The Deelen Dump in Holland

[David Dunlop]

Hanno.

Curiosity question(s).

Were the vehicles stored at Deelen at the end of the war always the property of the Canadian Government? This would imply either some form of limited Canadian bureaucratic presence there to oversee sales, or Dutch personnel acting as sales agents for the Canadian Government.

Alternatively, at some point the Canadian Government might have transferred these vehicle assets directly to the Dutch Government for disposal.

Or, perhaps, a combination of the two.

I am just trying to wrap my head around how Canada sold large blocks of specific vehicles and related spares to other countries after the war, if most of this equipment was sitting in Europe in depots like Deelen.

David

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hello David,

I tried to find some reliable sources on this subject:


1) In July 1945 1 and 2 Cdn Demobilization Depot were mobilized under the command of the First Canadian Army - see https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/org.../rcocorbat.htm
These units were tasked with demobilizing Canadian troops in NWE. One of the tasks at hand must have been demobilizing not only troops but also vehicles and other Canadian Army assets.


2) Canadian Army Newsreel no.105 mentions RCEME units were tasked with documenting and classifying each unit of transport, which were then handed over to the Canadian Army Vehicle Demob Park at Arnhem Airport (Deelen is close to Arnhem). The reporter notes that "approx. 36,000 vehicles were stored at the Park and more ariving daily. When the assembly was completed the contents of the Park were turned over to the War Assets Board, which will sell it to bring money back to the Treasury. France, Belgium and Holland were bargaining for the whole establishment."

105.5 Army Vehicles Demobbed
Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers classify trucks as they drive by; close-ups of shields, signs, numbers on vehicles. Trucks, armoured cars, tanks, jeeps and other military vehicles parked on a large military vehicle parking lot at the Arnhem Airport, Holland.
Screenshot_2020-04-13 Canadian Army Newsreel No 105.jpg

3) The No. 1 Demob Vehicle Park is also mentioned in War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada by Alex Souchen:

Screenshot_2020-04-13 War Junk.jpg

4) Note that there were several locations where the vehicles were stored, as described in Wheels & Tracks magazine (Bart Vanderveen worked as a conscript on one of the vehicle parks):

ISSUE No. 55 (April 1996)
Canadian Disposals and Returns - Canada-Europe; some vehicles did it twice.
The Dutch Inheritance (1) - Deelen Demob Vehicle Park.
The Dutch Inheritance (2) - The Enschede Dump.
Holland's Vehicle Parks - Soesterberg: 1 VP, Stroe: 2 VP.

5) A search on this forum yields generic info, plus a few people mentioning their relatives worked at Deelen after the war.


To answer your question:

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

I am just trying to wrap my head around how Canada sold large blocks of specific vehicles and related spares to other countries after the war, if most of this equipment was sitting in Europe in depots like Deelen.

As far as I can tell the Canadian government did not sell blocks of vehicles, but rather their entire inventory one year after the war ended. They transferred all the vehicles assembled in Dutch depots in a deal struck with the Dutch government. They agreed on a (partial) trade against the costs the Dutch government was making for billeting and repatriating Canadian troops. I will see if I can find more sources on this subject later.

Hope this helps to give you some more insights.

PS: I think the upcoming book War Junk (https://www.ubcpress.ca/war-junk) will have more indepth insights into this subject.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

They agreed on a (partial) trade against the costs the Dutch government was making for billeting and repatriating Canadian troops. I will see if I can find more sources on this subject later.

From Alex Souchen's dissertation "Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation and the Disposal of Canada's Munitions and Supplies, 1943-1948":

Later in May 1946 (and as part of the war claims settlement), the Dutch purchased all the remaining medical and dental supplies situated in the Netherlands (mostly at Alverna), Canadian General Hospitals No. 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 21, and all the remaining armoured and unarmoured vehicles located at the Deelen airfield.

It is worthwhile to download Souchen's dissertation for a good read on how Canada disposed of its Army's assets.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

The vehicles supplied by UNRRA to Czechoslovakia came from the Deelen dump before the remainder was sold the the Netherlands government:

https://youtu.be/Y4JDvvPVJeQ

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The vehicles supplied by UNRRA to Czechoslovakia came from the Deelen dump before the remainder was sold the the Netherlands government:

https://youtu.be/Y4JDvvPVJeQ

My wife's dad drove a 60cwt from Holland to Czechoslovakia waiting to demob. Maybe he was in that film?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

My wife's dad drove a 60cwt from Holland to Czechoslovakia waiting to demob. Maybe he was in that film?

That would be amazing if you could recognize him.... I know the feeling!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Sign owned by Jordy Mensink. From No. 1 Demob Vehicle Park at Deelen?

