I was talking with my Father today about his family back in Holland. I asked him about our relatives that fought with the Dutch Resistance, and he mentioned his cousin Fred.
Fred later told my Father the story of what happened to him. He was in the barn doing his daily chores when a truck pulled up with many of the local men and boys in the back. Fred's Father had been taken only a few short months before, never to be seen again. So when the truck showed up in front of the farm, his Mother told him to hide. It was too late, as the Germans were already standing in front of him ordering him into the truck.
He was taken to several work camps where he worked on constructing everything from buildings to bridges. Finally in the later part of the war, he was taken to Germany where he was put into a concentration camp. He was liberated from this camp by American troops. Unfortunately my Father could not remember the name of that camp.
It had been nearly 3 years since Fred was taken. When he arrived home, nobody recognized him. Not even his own Mother. He had lost most of his teeth, his hair had been cut off, he was extremely thin, due to malnutrition. It took his mother a few minutes but she finally recognized him. Fred spent the next 2 years recovering from various illnesses. It was another year before he could even gain the strength to complete the smallest of tasks on the farm.
The story ends here, as my Father has a touch of the flu and wants to go take a nap! I will post more if I can get him to talk about it again.

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This is a pair of Dutch resistance crystal radios, built into a small metal can, and a matchbox. The image is from a postcard bought at a Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam. The matchbox is marked in Swedish, but Swedish matches were sold in Holland for many years..
Scott

a great story there .BF. i look fordward the rest of the story
thankyou for telling us about the family
best krieg

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for thow . will be ours someday.we shall have it all
... und mear.......

Thanks, Scott. It was only in recent years that I realized how the average person in an occupied could be just grabbed and taken away as forced labour - not just because they were rebellious. Also, realizing how often they didn't survive or like your Dad's cousin survived but with illness and physical deterioration that affected them for years - if not all their lives. I hope your Dad will share more stories.

I hope your Dad is better soon.

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

Thanks Michelle!

I'll get more details soon!

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This is a pair of Dutch resistance crystal radios, built into a small metal can, and a matchbox. The image is from a postcard bought at a Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam. The matchbox is marked in Swedish, but Swedish matches were sold in Holland for many years..
Scott