Description
The close bonds between Canada and the Netherlands were solidified during the Second World War when our histories became entwined on the shores of the Scheldt River. This WWII Battlefront commemorative coin marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Scheldt (2 October – 8 November 1944), one of Canada’s key contributions to the Allied victory in Europe. Mintage is limited to 7,500 pieces. GST/HST exempt.
The Design:
The image captures the intensity of a battle in which every advance was a deadly struggle to seize the high ground. For the First Canadian Army, the Scheldt was their most grueling campaign yet, while for the Dutch it marked the beginning of the end of a brutal occupation and the deepening of a friendship between two countries.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Scheldt artist Mary McPherson presents a realistic portrait of a Canadian Ojibwa soldier in action in the fall of 1944. The insignia of the First Canadian Army appears above the infantryman, who wields a Bren gun while advancing past a tower mill. A Wasp MKII C flamethrower universal carrier backs the infantry advance from atop an embankment near the Scheldt River. The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by T.H. Paget.