Mark Tonner commented:

Jordy Msk - the ‘97' marking is actually for Serial No. 912, No. 204 Armoured Ordnance Sub-Park, RCOC (15 July 1944 to 12 July 1945).

There was no unit under the designation of ‘No. 4 Armoured Division Ordnance Field Park,’ there was however Serial No. 912, the 4th Armoured Divisional Sub-Park, RCOC (1 March 1942 to 14 January 1944), which was converted and redesignated Serial No. 912, the 4th Armoured Ordnance Sub-Park, RCOC, effective 7 February 1944, and was in turn was redesignated Serial No. 912, No. 204 Armoured Ordnance Sub-Park, RCOC, effective 15 July 1944, and was disbanded effective 12 July 1945.

80486E73-A3DD-48A3-8AD3-19537A1B9C7C.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

From Alex Souchen's dissertation "Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation and the Disposal of Canada's Munitions and Supplies, 1943-1948":

It is worthwhile to download Souchen's dissertation for a good read on how Canada disposed of its Army's assets.

When I asked Bing Chat: "Is there any mention of dumps in Belgium in Alex Souchen's The War Assets Corporation and the Disposal of Canada's Munitions and Supplies, 1943-1948?" it replied:

"In **Alex Souchen's** dissertation titled **"Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation and the Disposal of Canada's Munitions and Supplies, 1943-1948"**, the focus is primarily on how the Canadian government and military handled surplus munitions and supplies after **World War II**. The study explores the disposal program from **1943 to 1948**, emphasizing the political, social, and economic significance of these objects. Here are some key points from the research:

1. **Disposal Program Establishment**:
- In **November 1943**, the Canadian government established the **Crown Assets Allocation Committee (CAAC)** and the **War Assets Corporation (WAC)** to plan, control, and implement the disposal program.
- The objects accumulated during the war persisted long after hostilities ended and required careful procedures for demobilization or destruction.

2. **Critical Themes Explored**:
- The study elaborates on four critical themes:
- The **continuous and evolving nature of public pressure** for government action on disposal.
- The **role of the CAAC and WAC** in controlling disposal operations.
- The **stewardship** required for objects of war as they transitioned from one use to the next.
- The **process of reducing, reusing, recycling, and upcycling** munitions and supplies into new forms and functions.

3. **Postwar Impact**:
- By examining the **extended social lives** of these objects, the study connects material culture with **postwar reconstruction, rehabilitation, and demobilization**.
- Although disposal was not perfect and left behind some **environmental legacies**, the conversion of surplus assets into peacetime purposes helped mitigate their threatening impact on economic stability, political authority, and public safety.

Unfortunately, there is no specific mention of dumps in Belgium in this particular dissertation. However, it provides valuable insights into how Canada managed its surplus assets during the critical postwar period¹.

For further reading, you can explore Alex Souchen's work, which contributes to fields such as **military history, Canadian history, material culture, and disarmament studies**¹².

Source: Conversation with Bing, 12/25/2023
(1) "Peace Dividend: The Disposal of Canada's Munitions and Supplies 1943 .... https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3638/.
(2) War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51087852-war-junk.
(3) War Junk by Alex Souchen – Canadian War Museum Boutique. https://www.warmuseum.ca/boutique/pr...-alex-souchen/.
(4) The War Assets Corporation and the Disposal of Canada's Munitions and .... https://docslib.org/doc/1805594/the-...lies-1943-1948.
(5) undefined. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3638.
(6) "Under Fathoms of Salt Water" Canada's Ammunition Dumping Program, 1944 .... https://www.academia.edu/34899569/_U...gram_1944_1947.
(7) â•œUnder Fathoms of Salt Water:â•š Canadaâ•Žs Ammunition Dumping .... https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/303921595.pdf.
(8) UBC Press. https://www.ubcpress.ca/a-vexatious-...tions-disposal.
(9) undefined. http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol26/iss2/3."

[Hanno Spoelstra]

This Cab 13 door reportedly came off an ex-Deelen Dump CMP truck. As you can see the truck it came off had seen postwar civilian service at Haarman building contractors in Raalte, The Netherlands.

5707 (1).jpg
Source: https://www.archief.museumdeelen.nl/...3-6ab083c63c0f

[Hanno Spoelstra]

"HQ Canadian Demob Depot"

Screenshot 2023-12-29 214939.jpg


Some more photos of the endless rows of vehicles awaiting their fate at the Deelen Dump, ca. 1947

Screenshot 2023-12-29 214736.jpg Screenshot 2023-12-29 214645.jpg Screenshot 2023-12-29 214447.jpg

Source: https://www.archief.museumdeelen.nl/, search for "Canadian Demob Depot Deelen"

[zemsi]

AEC armoured cars in the front. Mk.III (75mm) in the middle and Mk.II (6pdr) on the left. Staghounds in the background. Picture from facebook.