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Ds.Straatsma had kindly organised for me to live with two of his lady friends, who, years ago, had been his confirmation candidates and they had kept in touch with each other ever since.

At last Willy and I had caught the train to Barneveld. For most of the way armed German soldiers were getting on and off, which made me feel nervous.

Willy had not been able to give me any more answers to the numerous questions I put to her during our long journey, bar telling me that I was going to stay at a farm. This could turn out to be rather like one of our family holidays, except that I would be there by myself. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time! We were the only passengers leaving the station, where we met the two ladies waving at us from an open horse-drawn carriage, the only available transport. Buses and taxis had stopped running already quite some time ago.
We soon left Barneveld behind and were driving into the open countryside of the Veluwe, one of Holland’s beauty spots. The unobstructed view was such a contrast with a city, like The Hague. We passed large pinewoods, acres of purple heather and yellow cornfields which, in those days, were mingled with red poppies and blue cornflowers. Now and then we came across a village with their small houses or huge villa’s. The regular rhythm of the horse’s hoofs was the only distinctive sound. Whilst Willy held an animated conversation, I sat quietly in a corner clutching my small suitcase. From time to time I dared to glance at the two middle-aged women and wondered what they would be like and what would be in store for me.

Ursula had been a nurse and Rita a teacher. After they had both retired early, they decided to buy and run this remote smallholding in Kootwijkerbroek.
It was a typical, traditional farm with a thatched roof. The green, wooden shutters on the outside of the tall windows were always being closed at nightfall.
The living room was massive with two huge open fireplaces at either end.
I noticed a large side of smoked bacon hanging up in one of the chimneys.
Even the grand piano did not appear to fill much space at all. Ursula and Rita shared a bedroom with a four-posted bed each, draped in clouds of organza. In a corner of the room was a shower-cubicle, but not for me to use. I can’t actually remember ever having had a bath as such. It merely amounted to a strip wash in the large, tiled washroom, which was a part of the barn.

My bedroom, under the rafters, was small but comfortable and I was able to see the stars at night through the skylight, which made me feel happy and secure.
The barn formed an integral part of the house and was joined up by the same roof. A door through the hall gave access to the animals there. Our brown, blazed horse, called Vos, had already been put back into his stable again and was tugging at the hay from a rack above his head. The jet-black horse next to him appeared to be a less friendly one. They were facing the two Frisian dairy-cows at the opposite side of the threshing-floor. Fortunately, we had used the inside door into the barn. No way would Willy or I have dared to enter from the outside through those enormous barn-doors, guarded by five huge dogs on long chains, which gave them plenty of scope to move about.

Normally they would be in their baskets, but if anybody came near, even Ursula or Rita, they would jump up and bark ferociously. Willy and I were not keen!
The most affable one of the dogs was a St.Bernard with his drooling face and at least twice my size. Outside we spotted many farm-cats and an abundance of chickens roaming about freely, not paying any attention to anybody.
The geese waddled away under loud protest. Maybe somehow, they knew that they were being fattened up for the Christmas dinner!

It seemed an ideal place for me to stay and Willy was relieved that she did not have to worry about my lodgings anymore.The following day we took her back to the station with the black horse. He was much faster than Vos and because I started to scream, he bolted. It was a scary moment, therefore, on the way back I was handed the reins to show me that there was really no need to be afraid of him. Just before Willy departed, Ursula had suggested to bring more clothes next time and they would write to her regularly to keep her informed about me.
As neither of them ever went near shops, they had no idea that nothing was obtainable anymore.

Willy was going to receive many letters with complaints about my clothes or the money. It was never enough. Luckily, my father’s firm kept paying him his salary throughout the war years and had to honour the ladies’ requests. What else could he have done? In his situation he was at their mercy.

I soon settled into the routine of farm-life. Rita and Ursula took care of everything themselves with no help, except for harvesting and sowing, when neighbouring farmers helped each other. I quite liked to be treated as an equal and I was soon turning into a useful farm-hand. Milking the cows I found too difficult, but I could churn the butter and this became my job, which suited me fine, because I could do this sitting next to the fire. The only other warm place was the kitchen. I must say, both ladies were very good cooks.

The three of us always took a break after lunch. Two big wooden crates covered with a mattress made up my midday bed in an alcove, off the livingroom. I had seen the mill around the corner was in action, so I wandered up to it. The miller and his wife were pleased to see me and asked me in. They showed me how a corn-mill worked. However, I was more interested in their seven children and I promised to call in again soon. Rita had other ideas. For some reason she disapproved of my visit to them.
She had suddenly decided that I should not miss out on my education.
Since there was less work to be done on the farm at this time of the year, my lessons were scheduled for the morning and Rita would be able to do the marking during our rest-period after lunch. Little did she know I could hear her every comment to Ursula!

