Updates: This area shows the updates to my blog...

1.) August 03, 2014 - updates to My Dad's only story - the concentration camp. ...updates provided by Fred Klijndijk - a reader of my blog.

2.) August 25, 2014 - update to Grand father's involvement section I received email from Edouard Reniere - Opa Hendrik Elbertsen helps airman Earl Price.

3.) August 30. 2014 - Why we moved to Canada...Why we moved to Canada

4.) August 30, 2014 - Dad's memoirs... Dad's memoir

5.) November 7, 2014 - Information on my Opa Hendrik Elbertsen, military service... update received from Paul Schut - apparently Paul was in the same military service! ... Opa Elbertsen - scroll down to area

6.) November 11, 2014 - Added some pictures of Opa Schut, as the tax collector. 

The Start - The Reason - The Memories -TO VIEW MY PARENTS ACCOUNTS DURING THE WAR... REVIEW THE SIDE BAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE, CLICK ON THE BLOG ARCHIVE... 2013... December (12)

The reason for my blog:

To leave a record of what my family had to endure, suffer and accomplished during WW II. I feel that my children, and my children’s children should have the opportunity to reflect on their past; to know what our parents had to go through for us. We now have the technology to record our past, to be read by anyone who wishes to read it, so there it is…

Unfortunately, (at least on my part), we moved to Canada in 1956 when I was only 6 years old. Most of my past family life / history was never kept alive, as my parents did not talk to much about their past. I lost my heritage. To this day, I still feel that I have lost something and that I am "out of sink" living in Canada.


Now living in Canada, with no other close relatives for resources, I am relying on my father’s journal and the stories we have heard over the years from our Mum and Dad. They did not like to talk about the war times, as those times were extremely difficult / emotional times, too many atrocities.

My father and grandparents have already passed on, leaving my mum of 91 years old to somehow help me try to unfold their story. 

Talking about my blog project to mum, she got very emotional stating she wants to leave the nightmare in the past, as she still has difficulties sleeping thinking about those times. To this day she still has a hard time dealing with the “sins” and events of her past; even after receiving emotional help through her entire life, these dreams still haunt her. However, she did open up and seemed happy to talk all about some of the “good” times during those days. She stated that these times were the best and yet the worst times of her life. She never felt more alive... no one knew what tomorrows will bring, live the moment.

Later in this blog, I will give some "accounts" that mum and dad experienced... the extreme difference between the Nazi Regime and the Germany people. People are people... there is good and bad in every country and on both sides of any fence.

I am presently researching the web for whatever I can find to add to my story. I welcome any help and constructive criticism from my family and readers of my blog.

I may be adding the occasional photograph from the web (with / without permission), to retain your mindset of those times. Hoping that is OK.

Once finished, my blog will be available to publish for any family member.

Hendrik (Hank Schut)

hschut55@gmail.com

December 25, 2013 - This will be my first posting... where do we start?

This will be work in progress, I try to unlock the history that my parents and grandparents had to go through during the events of WW II.


A quick preamble for what I am about to unfold...

My father, Willem Reyer Schut, now deceased, has passed on his life journal to the family. Within the journal, it tells of the difficult times during WW II. In-addition, our mum, Hennie, has told us some of the more memorable times during that period. After reading and hearing their stories, I thought the rest of the family and other readers would find this of great interest.

In short... the players...

My dad, Willem Reyer Schut Jr. 21 years of age,

 I understood that dad was secretly working as an underground agent for the Dutch Government, helping the British. However I did not find any evidence of this. His involvement consisted of finding secret hiding places or homes for the Jews and British pilots, blowing up railway tracks and transport systems, stealing provisions for the  Underground workers, and posing as Hennie's (our future mum) "husband" while she was delivering food stamps to the underground hiding places.

Below is a copy of my dad's identification papers during WW II

 My Dad's Dad,  Opa Willem Reyer Schut Sr, 

He was one of the local tax collectors for the City of Apeldoorn; I understood that he collected the taxes from the local merchants around the city. During the war, part of his job was also to  produce the food stamps, which in turn were distributed to the local towns’ people. At times, the press malfunctioned and those food stamps had to be destroyed (or so the Germans thought). These food stamps were "skimmed off" and given to the Dutch Underground to provide extra food for the homes that hid the Jews and Allied Soldiers. 

 In addition, he found and made arrangements for finding safe shelter and relocating the Jews and the shot down Allied pilots.

 Below are photographs of my grandfather, as the tax collector.

Pictures below show opa Schut hard at work.

pictures of Opa Schut as the tax collector (4th from the right)

  

My future mum, Hennie W. Elbertsen, 22 years old, 

She had many roles during this period, to name a few...

