Earliest Memories
The Beginnings of the War
“Everybody was forgetting about my birthday because the city of Rotterdam was burning.”
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“My earliest memory is the beginning of the war. I remember my 6th birthday that everybody was forgetting about my birthday because the city of Rotterdam was burning. I remember the sky being all orange because of the fires. That’s one of my earliest memories-- the start of the war.”
Editor’s Note: Hank Van Driel’s birthday is May 10th, 1934. Germany invaded Holland on May 10th, 1940, Hank’s 6th birthday, beginning the German occupation of the Netherlands.