Each spelling mistake had to be corrected and written out again ten times.
Not funny when, one day, she counted 117 of them! It made me stay in bed a lot longer to avoid her punishment, but at least it taught me to be more accurate.
How I hated the lessons from now on, as well as being prevented to play with the miller’s kids, because of lack of time.

There were so many jobs for me to do, that I was not given a chance to be lonely. I loved to help with grooming the horses and feeding the animals- even the grunting pig in the other big barn, which also held the two carriages. The fallen apples in the orchard had to be gathered and prepared, by slicing and stringing up, to be dried.

Every Friday the gravel around the farm had to be raked, making my arms ache!
My shoes were useless for this type of life. I had to wear wooden clogs instead, for which Ursula had kindly made me a pair of soft, velvet insteps and told me to line the clogs with hay when my feet were sore or cold. That helped, when I had to make the long trek to the only available, small shop. Although the farm was self-sufficient, certain items had to be bought.

I was totally unprepared for the day the butcher arrived. The pig was dragged out of his pen onto a table near the barn. He squealed whilst hot water was being poured over him, to soften the hairs to make shaving them off easier. This, I could not bear! I fled upstairs into my bed and put my pillow on my head to drown the noise.

Very much later, when I eventually ventured to go downstairs, I found the pig hanging, splayed, on a ladder in the hall. I screamed! They laughed! On the floor, at the bottom of the ladder were several bowls containing the insides, marked with the inspector’s purple stamps of approval.
I found the whole scene revolting and I did my utmost to avoid the hall.

This side of farming was not for me. Neither was the digging up of sugar-beets with a fork in the evenings. There was still a small area to be done, before the frost arrived and the ground would become too hard.

When it was dark, Jan would turn up to help. I had never seen him before.
He was a student in hiding, who lived in a hollowed-out hay-stack in the farm-yard. A man of few words and did not appear to be very happy.
With clear skies and by moon light we were like shadows in a spooky story!
Willy had made a special effort to arrive the day before my birthday, to be with me on the actual day.

She was amazed to see how I had grown in all directions in such a relatively short time, an obvious result of a healthy life. No wonder, the ladies had complained about my clothes being too tight. Willy’s present to me was a book, as well as two new dresses. One, dark blue, inserted with knitted red and white stripes, the other was a ‘two made into one’. I don’t know how she had found the time for it. Anyway, they fitted and I liked them. Rita was not overimpressed. Ursula’s opinion was kinder. The next day Willy had to leave before I got up, in case I would be upset! This was worse and I cried for days.
They had done this once before with my father. One night I had been in the wash-room, when I saw a light approaching through the half- round stable window. My heart stopped, but it happened to be my father on his bike, delivering a rush mat they said they needed. I had to go to bed soon after, and by the morning he had already left. That, I found difficult to forgive.

We were having great problems with mice, which had to be solved before it got even worse than it was already. They had entered the house, scurrying across the floors and having a feast in the pantries. As the cats were unable to cope with that number, a mouse hunt was organised. A fair amount of sheaves of corn was stored above the stables, under the rafters. Rita and Ursula clambered up a rickety ladder to throw it all down onto the threshing-floor. They discovered that it was infested with nests. I had been given a clog in each hand and my task was to kill as many as I could. The dogs went beserk when hundreds of mice scattered all over the place and all the while I stood, petrified, with my arms raised. When finally the exhausted ladies came down, they could have gladly throttled me for not killing a single mouse!
It would soon be Christmas and the preparations were in full swing.
It had been tradition that Ds.Straatsma and his wife would come to stay for those days with Rita and Ursula.The livingroom was already decorated and looked a picture, with a big tree in the middle and lots of branches around the fire-places. We had a lovely time together and I felt quite happy. It helped that I knew them. The dinner was indeed a goose, stuffed with dried apples. Not my taste!
Ds.Straatsma played the grand piano for hours on end and I thoroughly enjoyed the music. As I was not allowed, and the ladies could not play, this was the only time it was being used.

Not long after the New Year, Ursula developed a brain tumor and two of the miller’s children had diphtheria, so the mill had been put in quarantine.
Apart from the running of the farm, Rita had to cope with nursing Ursula and revealed a warm-hearted side of herself that I had failed to detect before.
Ursula, though in constant pain, was more affectionate towards me than ever.
Looking back, I think that Ursula had been dominated by Rita in many respects.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Theodora Coleman and has been added to the site with his permission. Theodora Coleman fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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