the Netherlands
-
On May 5,2019 on the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. One of the heroes who contributed to this liberation passed away aged 103. Like me he was Dutch and like me he had a love for Ireland and we both ended up making this emerald isle our home. But where I am…
-
Perhaps the Dutch government were naive to believe that they would able to stay neutral like they did in WWI. Perhaps they thought they had nothing to fear from the Germans. However when Germany invaded Norway and Denmark in April 1940, it became clear that neutrality was no protection. Frantically the Dutch started to prepare…
-
I want to sing one last song , maybe “Hoedje van Papier” (hat made out of paper) my Dad sings that for me everyday and I know all the words. I want to draw one more picture. Perhaps of a butterfly who sits still on a tulip in the garden. I want to have one…
-
What a lot of people don’t realize is that Camp Westerbork was actually established as a refugee camp for Jews escaping the Nazi regime in Germany and Austria.and who had illegally entered the Netherlands. It was established by the Dutch government in the summer of 1939. In July 1942, the Nazis took over the camp…
-
You only lived a few miles down the road from me. You could have been my teacher. You could have been my Doctor You could have been my plumber. You could have been the father of a girl friend You could have been the uncle of my best friend. You could have been a scientist…
-
In 1566 the Netherlands were still under Spanish rule and was part of the greater Habsburg empire. The ruler of the Netherlands was Philip II of Spain. He had appointed his half-sister Margaret of Parma as his Regent. Philip was very much opposed to the Protestant teachings of Martin Luther, John Calvin and the Anabaptists,…
-
Like Anne Frank, Jules also kept a diary but his was never published. It is on display in a museum in Utrecht in the Netherlands. On April 15th,1943 Jules and his wife Flora Frank-van Beek picked up their suitcases and left for Amsterdam at 9.00 AM. Not out of free will but they were forced…
-
There are so many stories and accounts written about the Holocaust. Often in horrific detail and concerning large numbers. When you look at the numbers, be it 6 million Jews and another 5 million or so of Roma, Homosexuals, Disabled and other groups, the numbers are staggering. However they are also nearly impossible to fathom…
-
The story of the two Tulp brothers is bizarre and yet intriguing in more way than one. They were half brothers, the older brother took the path of evil although he was a police officer, Where the younger one risked his life by resisting the evil his brother was part of. Sybren Tulp was born…
-
The title of this blog is an address. It will mean very little to most people. It is not the address of someone famous or some well known shop or even museum. It is basically a very insignificant address in the greater scheme of things. But in a microcosm it has such great relevance and…
History of Sorts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.