the Netherlands
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I could write down the history of Bethrina Kooperberg but it is more poignant to use her own words to illustrate the person she was. The text is translated from Dutch and comes from a postcard and letter Bethrina sent from Camp Vught to her friends, the Van Beek family, dated 24 April 1943. “The…
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There are moments in football when the game changes without anyone in the stadium quite realizing it. On 21 September 2016, football history was made in the Netherlands. During the KNVB Cup match between Ajax and Willem II, it became clear almost immediately what Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) could mean for the game. Referee Danny…
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As many of you will know by now, I was born and raised in a small mining town in the southeast of the Netherlands. The town is named Geleen, but like so many other towns, Geleen is divided into several neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood where I grew up is called Lindenheuvel. In 1926, the Dutch government…
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Operation Market Garden, launched on September 17,1944 during World War II, was an ambitious Allied military operation aimed at ending the war by securing key bridges in the Netherlands and enabling a rapid advance into Germany. The operation combined airborne assaults with a ground offensive, making it one of the largest airborne operations in history.…
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The history of military conflict is defined not only by sweeping strategic maneuvers, but by individual acts of supreme resolve under impossible circumstances. Lieutenant John Hollington Grayburn, VC, stands as one of the most remarkable examples of leadership and sacrifice in the Second World War. Serving with the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during the ill-fated…
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Look into my eyes and will see mischievousness m you see the eyes of a boy who is playful. Look into my eyes and you will see no sorrows. Look into my eyes and you will see pure innocence. Look into my eyes and you will see no hate. Look into me eyes and you…
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41 Months and 6 Days was all I was allowed to live. After 41 Months and 6 Days I was given a death sentence. No, I was not a criminal. No, I harmed no one. In fact I wasn’t even of a school going age as of yet. What did I do in those 41…
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I am not going to say too much about Margareta Maria Gallinat. Suffice it to say she sought employment abroad to terrorize innocent citizens. She was born in Ragnitz on 16 October 1894 in Rotsche Bach, Hamar. In April 1940, Gallinat read a newspaper ad for Aufseherin and decided to apply. Two months later, she…
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The Nazis not only imposed their will by military force, but also through the Dutch Civil Service. A typewriter could be just as deadly as a bullet. Until the end of 1944 this typewriter was used in the Scholtenhuis on the Grote Markt, the main square in Groningen, in the north east of Netherlands. In…
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This is a historical blog however not so much about a big historical event but more a personal historical tale, which I was reminded of today. In 1991 hardly anyone had heard about Andre Rieu, I know I didn’t. My Mother was getting remarried and I had told her that I would pay for the…
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