In Memoriam Bill Teleske

EDMONTON/HOLLAND -- William 'Bill' Teleske, Canadian WWII veteran and comrad of Walter Strang who was killed in action in Holland/Hoevelaken, passed away on Sunday 19 June 2011 in his birth and homeplace Edmonton in Canada.
According to Hans Brink, former Commanding Officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, Bill was till the end of his life active for the museum of the Eddies, the so called regiment. "Bill showed groups around in the museum and regular at the end he learned the schoolkids marching like real soldiers. As well the kids as Bill loved it."
At 23 April Bill walked proudly upfront a sponsormarch for a house for wounded soldiers. "In Bill we lost an outstanding WWII veteran, fortunate he passed away in peace during his sleep. Bill Teleske served the Eddies from 1940 till 1970 and deserved a funeral with military honour," Brink said.
During his search to Walter Strang, the Scottish-Canadian soldier who was killed in action at 19 April 1945 in Hoevelaken, Theo Zuurman met Bill Teleske in the summer of 2007. "It was a most warm meeting and Bill tells me what he remembers of Walter -- a quiet man who was 11 years older than Bill, a type of father figure. Bill also presents me with a beautiful picture of Walter in Florence in Italy," according to Zuurman.
Bill visited us twice in Hoevelaken -- the first time in 2007 when we had a naming ceremony for a new road that got the name Walter Strang Lane, and the second time in 2008 at the unveiling of the new monument to Walter.
Bill was always modest, with a slightly mischievous twinkle in his eye. He did not consider himself a war hero, for he did not fight in the frontline but worked in the kitchens. However, mortars can hit kitchens too and in Italy he came under heavy fire. His most wonderful war story to my mind concerned his landing in Sicily.
The landing vessel got stuck before reaching shore and Bill had to enter the water carrying all his gear. However, after a few metres he no longer felt ground under his feet and disappeared under water. "This is the end" he thought, for Bill could not swim. Luckily, two marines saved his life and Bill lived for another 68 years" remembers Theo Zuurman, the chairman of the Walter Strang Foundation, he spoke at Bill's funeral. "Some 70 years ago people such as Bill and countless other young Canadian men decided to leave their homes to travel all the way to Europe.
Nowadays it's hardly to understand that there were about one million Canadians who came over by boat.
Sometimes without realising it fully, they risked their lives to ensure that we could live in freedom -- which we still do 66 years later. The least I can do now is to make the journey in the opposite direction and pay my respects to him.
Bill: Europe, Holland and Hoevelaken owe you a lot of thanks", Zuurman ended his speech.

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