Old Thank You letter by veteran creates excitement at city hall

THE HAGUE – The ties of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands were emphasized again recently with the arrival of a sixty one year old Thank You letter from one of the city’s liberators, reports The Hague’s chief archivist. The letter by Canadian war veteran E. Cullum acknowledged with gratitude the receipt of a medal in 1947 for his efforts in the liberation of The Hague. Written on December 10, 1947, Cullum’s granddaughter Leah Dowe decided to send it off to The Hague after discovering it among the papers he left behind when he died. The veteran, who wrote that he hoped to return to the Netherlands soon, was never able to revisit the country he helped liberate. Dowe’s gesture touched city officials who put the letter on display at the city’s archives and sent her a book about The Hague.