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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-05-03, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1995. Woman recalls uncertainty of living through war By Bonnie Gropp "You were never sure of anything." Jane Devries of Brussels hasn't always felt secure. During World War II, Jane was a young mother of two pre-school children, living in Friesland in the northern part of Holland. "We were not in the centre where things were really going on, but the war caused us problems just the same," she said. Their farm was nestled in a field, about one kilometre from a highway, which, Jane said, gave them the opportunity to see visitors, welcome or otherwise, before they got to the house. Jane says that the biggest fear for people in her area was from the "green police", German officers charged with finding local boys to take to Germany to work in the factories. "They were the worst. They would shoot farmers or anyone they found hiding someone at their home." Like many other brave people during that time, Jane and her husband Harman, who passed away in 1981, provided refuge to three young boys who did not want to be taken from their homeland to work for the enemy. "No one wanted to leave. They knew they might never see their home again." Jane recalls a time near the end of the war when two of the "police" came to their farm. Though by that time there was no concern that any youths would be taken, if the Germans believed that someone had provided a protective haven, they would have quite likely been killed, Jane said. "Harman wasn't home. They saw two of the boys and said they thought I looked pretty young to have boys so old. Without even a <;.,, blush, and I had never been "t able to lie without blushing, I said they were my husband's sons from a first marriage." "The war was a terrible time. There were curfews at night, bombs blowing windows out, boys were being killed. And it taught me to lie. I couldn't believe how easily I could lie. But, to not do it well, might have meant my life." The uncertainty of what a soldier's response might be also increased the precariousness of life during those years. Food was rationed, and each family was given coupons by the food bureau. As the Devries couldn't give out the names of the boys they were sheltering, Jane said having enough food was occasionally a problem. She remembers a time when they had butchered a big sow that had been taken from some Germans. Jane tied the sausage around her waist, covering it with her clothing and hid some more in bags to take to her family. As she biked, she came to a little bridge where some German officers were stopping passersby. "I looked right at them, smiled and said good morning. I hated them but I smiled. They let me go." "You were never really sure how to handle things." Owning something meant nothing if the Germans wanted it, she said. "You could ride your bike into town and they would take it." She recalls a time when the Germans shot a sow in their barn. As they were taking it away in a wheelbarrow, Harman called out to them. "They shot at him. It went over his head into the window." Then on April 14, 1945, there was shooting in the nearby village. "About 60 people came across the field to us looking for safety and shelter. Harman put them in the barn." The next day someone came running over the field saying they were free. Jane remembers that people swarmed into the village shaking hands, shouting and dancing. "People were crazy, but I almost didn't believe it. After so much time it was hard to believe that it had just stopped." Though fighting did continue for a time in some places, by May 5 Holland was liberated. Life changed for the Devries family following the war. By 1951, the farm they had rented was sold and they were going to be forced to move. With six small children, the youngest being just six weeks old, the Devries emigrated to Canada. "We couldn't find a farm in Holland. Harman had been to the States, so he could speak English. I needed roots, but where the husband wants to go the wife usually follows." The family settled in Innerkip for a time before moving to a farm near Cranbrook, then later Brussels. Coming to Canada was not a welcoming experience at first for Jane. "I couldn't speak any English. You feel like a second class citizen when you can't communicate. It's a terrible feeling." "If you live here, you have to speak English. You should want to." English classes, which she completed with a 90 per cent average, and good neighbours eventually helped Jane feel more at home so that now, in retrospect she has no regrets. "I couldn't live in Holland," she admits. "When I first came here if I could have crawled back I would have, but I met great neighbours, people who have become good friends. That helped a lot." Jane became very active in the community, as a member of both the WI and the UCW, and for many years was an avid lawnbowler. Though her life is now in Canada, her memories and ties to the country in which she experienced both happiness and hardship has been consistent. She has kept the delicate handiwork she did as a young schoolgirl and continued a weekly correspondence with her sister, an author of children's books. Sadly, her sister, whom she has also visited 16 times, since coming to Canada, passed away recently. "You can imagine how empty it is without those letters," she said. In addition to her immediate family, which now includes 11 grandchildren (and counting), Jane has not forgotten the boys who were with them those many years ago. "I have written to one of them and another one I saw once. That was a very special moment." As time goes by Jane Devries of Brussels is surrounded by mementoes of the present and past, items