Echoes From The Past

About the Book

This story was written for two reasons.  Firstly, I wanted my children and grandchildren to have a story of my life.  Secondly, I wanted to show to severely disabled people that with all the help available it is possible to lead a reasonable normal life providing the will and determination is there.

I was brought up in Holland in a large family with three sisters and two brothers.  My father earned his living by working on the trawlers catching fish in the North Sea and around North Cape of Norway in the 1930’s that was hard and dangerous.

Life changed forever when the Germans invaded Holland during the Second World War.  We became an occupied country, food was short, transport almost impossible and my father was in England.

Men of all ages over 16 lived in constant fear of being transported to Germany to the slave camps, where many Dutch people died, or returned only to die of tuberculosis or starvation.

This story covers the German occupation of Holland surviving on very little food, the escapes from the German captivity, a horrifying accident that resulted in a very severe disability.

After the war, since there were no facilities for the disabled in Holland, the Red Cross arranged for me to be provided with artificial limbs in England. The time spent in Roehampton hospital was long and wearisome.

After the discharge from the hospital somehow a normal life had to be found.  The kindness of an Import Export firm in London, and eventually Unilever gave me permanent employment, this leading to a fairly normal life.

The book wishes to show that in spite of all the cruelty during the war, many people helped with my recovery with great kindness and understanding, wthout them I would not have survived.

About the Author

I was born in Holland on 24^th August 1926.  My childhood was not an happy one.

I attended various schools from the age of six.

At the age of 13, I decided that I would like to join the Merchant Navy and studied at a Navigation school in IJmuiden.  The war started on 10^th May 1940 and I could only continue to study until the age 15.  As my father was in England, my family had to be split up with the result that I went to an orphanage in Haarlem until July 1944.  During the time I continued to study at a navigation school in Amsterdam; however, when the offensive on Arnhem started during September 1944, all schools were compulsory closed by the German authorities.

I was imprisoned by the German Gestapo three times and was able to escape when transported to Germany.  After wandering aimlessly 3 weeks I was involved in a tragic accident and lost both my arms.   

After two years at my family home in Amsterdam, I decided to go to England to be fitted with two artificial arms.  After six operations on my right arm I left the hospital in August 1948 

My first job was with a firm of Import and Export dealing with the Dutch West Indies.  My job was to translate Dutch invoices to English.  I did not like to this job very much and decided to learn accountancy instead.  Attending evening classes for many years I passed all the examinations and was qualified in Accountancy, Chartered Secretary and Taxation. [ACIS;ATII] during 1952 to 1960.

I joined a Unilever Advertising Agency as an accounts clerk and finished as Company Secretary. The Advertising Agency was sold to an American company; hence I took an early retirement.  I started a new company with a friend in 1981.  After 5 years I left the company and retired to Eastbourne.  I continued as a freelance accountant with a large photographic company until 2002.

I have two daughters living in England and one son who lives in Australia.