1.) Posing as a "pregnant" woman; her baby was the "skimmed off" food stamps strapped around her waist. Riding on her bicycle, she would distributed this food stamps to the houses that hid the Jews and shot down Allied pilots. This is where Mum met Dad; she was told the he had to go with her on her delivery rounds, pretending to her husband.
2.) Acting as a spy...finding out what the Nazi's were planning and doing, and relaying this information to the Dutch Underground organization
3.) Stealing provisions from the Germans to supply the Dutch Underground.
4.)  A key person in helping relocate an Allied Soldiers. On occasion, the Allied Soldier would act as her husband on her bicycle trips.

I have made separate posts for more detail on the above later on in this blog. 

Below are some photographs of mum at the time.

My Mum's dad, Opa Hendrik Elbertsen,

I am not sure what my grand-father did prior to WWII, but from the hand-coloured photograph taken in 1915 shown below, our cousin Paul Schut informed me that Opa Elbertsen was enlisted into the Horse Artillery, known popularly as the "Yellow Riders". 


For further details on the "Yellow Riders" click on the following link:
Yellow Riders website

During WW II he was the forest ranger in Hoenderloo. I assumed that since he knew the forest extremely well, he found / made temporary hiding places in the woods to hide the shot down Allied pilots. In addition, I assume he made arrangements for better hiding places and finally to arrange for safe return of the Allied pilots.

Unfortunately, I can not find any material on his actions, except for the awards he received after the war.


I am extremely surprised with all the awards he received, there is no mention in the history books of his contribution.

awards received:

From the President of the United States of America – Dwight D. Eisenhower,

“Certificate of Gratitude and Appreciation of the American People" for the gallant service in assisting the escape of Allied Soldiers from the enemy.
 

 From the British Air Chief Marshall, Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force

  “Certificate of Gratitude" for and appreciation of the help given to the Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen of the British Commonwealth of Nations, which enabled them to escape from, or evade capture, by the enemy.

From Prince of the Netherlands – Prince Bernhard

“Certificate of Gratitude and Appreciation on behalf of the Netherland people for your gallant service.”

 
My dad, translated this letter...  

"By your retirement of the Country Underground Armed Force, it is my duty and privilege to thank you, for all your work and effort in the force, during the occupation of the enemy, and to assist in the deviet??? of the enemy. Also I like to express the gratitude and appreciation, behave of the Netherlands people for your gallant service. My best wishes for your future"

And from Queen Juliana.

“The Honor Certificate from the Order of Knights of Orange-Nassau in Silver”

 

The Order of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: Orde van Oranje-Nassau, Dutch pronunciation: [oˈrɑnje ˈnɑsʌu]) is a military and civil Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina.

The Order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has earned special merits for society". These are people who deserve appreciation and recognition from society for the special way in which they have carried out their activities.

During World War II, the Order of Orange-Nassau was bestowed upon both members of the Netherlands military and members of foreign services who had helped liberate the Netherlands from Nazi Germany occupation, and those who helped liberate the former Dutch colonies in the Pacific. In the modern age, the Orange-Nassau is still the most active military and civil decoration of the Netherlands, and ranks after the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The Order is typically awarded each year on the Queen's official birthday (April 30) with a hundred or so appointments to the Order made public. The Order is also used to honour foreign princes, ministers, dignitaries and diplomats.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


While researching the web, I found mention of Opa Hendrik Elbertsen, mentioned in "WW II Netherlands Escape Lines" website... see link:
netherlands-escape-lines


Below is a copy of the page mentioning Op Elbertsen...

Mum's Involvements.... the start & a story of how a German soldier saved her life.

These will be Mum's stories...

Picture taken in 1952... Mum, my brother Willem & me in the stroller

Now over 70 years later, Mum is still haunted by memories/images of that time. Asking Mum to “open-up” and talk about those times was difficult, as her eyes began to tear up at first and asked me not to talk about it. She told me that after all these years… even with help… she is still has memories of the things what went on and things she “had” to do. She had to live with the constant nightmares for her entire life.

1951 - Mum pushing my brother around

However, she did talked about her stories that had happy endings to some degree, most of the "other" stories are still "locked away" in her mind.

in her words...

 "Although the war brings back many awful memories for me, there were a few good moments too, that makes you realize that as badly as the Dutch were treated in the hands of the Germans, not all German soldiers were cruel and hateful."

Mum told of one story that a young German soldier gave up his life for her friend and herself.

"We were walking along the roadside, just by a group of German soldiers, when an Allied fighter plane came down and started shooting down the road. Along the roadside were pits dung into the ground, used for shelter in case of what is just happening. Mum and her friend dove into the pit for shelter to avoid being shot. Just as the plane started to shoot, a young German soldier dove on top of the pit, covering us over. The plane continued on firing down the road. When the plane was gone, we were still alive, but the soldier was killed. He saved our lives... this was an extremely emotional time. Looking back, I wish I knew who this man was, so I could write to his mum and let her know what a brave son she had."

This was mum's first encounter with life and death. One of Mum's present day friends told her the same story, that she too was walking down the same stretch of road that Mum walked down, and was saved by a German soldier in the same situation.