Meritorious Service Medal

• Awarded on: May 9, 2000
• Invested on: September 15, 2000

James H. Knowles, M.S.M., Toronto, Ont.
Meritorious Service Medal (civil division)

Chairman of the Canada Remembers Advisory Council (Toronto), James Knowles played a leading role in the establishment of the Canadian-Netherlands Memorial Park at Groesbeek, in the Netherlands. He conceived and promoted a plan to raise money to provide a gift of Canadian trees to Holland in appreciation of the courage and hospitality of the people of that country. The five-acre landscaped and treed park is a living memorial that recognizes the 5,700 Canadians lost during the liberation of the Netherlands in the Second World War. Thanks to Mr. Knowles’ exceptional leadership, organizational and fundraising abilities, the Memorial Park was unveiled in 1995 at the 50th anniversary celebrations.