The war through children's eyes

From 'Personal memories of Bernard Musters'

10 May 1940. War is breaking out! Around 4am, the Netherlands was attacked by Germany. As a child, I was not so aware of this. I would turn 5 on Saturday 11 May and Sunday was Grandma's birthday. What a celebration that would be. But things were different. The vigilantes and air defences had put the entire inventory of our farm, located on the North Sea dyke, on the dyke as a barricade. With my birthday, the first refugees arrived, relatives from Zevenbergen and Zwingelspaan.

In the early morning of 30-31 May 1943, we received a call that a plane (Wellington bomber) had crashed in my uncle Kees's field. This day my cousin Jan was to take his communion, at which Pastor Lips was also present. He blessed the coffins in the presence of the German guard of honour. My brother and I got to watch and pray with him. In a shed were five green coffins with red borders. There was also a German Guard of Honour standing by the coffins. My father gave us permission to go and watch.

As children in wartime, we played at the Kreek in Stampersgat during summer time where there was bathing and swimming. All year round we went fishing. In winter, we skated on the Kreek and played with pinwheels. We played with homemade balls made of paper, bulbs, rope and elastic from broken bicycle tyres.

After the relatively quiet beginning of the war, after the construction of the tank trap, the end began to approach and unrest increased. Raids were also held at this work. Usually there was advance notice that something was expected. Acts of sabotage were also carried out, such as breaching dams, which prevented them from standing. Poles were 'pointed' or taken for stove wood.

However, the German army remained on standby. Many young Germans and Alsatians were stationed here. They were then drilled heavily and at drills they could sing beautifully about their "Heimat". In the potato workshop, they once practised with tear gas. It was a beautiful sight for us children: those soldiers with gas masks and tear-stained eyes!