Today we commemorate that Camp Auschwitz was liberated 70 years ago. I visited the camp with my class in high school and it made a lasting impression on me. We saw rooms packed with children's shoes, toothbrushes, toys, and then read that it was just 1% of the total number that had been collected. Each one representing a tragic story. The website Jewish Monument tries to show each of these stories of the Dutch victims of the Holocaust. On the homepage, one dot represents each victim: blue for … [Read more...]
My Great-Aunt’s Polish Lover
29 October 2014 by 1 Comment
Seventy years ago today, on 29 October 1944, the city of Breda in the Netherlands was liberated by the Polish Panzer Division. For the people of Breda, World War II had come to an end. Everybody was celebrating and girls flocked around the tanks to thank the brave men who had freed them from the Nazis. One of them was my great-aunt, Riet Flooren. Riet was a 21-year-old fun-loving girl who was always the life of the party. She fell head over heels in love with a Polish soldier named Jan … [Read more...]
Dutch term – Bevrijding
5 May 2014 by Leave a Comment
Bevrijding means 'liberation.' On 5 May 1945, the Netherlands was liberated from the German occupation. Every year on this day, we celebrate "Bevrijdingsdag" (Liberation Day) to commemorate this event. … [Read more...]
Column: Best find
4 May 2014 by 3 Comments
When you are at a birthday party and tell people you are into genealogy, the first question you often get is "How far back were you able to go?" If they haven't lost all interest after hearing your stories about tracing some lines to the Middle Ages and getting stuck on some illegitimate children in the 19th century on other lines, a second question sometimes follows: "What is your best find?" … [Read more...]
Question: Finding a WWII soldier’s child?
12 July 2013 by 13 Comments
In response to an article about Post World War II emigration, Jane Carter asked: I am looking for a lady in Holland that was my father’s girlfriend. My father has passed now but I have been told that this lady had my father's child. I know little more then her first name and an old picture she sent my father many years ago. With such little information is it possible to get any information? Apparently, Jane's father was an allied soldier during World War II who had a relationship with a Dutch … [Read more...]
Liberation day
5 May 2005 by Leave a Comment
On May 5th we celebrate the end of World War II and the liberation by the allied forces. This year the celebrations are especially large since it is the 60th anniversary. … [Read more...]