representative of her life in Holland as well as gifts from treasurered family and friends. Among other keepsakes Jane has the embroidered handiwork she did as a 10-year-old schoolgirl in Holland. Many special events highlight CANADA REMEMBERS nation's celebration of VE-Day LE CANADA SE SOUVIENT This spring and summer will have a different flavour in Canada, the United States, Europe and other countries around the world as the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War is commem- orated. Canada played an important role in that war, and was changed irrevocably by it. The Canadian Army fought in Northwest Europe, mainland Italy, Sicily and Hong Kong and ended the war by playing the key role in the liberation of the Netherlands. The Royal Canadian Navy was a major player in the Allied effort to keep open the vital sea lifeline to Europe, while the Merchant Navy manned the ships that carried the supplies to sustain the war effort. The Royal Canadian Air Force first defended Britain and then participated in Allied air offensive against Nazi Germany. At home, Canada transformed itself in six years of war into the modern industrial state it is today. In Canada, those epic moments in history will be commemorated in communities across the country, while in the Netherlands the Dutch people will honour Canadians as their liberators. In both countries, the official Canadian involvement is being organized by Canada Remembers, a small committee working under the auspices of Veterans Affairs Canada to com- memorate Canada's contribution in the Second World War. Events in Canada will centre on Monday, May 8, which is the 50th anniversary of VE-Day (the day of Victory in Europe.) In the National Capital Region, the entire weekend will be full of activities. On Sunday, May 6, there will be street dances reminiscent of the celebrations that took place on the first VE-Day. On Saturday, there will be a parade through the city, with veterans riding military vehicles. The parade will end at Lansdowne Park with an afternoon "Tribute to Veterans" including displays of historical and modern military equipment and activities, and culminating in an air show by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. Monday, May 8 will begin with a commemorative service at the National War Memorial at 11 a.m. During the ceremony, paper tulips made by Dutch children will be dropped over the Memorial. When that ends at noon, the city will celebrate with communities across the country by honking car horns, ringing church bells and sounding sirens, just as in 1945. Similar events will occur across the country, with musical events and parades being especially popular. Throughout Canada it is hoped that people will take a moment or two at noon on May 8 to celebrate by making a bit of noise - and by thinking of what life must have been like for those who fought the war years ago. Almost every nation in Europe is planning events around the weekend of May 5-8. Canadians will probably gravitate to the two nations with which they were most closely involved at that time - England and the Netherlands. Prime Minister Jean Chrdtien will represent Canada at events in these countries as well as others in France and Russia. The main focus overseas for Canadians will be in the Nether- lands, where the Canadian forces played a major role in the liberation of the Dutch people. The Dutch have never forgotten what the Canadians did for them in 1944-45, and have invited all veterans to join them for this year's celebrations. Over 13,000 veterans have taken the offer to enjoy Dutch hospitality at both local and national events. Canada will also be represented by the Secretary of State for Veterans, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, and a Canada Remembers contingent of over 100 veterans from every regiment and corps that served in the Netherlands during its liberation as well as a 200-person guard of honour and band from the Canadian Forces. At one of the ceremonies on May 7 at Apeldoom, paper maple leaves made by Canadian children will flutter down over the parade of veterans. The British ceremonies will centre on Hyde Park in London, with a major festival there during the weekend of May 6-8. Queen Elizabeth will host world leaders at several events, including a commemorative church service at St. Paul's Cathedral that Sunday. On the night of Monday, May 8, the Queen will light a bonfire in Hyde Park and immediately thereafter bonfires will be lit in communities all across the United Kingdom. Later this summer, other Second World War anniversaries will be marked by ceremonies by commemoration. The war ended on Aug. 15 with the surrender of Japan, and there will be a series of commemorative events in Ottawa during the preceding weekend (Aug. 11-13), culminating in a ceremony at the National War Memorial on Sunday, Aug. 13. The summer and autumn will also mark the 50th anniversary of the time when Canadian troops returned from overseas and Canada began to resume normal peacetime activities. It also was the time when war brides arrived to start their new lives in Canada. The Canada to which the troops returned was very different from the country that had gone to war six years before. The country had emerged from the depths of a depression to become a major industrial power and a significant player on the world stage. It was also on the brink of another major impact of the war - the huge wave of postwar immigration that transformed Canada into the multicultural nation of today. The Canada of 1995 was in a large sense created by events and people of that dramatic era half a century ago. The events of the next few months will give us an opportunity to celebrate the great achievements of that generation - and to give them our thanks.