Learning to listen
Long ago the conclusion of one of my theses at university was that understanding and overcoming racism and prejudice can only be achieved by friendship, by learning to know the ‘other’. Continue reading Learning to listen
Category: History
delving the past
maybe being born where ancestors speak fires my will to continue relating a mother’s loss which flows on in me as a need to know in the very detail these memories teach the strength of humanity This is an … Continue reading delving the past
Slim Chances in Saal and Dachau
Facts remain the backbone of my story. This is a study of facts which needed to do to be able to understand any further research on this last phase in Jan van Boeckel’s life – and his death. Not the most inspiring of reading material, I wrote it because it might be useful for anyone else doing research on this place and time, and these events. Continue reading Slim Chances in Saal and Dachau
Processions in the Hunger Winter
A sense of humour is one of the best survival tools, and the van Boeckels had loads of it. Talking to Jacqueline and Ineke, two of the youngest van Boeckels, they forever tell their painful childhood stories laced with the jokes that were prevalent in the family. It still makes them laugh out loud. Continue reading Processions in the Hunger Winter
A child’s eye
After the mobilisation of the Dutch military in 1940 Jacqui had seen the war unfold. Dutch soldiers passing through the street to join up with their company in the dunes, her sisters offering them tea and sandwiches. And then suddenly Germans in the street Continue reading A child’s eye
Partisans de Houffalize, Maquis D’Engreux
Before Jan joined their group in the forests of Compogne, the Maquis d’Engreux had experienced trying times. Life was dangerous and volatile. Let me return to the beginning of 1944, when Theo and Jan had not yet arrived. Continue reading Partisans de Houffalize, Maquis D’Engreux
1942: Devilish dilemmas
After defeating the Dutch army in 1940, and bombing Rotterdam to cinders, Holland was occupied by the Germans. If living under these circumstances was hard for the average Dutch man or woman in the early years of the war, 1942 was a hellish year Dutch Jews and anyone suspected of working against Hitler. Continue reading 1942: Devilish dilemmas
Posts in the Quest for Jan van Boeckel
Below are the posts written up to now related to the quest for Jan van Boeckel. They are presented in the order in which they were written, and the order in which I gained insight into the events in his life. If you are searching for the posts in the chronological order of Jan’s life they can be found on Jan van Boeckel’s Timeline. Continue reading Posts in the Quest for Jan van Boeckel
Dames, Chaplains and Smugglers
A moon shines brightly on the wintry hills in the Geuldal. Shadows on snow, shadows and silent footsteps. Carrying trade ware. Cigarettes or other goods that can be used or resold. Over the Dutch-Belgian border. German guards and dogs patrolling in the dark. Careful. Run. Silence. Walk, walk, walk. Through the night. Keep to the trees, careful with the moonlight. Shhhh, I hear something. Keep in the shadows. Wait. Run. Walk. Continue reading Dames, Chaplains and Smugglers
Reflections
For several years there is no evidence of any further action in the search for Jan. And then suddenly there is a whirlwind of activity, starting at the end of 1965 Continue reading Reflections
A guide to the quest for Jan van Boeckel
The blogs I wrote jump in time, as they are based on the information that was uncovered at that moment in time. Leaving Haarlem he can be followed from the North and East of Holland to Brabant, Limburg, Liege, Ardennes, Cologne, Bayreuth, Ebrach, Nürnberg, Flossenbürg, Saal an der Donau to Dachau. Continue reading A guide to the quest for Jan van Boeckel
Joining the Maquisards in the Ardennes
Greetings in German and French rang out as they were introduced to an international maquis group, a group of Partisans Armés, armed resistance fighters. Continue reading Joining the Maquisards in the Ardennes
Being a Number: KZ Saal an der Donau, Ring-Me
What Jan really experienced we will never know, and we never will know the thoughts he had and the choices he had to make. But armed with both Arthur ‘s accounts and the witness reports by villagers, labourers and prisoners I am able to clear some of the fog created by the Nazi regime ever so slightly. Continue reading Being a Number: KZ Saal an der Donau, Ring-Me
Oisterwijk: the southern marshes
That first evening, the 10th of January, was spent with the daughters Janssen and a few members of the Oisterwijk resistance group, including “ a lean, bespectacled man named Jantje Brunnekreef who could play wonderful jazz on the piano”. As Jan himself improvised with jazz he must have enjoyed that tremendously. The young people danced and laughed all night. Continue reading Oisterwijk: the southern marshes
A broken chain
A missing person in the family feels to me like a link lost or broken in a chain. There is a ‘not there’, an emptiness that appears nearly physical. If I feel it this strongly, and I know more members of my generation do, just think about what it felt like for a mother, a father, for siblings. Continue reading A broken chain
