MISERY IN HOLLAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 November 1943, Page 6

MISERY IN HOLLAND

UNDER GERMAN OCCUPATION. A letter written in occupied Holland in the middle of August to a Dutchman in England, which had just been smuggled out of Europe, gives a tragic picture of the deteriorating conditions. The letter reads: —“All minds here are full of Churchill’s forecast that much will happen before the leaves begin to fall. Every time the Tommies fly over ,'and the alarm sounds, we say to each other —‘Ah, there is the invasion.’ “No, hope is not lacking in Holland, but everybody aches for the end because the masses suffer:' “Think of the deportation to Germany. Think of the many who are unable to buy on the black market, as these people are really in dire want, especially in the large towns. “I hope you won’t be too disappointed when you return. Holland looks poverty-stricken and neglected and the evacuations cause terrible distress. Everybody is weak and listless, which is, of course, caused by the quality of the food. We never eat fat and even rationed foods are difficult to obtain. But, we are still alive, although life’s burden is terribly hard, and, at times, seems intolerable.

“Every time we hope that the war will be finished soon, it is followed by ■the realisation that we hoped too soon. When will it all end? “We cannot live on our rations. You would be dumbfounded if you knew how much everything costs, but we must try to obtain some additional food otherwise we die. You will understand that we are all much thinner. This is not only caused by the insufficiency of food but also by all our anxieties and worries.

“Almost daily there is an air-raid warning. The bombing takes many victims—many amongst our acquaintances. Everything is misery. One does not see any young men in the streets. They have been carried oil to Germany and the few remaining ones do not show themselves. Since our radio set has been taken away, there is nothing left to cheer us up. Cycling is also finished as our men have been forced to surrender their bicycles. So we wait in poverty and misery for the end of the war.”