‘We hadn’t expected this at all’: Canadian family connects with caretakers of WWII soldier’s grave

Cousins Stanley Klassen (left), Victor Klassen (centre) and Henry Giesbrecht read through their uncle’s war documents in Swift Current, Sask. (Allison Bamford)

After years of tending to a Canadian soldier’s gravesite, a Belgian couple has connected with the war hero’s family members overseas.

Cpl. Peter J. Klassen was killed in action during the Second World War at the age of 19. His remains are buried at Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, located between Bruges and Ghent in northern Belgium.

His nephews, who live in Swift Current, Sask., knew where their uncle’s grave was, but never realized he had his own caregivers.

“It was kind of a surprise,” Peter’s nephew, Stanley Klassen said.

Belgian couple Sabina De Craecker and Dany Van Hyfte adopted Peter’s grave through a non-profit organization, Belgium-Canada, that recruits volunteers to tend to gravesites.

De Craecker and Van Hyfte visit his grave a few times a year, bringing fresh flowers and clearing away the weeds and dead bouquets.

“Then we say a little prayer,” Van Hyfte said.

More than 1,100 soldiers are buried in the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery and over 700 graves are adopted and cared for through the program.

The couple volunteered as grave adopters two years ago to express their gratitude for Canadian soldiers. They also adopted the grave of a second Canadian soldier, Charles Emile LeBlanc.

“At the time when we discussed it, we talked about our own sons,” De Craecker said. “How would we feel as parents? How would we feel if our sons were killed and buried in a very distant country while they were fighting for someone else’s freedom?”

Earlier this month, De Craecker posted in a Facebook group called Historic Saskatchewan, searching for any of Peter’s living relatives. She wanted them to know his grave was being looked after.

“Perhaps it gives them some comfort that there are still people in Belgium that did not forget what they did and who honour his sacrifice,” De Craecker said.

Within days, the post caught the attention of military historians, the Royal Canadian Legion in Swift Current and some of Peter’s relatives.

One of Peter’s great-nieces saw the Facebook post first and notified her family in Swift Current.

“I just thank them from the bottom of my heart that they’re taking the effort to look after his gravesite for us,” Peter’s nephew Victor Klassen said. “Unfortunately, it’s too far away for us to do that.”

Who was Cpl. Peter Klassen?

Since the post, some of Peter’s relatives have connected with De Craecker on social media. But more than that, it’s sparked a renewed interest in his story.

“When we did this research it brought back a lot of things,” Peter’s nephew Henry Giesbrecht said.

Most of what his nephews and nieces know comes from photos, articles and war medals passed down to them.

“He must have been an extraordinary man,” Giesbrecht said while looking at a photograph of his uncle in uniform. “Going to war and fighting for our country, not everybody can do that.”

An excerpt from a military interview in April 1944 describes Peter as quiet and “slightly seclusive,” with potential to “develop into a reliable soldier.”

“He sure sounds like the Klassens, doesn’t he?” Stanley said.

Peter was born in a small community south of Swift Current. He had nine siblings and was the only one in his family who served in the war.

“You just feel happy that there is a family member that did sacrifice their life for our freedom,” Victor said.

Peter enlisted in the military on Feb. 8, 1944, in Regina. By August, he was sent overseas where he eventually joined the South Saskatchewan Regiment in France. He was killed on Sept. 14, 1944.

“He only spent about seven months in the army before he was killed,” said Craig Bird, president and curator of the South East Military Museum in Estevan, adding it’s hard to know what happened in the moments leading up to his death.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the stories would have been lost because unless you were with him, you wouldn’t know the exact circumstances as to what was going on.”

Bird specializes in researching service records. Often, he receives requests from overseas organizations looking for photographs and history of soldiers who are buried in war cemeteries. Other times, he connects families with information.

“I’ll help families get the service records of their loved ones. They get to learn a little bit about their service in the military, where they were and what they were doing,” Bird said. “It’s fantastic. The families are genuinely happy to learn a little bit more about their relatives.”

A colleague sent him De Craecker’s Facebook post. Bird investigated Peter’s records to help track down relatives in Swift Current and connect them with De Craecker and Van Hyfte.

“We were overwhelmed by so many reactions,” De Craecker said. “The sole purpose was, ‘Is there still family alive? And can we let them know that the grave has been taken care of?’

“We hadn’t expected this at all.”