 10 children. Surviving sons and daughters of Arend and Aaltje Bisschop gathered earlier this year to mark the 70th anniversary their parents emigrated from Holland to Canada, specifically Chatham-Kent.
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