Thomas Milo says:

I got to know and respect Hans as a senior veteran of the older generation. Warm greetings to all his next of kin, friends and members of his community. As a younger generation army veteran I had the pleasure and honour to accompany on two major trips that he describes and puts in perspective below in his own words:

“I was born in 1919 in Rotterdam, since 1938 residing in Antwerpen, Belgium.
In 1940 I fled on my own devices to England, where I voluntarily joined the Netherlands Armed Forces that were regrouping there.
In Britain a battle group was organised, later baptised by Queen Wilhelmina the “Royal Netherlands Brigade Prinses Irene”.
Towards the end of the war I even served briefly as liaison with a British Army unit, the City of London “Inns of Court Regiment”
Many years later i was awarded the DIG (the Dutch equivalent of the US military Purple Heart medal), personally pinned on by the Consul of the Netherlands in Vancouver.
In October 1945 I was honourably dischatged from the Brigade and returned to my former town of residence, Antwerp.
In 1953 I emigrated by my own devices with my family to Canada where I worked for 25 years as a supermarket manager in Edmonton, AB.
After 25 I retired at the age of 60 and resettled in Kelowna, BC.
In 1991 my wife died of Alzheimer.
I worked as a volunteer for various local institutions, and for a local electio I was even member of the Board of Directors of the regional hospital.
I developed myself particularly in field of taking care of the interests of the demented and the needs of there caretakers.
I also joined some other organisations, in which I am interested to this day, among others, those for taking care of the interests and needs of war veterans and their families.
Moreover, my war experiences (partcularly as a Normandy veteran) accidentally came to the attention of a Russian patriotic organisation, that appreciates and stresses the allied support for the Russian people during the war, and especially for the decision in 1942 to open a Second Front (which led to the D-Day Landings), which eventually led to Victory.
This organisation, the Centre for National Glory, based in St Petersburg and in Moscow, has honoured me since 2007 in a remarkable manner, among others, by allowing me to participate at their expense in important events, for instance in Tallinn, Estonia. For this I sought approval from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Veterans’ Affairs, both in the Netherlands and in Canada.
I was also invited to attend the celebration of the liberation of Europe 65 years ago (2010) in Bratislava, under auspices of the President Fico of Slovakia and the German Minister of Defence. (The event was originally planned in Vienna with attendance of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the Austian Chanceller Werner Faymann, but unfortenatly coincided with local elections and another Russian state visit).
The program included cultural elements, wreath laying at the graves of the fallen, a round table conference and an exhibition of photographs that commemorate the Liberation of Europe.
At the request of the Royal Canadian legion, Western Command, I shall lay their wreath on their behalf.”

The attached photographs shows Hans, in the centre, with spectacles, sitting in a Universal Carrier APC, during the Victory Parade on the Dam Square in Amsterdam.

barbara carroll says:

I remember fondly when KGH was computerizing the clinical areas. Hans was on the Board of Directors. He came to our HIS department where I worked coordinating the clinical applications (computer) in KGH. The Board were supporting and funding projects initially and he wanted to understand what we were doing in Hospital Information Systems. He would often use my desk, after I trained him and gave him access to e-mail, to communicate with his colleagues and others re the Board’s work. He was keenly interested and very supportive. I loved Hans, found him very passionate about life, He loved his friends and his life in Kelowna. Rest in peace my dear friend. You did make a difference at KGH during those exciting days. Barbara Carroll.

Ans Laurie says:

Hans was a longtime and close friend, both through email groups and in person. I have wonderful memories of his visit to me in New Jersey and time spent together vacationing in the Netherlands. May his long and rich life be a celebration among his loved ones, rather than a source of sadness. Rest in peace, old friend!