Don White

Don White
Royal Canadian Dragoons

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Trooper Don White of Oshawa, Ontario, was just 18 when he volunteered for overseas service and joined the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Italy in the fall of 1944. By April 1945, White and his fellow Dragoons were advancing with Canadian forces into the Netherlands. What happened next would forever bind his name to Dutch liberation history.

On April 15, 1945, as part of C Squadron, Don White was in the lead Staghound armored car when the RCD rolled into Leeuwarden. It was a moment of extraordinary symbolism: the war was in its final days, and the Dutch people—starved, exhausted, and afraid—welcomed their liberators with joy and tears. Don’s arrival marked one of the most memorable and emotional liberations in the Netherlands.

After the war, Don returned to Canada but remained deeply involved with his regiment and the memory of those liberation years. He became a beloved ambassador of the RCD and Canadian veterans in general—particularly within the Netherlands. He traveled frequently to participate in commemoration events, speak to schoolchildren, and represent the bond between the Dutch and Canadian people. He was cherished by the citizens of Leeuwarden, who never forgot that a Canadian in the lead vehicle of the Dragoons gave them their freedom.

Don remained active with the Ontario Regiment Museum and the broader military community in Oshawa. Even into his later years, he carried himself with quiet dignity and pride, wearing his uniform and medals to honour fallen comrades and the legacy of the war.

When Don passed away on June 17, 2023, surrounded by his family, the tribute that followed was profound. He was celebrated as a great Canadian, a hero, and a bridge between nations. He is remembered with affection and reverence not only in Canada but across the Netherlands. To many Dutch citizens, Don White was more than a liberator—he was family.

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Oshawa

Photo & Story: Timothy Young, Faces to Graves