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The Remarkable Reunion of a Former POW and the Soldier Who Saved Him

After 50 years, a former P.O.W. is reunited with the soldier who helped keep him alive during World War II.

Henk Metselaar rarely talked about his time as a Dutch prisoner of war during World War II. Except for one tale—how he was saved two days before the war ended, thanks to the kindness of a Canadian soldier … and two chocolate bars. Henk hoped to meet that soldier again one day.

Some 50 years later, an unlikely encounter led to a remarkable reunion. Henk’s daughter Hillary shared the incredible true story in the October/November issue of Mysterious Ways. Click through the slideshow to learn how the soldier and the POW he saved finally reconnected.

Guideposts: A World War II soldier walks along a dusty road.

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In May 1945, 25-year-old Henk was released from a Nazi labor camp. He walked all the way from Hamburg to the Dutch border,  a skeleton in rags. A group of Canadian soldiers found him and took him to a cottage in the liberated city of Enschede. 


Guideposts: George Emmerson during his days as an army truck driver

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One Canadian soldier, a lanky young man with a wide grin, fetched Henk a steaming plate of bully beef and potatoes, a feast to Henk’s eyes. “You best cook ever,” Henk told him. The soldier laughed, said he was just an army truck driver, no chef.

Guideposts: George Emmerson waves from the passenger seat of his army truck

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Before Henk left on the long journey to his hometown, the Canadian soldier handed him a gift. Two chocolate bars. “When you’re tired and don’t know if you’ll make it, eat these,” he told Henk. “A little at a time to get yourself home.”


Guideposts: Henk Metselaar with his family, in the 1950s

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The soldier’s kindness inspired Henk to move his young family to Canada after the war. In 1951, they boarded the Volendam passenger steamship, bound for their new home in Ontario. He often told his children the reason they were there, and his hope to meet the soldier again.


Guideposts: Henk looks through a photograph album.

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In 2013, Henk, then 93, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. His daughter, Hillary visited her father often in the care facility where he lived. 


Guideposts: Hillary poses in the furniture store where she encountered George and Joyce Emmerson

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One day, Hillary was working at a furniture store when an elderly couple walked in looking for a new recliner: George and Joyce Emmerson from Port Perry, the town Hillary’s husband was from. 


Guideposts: Hillary and George clasp hands.

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“You must know my husband Gordie’s family, the Carnegies,” Hillary said. “Gordie?” George responded. “His father’s my cousin! That makes us family!” He was a real charmer, even at 91 years old. 

Guideposts: A young George poses in his army uniform.

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Hillary told George she was from the Netherlands. George said he’d served there in World War II. He told the story of a young Dutch prisoner he met. “Before he left, I gave him two chocolate bars to take with him on the road.” Hillary couldn’t believe it. Her father’s Canadian soldier!


Guideposts: Henk (right) settled in Canada after the war, always hoping he’d meet George again.

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Henk passed away in August 2015, but not before reuniting with George, who visited often. Henk seemed to recognize the soldier who’d saved him. He had little appetite, but George always brought a gift Henk couldn’t resist: two chocolate bars.

Click here to learn more about Veterans Awareness Month and what you can do to help.

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