Re: Questions and partial answers.
Kees Vanderheyden (keesv@sympatico.ca)
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 19:07:00 -0400
Dear friends of project Memories,
I have read your list of questions. I’ll try to answer them, but from my
own experience. During the war I was a boy, between 7 years old in 1940
and 11 at the end of the war in the fall of 1944, living in the south of
Holland in a small city. So I have no experience of the Blitz in London,
nor of big shelters.
1. Feelings when we heard the sirens wail.
It happened more towards the end of the war. In the beginning we were
scared, but quickly we found out that bombs or planes rarely fell close
by our village. So the siren was more a call for anti-air raid
excercises. We went for cover under our desks at school or in the
corridors. We never experienced a any bombs then.
2. To be in the Hitler youth.
I was never in the Hitler youth. The Germans were our ennemies occupying
our country (and later our own house) we did not get involved.
3. Were you evacuated.
We were ready to flee at the outbreak of the war. I remember the
packsacks that my mom had prepared for the 5 of us. We didn’t need them
after all. At the liberation a Canadian officer advised my dad to flee
with the family as they expected heavy fighting. But we looked so
miserable leaving our house with my new-born brother, that the told us
to go back home. We ran back despite the possibility of serious
hostilities. It worked out well. Everything was an terrible mess but we
were too happy to be free with our Canadian friends.
4. Rationing.
I guess our parent felt it most for they had to find the food. We
regretted not having butter, good milk, good bread, sweets, fruit. We
ate lots of porridge and tons of patatoes. We were lucky enough never to
go really hungry, but the food, in particular the bread, tasted like
mud. We got used to the lack of choice, but we really celebrated when
the Canadian soldiers gave us white bread, butter, corned beef,
chocolate. Wow!!! It was heaven!!
5. Our shelter.
Our shelter was a ditch with a sod cover over it. Probably quite
useless, but it gave us a feeling of security. We never used it except
to play in. When thing got really hairy during the liberation we hid in
the cellar.
6. Britain going to war.
As a kid I had no idea who was fighting against the Germans, except at
the end when I learned that the Brits, the Canadians and the Americans
were fighting to liberate us. I had a vague idea that the Russians were
also involved. But all that was so far away. I was more preoccupied with
the Germans in our garden and later the Canadians sitting in our
kitchen.
7. Wearing a gas mask?
I dreamed of having one. It looked so exciting. I tried to steal one
from the Germans in our house, but my dad made me put it back, so he
wouldn’t be accused of sabotage.
8. The black out.
My dad would cover all the windows with black paper in the evening so no
light would shine out-side. During the night when we heard the bombers
thunder over our heads we would peer through the holes in the paper so
watch the searchlights and the sky full of planes. It was scary and
exciting at the same time.
9. Did we sing songs in the shelter ?
Not in the shelter, but among kids we would sing our versions of
“Deutschland Deutschland uber alles” to mock the Germans.
10 The war a game ?
At the beginning yes. The planes, the tanks, all the machinery, the
exercices created an athmosphere of mystery, power and games.We even
tried to make our own war and to imitate the adults. I didn’t know that
war was death, destruction, separation, hunger. But when I came face to
face with death, the game was over and I became sad and terrified and
prayed for the Liberators to come and end the war.
Kees Vanderheyden