大象传媒

I am a Dutchman by birth who was born in Oudega in Friesland in 1923. I recently celebrated my 80th birthday with my family who are both Dutch and English. Many of my presents were related to the Second World War and my time in England, a time which my family know I have never forgotten and never will forget. My grandson mentioned the 大象传媒's People's War to me and this is, briefly, my story: I left Amsterdam in September 1939 with the steamship 'Cottica' from the Royal Netherlands Steamship Co. We went to the Carribean. In 1941 I joined the Dutch Navy in Curacao and then went to the West Indies for training. I was then transferred to the HMS Van Kinsbergen. We patrolled in the Atlantic with the convoys travelling from America to England. In 1942 I volunteered to serve in Dover, England, on the MTBs (Motor Torpedo Boats). I then went back to Curacao for training on MTBs which lasted six months. In the middle of 1942 we went to New York and then on the Ile de France to Greenock, Scotland. I then travelled by train to Dover and was placed with MTB 235. We were a crew of twleve and our job was to patrol (with another three MTBs on each occasion) the Channel in search of German cargo ships. Once they were identified we would torpedo them. There were eight MTBs in Dover of the 9th Flotilla of the Dutch Navy. During my eighteen months with the MTBs we were lucky only to lose one boat which hit a mine. I also served on MTB 229. In April 1944, after the guns of Calais and Cape Grenade had been captured by the Allies, I married an English woman called Jean Holdsworth in Dover. We were to have two children together, Glenn and Velda. I enjoyed my service in Dover and will always remember the friendliness of the English people and the happy times spent together despite the war. I have always considered England to be my second homeland and have continued to visit regularly ever since.

Hilke van der Wal, Den Helder, The Netherlands

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