Shadowy Pilgrimage
I am going on a pilgrimage. A delving, unearthing and prospecting pilgrimage into history Continue reading Shadowy Pilgrimage
Tag: Holland
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
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
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
The quest for Jan van Boeckel: an overview
My quest started with the urge to put the memory of this NN-prisoner back into the light and to explore a family myth. Little did I know what a wealth of information was actually available. Continue reading The quest for Jan van Boeckel: an overview
A dire warning…
He sent it from a coded address to a friend who was also in hiding, but it never made its way to them until much later. It is a birthday letter for his two smallest siblings, my mother and her younger sister. But it is also a warning, a cryptic letter with a hidden message. My mother did not receive this letter until 1995, my grandma never saw it. Continue reading A dire warning…
Reweaving the tapestry of a lost life
Where should I begin this tale of adventure, idealism, survival, death and suffering? Maybe there is no beginning or end. There are snippets of information contained in registers, photographs, oral history, correspondence, maps, scientific research, testimonials, newspaper articles and interviews. Continue reading Reweaving the tapestry of a lost life
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