In contrast to the British and American troops, the Canadians remained in the Netherlands for a long time – the latter did not repatriate until February 1946. The Canadian Perth regiment was supposed to be stationed in Sneek until the end of the summer of 1945.
The Perth Regiment itself was not actively involved in the liberation of Sneek. The Canadian regiments The Queens Own Rifles of Canada and the French-Canadian regiment De la Chaudière liberate Sneek on April 15, 1945. Six soldiers of The Queens Own Rifles of Canada were killed in the fighting west of the city. A memorial stone has been placed for them in one of the walls of the Martinikerk.
The Perth Regiment did not arrive in Sneek until June 1, 1945. The inhabitants of Sneek offered the soldiers shelter with great cordiality. All kinds of activities were organized to make the months-long waiting time for the soldiers as pleasant as possible, such as sailing competitions on the Sneekermeer, football, tug-of-war and shooting competitions, but also dance evenings. Special church services were held for Canadians at regular intervals. The stay of the Perth Regiment in Sneek lasted until the end of November 1945. The last soldiers left in the night of 27 to 28 November.
After the war, countless contacts continued between the inhabitants of Sneek and the Canadians. Families on opposite sides of the ocean started correspondence, telephoned each other regularly, and sometimes visited each other. In memory of the Canadian soldiers, a roundabout in the Zwette district in Sneek has been renamed ‘Het Regiment Perthplein’. The roundabout features a Canadian "Maple leaf" in red-colored vegetation. One of the streets leading to and from the roundabout is called Kanadezenstrjitte.
