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The Citizen, 2003-11-05, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003. Lest we Forget Dutch immigrants remember arrival of Canadian soldiers Life during the war Hank and Agnes Ten Pas of Brussels share memories of their life during the Second World War in Holland. (Etyse DeBruyn photo) By Elyse DeBruyn Citizen staff It was a day of rejoicing when lhe Canadians gained ground in Holland, chasing away the Germans and for some the memory is still very real. Hank Ten Pas. now of Brussels said he remembers the day when Canadian troops came to his home shortly after the German troops had left. He was nine-years-old at the time and living with his family in Winterswyk. two kilometres from lhe German border. He said it wa.^ a few days before the Canadian soldiers came and the schools had been shut down because the German soldiers needed somewhere to sleep before they were chased back to Germany. Ten Pas said their home was on one of the main paved roads leading to the border and because of its location many German soldiers stopped at his house ordering his mother to cook them some food because they were so hungry. They stayed the night and before they left the next morning, they told his parents to protect themselves and their six children by staying in a tight corner away from the windows. The soldiers used dynamite to blow up a bridge and a number trees, stalling the Canadian soldiers. Ten Pas said the force of the blast knocked out the windows in Ten Pas’s house. Shortly after the German soldiers left, the Canadians arrived with big tanks and gear that pushed away all the debris. "What a day it was with lots of tears of happiness,” he said. The Canadian soldiers were hungry too, but they brought food and asked his mother to cook it for them. Ten Pas said they brought jam, chocolate and all kinds of nice treats that his family hadn’t had for a long time. He said the Canadian soldiers brought cartons of cigarettes with them and traded some packs for fresh eggs prepared by his mother. ■“What a day it was,” said Ten Pas. Agnes Ten Pas, wife of Hank, lived with her parents and five siblings during the war, but was only five-years-old and said she has few memories of life in Holland. She said her father was hiding from the German soldiers because he was supposed to become one and didn't. He would hide in between the floor boards under a bed so the Germans wouldn’t find him. Agnes said one night the Germans came to their house and went into the bedroom where her father was hiding. The soldiers found a German knapsack, jars of canning and meat that they wanted. Her mother gave them anything they wanted just so they would leave the house. She said she remembers hiding with her siblings under the kitchen table and lhe soldiers were trying to give them chocolate. “They (German soldiers) weren’t all mean. They were just doing their job,” Hank said. A DAY THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN John and Derekge Wesselink of Blyth, will never forget the day when the Canadian soldiers came to their rescue during the Second World War. Derekge said she lived with her parents, two brothers and five sisters on their family farm in Holland, about 25 km from the German border. Her mother and father allowed many Jewish people to stay at their farm because they had nowhere else to go. She said she remembers feeling “really scared” because the German soldiers could come at any time and find the Jews hiding in their house. “We were in danger every day,” said Derekge. She said one day an American Life in Holland This photo of Hank Ten Pas and his family, was taken in Winterswyk, Holland in 1951, just before they emigrated to Canada in 1952. They arrived in New York after seven days on a boat, from there they travelled by train to Mount Forest then by car to his uncle’s (John Ten Pas) house in Monkton and three weeks later they moved to Brussels. (Photo submitted) Remembering the war John and Derekga Wesselink of Blyth remember life in Holland during the Second World War and the day the Canadian soldiers came to their rescue. (Elyse DeBruyn photo) pilot crashed in the field beside their farm. He wasn’t injured, but did need “regular” clothes instead of his uniform. He was gone the next day and Derekge’s father had to put the uniform in a bag and bury it in the ground so the German soldiers wouldn't find it. She said she and her siblings had to keep a “closed mouth” all the time and had to lie to their classmates about the Jews living with them. November 11, 2003 They were told to say it was “relatives” staying with them. Derekge said she was 14 years old when the Canadian soldiers arrived on a Saturday morning. “Everyone was wild. We were free and safe,” she said. The German soldiers had left the night before and they blew out a bridge to slow down the Canadians. “Everyone in the neighbourhood was on the roads (in town) rejoicing as the Canadians came in with their tanks and trucks,” said Derekge. Because the bridge was out, the Canadian soldiers stayed in the area for three days. Some stayed with Derekge and her family on the farm. She said some soldiers pitched tents in their field while others slept on straw in the barn. It turned out, Derekge’s sister was celebrating her 16th birthday the day before the Canadian soldiers left. As a present, the soldiers sang songs and gave her chocolate and candy. Derekge said she will always remember the night before the Canadians left, they sang God Save The Queen and then everyone went to sleep. “We had never felt so happy and free in our lives,” she said. John remembers when he was 13 years old and the German soldiers came and made him work for them by making holes in the ground, so that if American pilots started firing, the Germans could jump in the holes and hide. He worked seven days a week, but he was lucky to be able to still live with his family. He said some people weren’t so lucky and were sent to Germany to work. Every night he had to be in his house at 8 p.m., a rule the German soldiers made so they w,§uld know if Canadian or American soldiers were coming. He remembers feeling “so happy and lucky” when the Canadian soldiers came. “Everyone was jumping around and so happy,” said John.