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13-5-1940 (continued )
Monday
As soon as we had cleared the cellar, the hotel owner asked us to leave as soon as possible: he was going to close down his establishment the coming evening. Therefore we would have to find new lodgings. Luckily, a certain Mister Calis who had been in the cellar together with us said we could spend the night at his home. Jan De Groot and I took as much as we could from the room and went on our way to Mister Calis’ house. Outside the bomb damage was considerable: ruined homes and debris made it difficult to advance. Dead tired and soaked with perspiration, we finally reached Mister Calis’ home. We were allowed to use a room on the ground floor and after having installed mattresses and blankets, the five of us tried to get some sleep which was extremely difficult as everyone expected renewed bombings.

14-5-1940
Tuesday
I went back to the hotel to fetch the children’s pram that I hadn't been able to take with me yesterday and that we needed to transport our belongings. People were discussing the events of the previous day. A German paratrooper had been arrested and taken to the station. I had noticed the soldier soon after his arrest: he was no older than 19, blond,and wore a Belgian uniform. The only sign that betrayed him was a swastika on the lapel of his collar. The stationmaster, a Belgian, had been arrested and executed: the coward had been in contact with the Germans and had notified them of the trains carrying troops that were at a standstill in his station. When the trains were due to leave, he had delayed their departure.
A new air raid warning prompted Jan and myself to leave the area. Pulling the pram behind us, we stayed close to the houses and went to search for a garage where we would find a taxi. Hardly anyone on the streets and the people who were, were anxious and constantly glancing at the sky where bombers were circling the town: no bombs were thrown however. Finally, I found a driver who was prepared to take us to Adinkerke, the following day at 7 a.m.

15-5-1940
Wednesday
Around 7 a.m. we all went to the garage. The taxi driver hadn’t returned yet and we had to wait till noon. We left Gent for Bruges. The roads were blocked in many places as a result of the bombings and the driver had to make various detours.
Several hours later, we finally reached Adinkerke, via Bruges-Ostend-La Panne. The French border was 6 kilometres further on. No means of transportation were available: we had to walk. I pulled the pram upon which I had placed three suitcases with Raymond on top of them. He was fast asleep under my black coat.
At 5.15 p.m. we finally reached the border but passage was only allowed until 5 p.m.! The customs advised everybody to return the following day. What now? We couldn’t return to Adinkerke. On the other hand, in the proximity of the border there were hardly any houses and those that were had been abandoned since the First World War! One can imagine what state they were in! I looked inside one of them. All the windows smashed. What a mess! They had obviously served as public toilets. Paper hanging from the walls and most likely infested with fleas. An enormous rat was strolling around and took no notice of me at all! I decided we would be better off sleeping in the open air.
We were not alone of course: hundreds of people were asking the same question: where can we sleep tonight?
Luckily, I saw a farmhouse in the distance where the farmer gave us the permission to spend the night in the stables. The problem however was that there was a henhouse right next to us and the chickens, frightened by the presence of rats, made screeching noises as if someone was constantly pulling them by the tail. My friend Jan who like us had hardly slept for days on end, broke down and cried like a small child.

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