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This story was submitted to the Peoples’ War site by Katherine Campbell of WW2 People's War Team, on behalf of Jelle de Vries and has been added to the site with her permission. Mr de Vries fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I remember we used to go to school, in the country, during Occupation. There was no food, and there were 15 children in my family. The Germans nearby had plenty of food. Being little boys, we waited till it was nearly dark before sneaking into the tent and taking the food. There were a lot of Germans about. Near the end of the war, some Canadians came on the ground, and we had six in our house. Our next door neighbour, who was only 20 yards from us, had four. The Canadians saw the Germans off in a week or so, and killed many of them. They were often seen, lying in pools of blood. The farms were isolated, and didn't hear the shooting. They stayed with us for about two months.

Before war finished, the Germans rounded up people of military age. They used to come at night. We had three people to a bed in our house. they used to come and shine the torches in our faces. It was very intimidating. Our father was a police officer, often on the ground, and he was unaware of these wartime visits.

German soldiers used to come in to the classes. There were tanks rolling across the fields. A plane came down in our back garden. Queen Wilhemina came to look at that some time later. There was a massive big hole. We used the plastic from the windscreen for magnifying glasses. We vandalised the plane; it was sticking out of the ground with its nose in the air.

It was so frightening. At the end of the war, I remember the Canadians coming, but not the celebrations at the end of the war. Some of my brothers were in the Dutch army. After the war finished, about 1952, he went to Indonesia. He came back as he was wounded very badly - it took a week to get back after that.

Four of my brothers went to Canada, after making friends with the Cananian soldiers. My mother was always happy and smiling through the war. We grew our own vegetables in the garden. We all worked together - washing up, gardening, cooking.

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