Education in Ede after the liberation

The authorities in Ede impose a curfew. For youths up to sixteen years old, it starts from nine o'clock in the evening, and from ten o'clock in the evening for boys up to eighteen years old and girls up to twenty-one years old. After this time, young people and young adults are not allowed on the streets anymore. The contact of allied soldiers with the young female population is also closely monitored. In the Netherlands, it is a common concern, leading Dutch women and girls to be warned to behave "modestly and dignified towards our allied soldiers."

In early May 1945, the liberators leave Ede, but the relief among the authorities is short-lived. In June 1945, other Canadian soldiers arrive in Ede, unable to return to Canada due to a shortage of ships. They stay in Ede throughout the summer and fall.

This poses a continued problem for the Edese authorities. "The youth is becoming wild," they believe. The youth supposedly have too much free time, as education is not the same as it was before the war. Many school buildings were damaged during the war, and the Roman Catholic school on Padberglaan, the Neutral (elementary) School on Noordelijke Spoorstraat, and the Christian ULO on Beukenlaan were destroyed in September 1944 by bombings and have not been rebuilt yet.

The Canadians use the school buildings on Telefoonweg (Cavaljé School), Schoolstraat (Paasbergschool), and Maandereind (Public Elementary School) as accommodation. Therefore, young people receive lessons in churches, consistory rooms, and kindergartens. The HBS and gymnasium are temporarily housed in private houses around the Brouwerstraat-Molenstraat intersection. Due to the dispersal, the sense of community disappears, and top-down control is often lacking. Teachers do their best, but students often have half-day lessons because the buildings have to be shared.

The municipal government of Ede fails to persuade the Canadians to leave the schools. Canadian commanders want to keep their soldiers together, as boredom sets in among them while they wait for their return to Canada. The discipline of the soldiers diminishes. Some of the Canadians stay in the barracks of Ede, but not all are habitable due to war damage.

In November 1945, the Canadian regiments hold a (farewell) parade through Ede once more, after which they depart to return to Canada. It is only in early 1946 that education in Ede returns somewhat to normalcy.