FOREWORD

During my adult life as a school teacher, I realized that students were far more interested in my telling them about my war adventures than in hearing about the establishment of the border with Canada, the categories of Mexico’s exports, or the third voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World. I took my role as narrator very seriously and I proceeded to unveil at first casually, the stories I had accumulated during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. The kids were fascinated by the tales and requested more details each time we met for Social Studies. Even now, when I bump into one of my former students, they recall with undue clarity the pranks we played on the Nazis but have forgotten the precious moments I spent teaching them about Torricelli and the fabulous experiments we performed to illustrate his discovery of air pressure. However, they recall only my war stories with such precision and such minute details, that even I have trouble remembering some of them. I also found out that my life as a teenager during the Nazi occupation had that special cachet which gave me the opportunity to connect with my students in a very concrete way. In giving them the opportunity to peek into my past, I was able to seize a part of me that had escaped my scrutiny until I was able to share my memories with my students. I came to view my parents in a different light, and the actions they had taken took on a life of their own. All the accounts and books I had read about the war had mainly described famous battles and were rather rich in describing strategies of the various armies as well as the political events that shaped that era. Then came the thousands of books relating the atrocities committed in the concentration camps and World War II remains a pretty sordid war indeed. As memories started to surface I suddenly realized that I had had a part in a war that involved not only armies but civilians as well. This book relates the tribulations of teenagers, how they kept their sanity in check, it also describes the way kids dealt with adversity. I tried to make light of some events without resorting to cynicism, nor ignoring the sufferings of so many victims. Children have great resilience and have a knack of finding some humor in tragic situations. It is evident that by nature, teenagers are not patriotic considering it un-cool, and attributing it as a trait belonging to the “old folks”. It was de rigueur to sing a parody of the National anthem, and to show contempt for the king. Religion and the church didn’t fare any better. Our pride at being Belgian eroded sharply, and some upright bourgeois kids even sang “The Internationale” under their breaths in front of their parents, no less, estimating the parents could not possibly know it was the communist anthem they were mouthing. Teenagers are by nature always HUNGRY, and food plays an important role in their daily life , Hunger is followed by an immense desire for freedom and liberty. Teenagers despise curfews, rules, regulations , they love to express their opinions openly regardless of the consequences it entails. The Nazis took care of depriving the Belgians of all the things they cherished. But the loss of freedom took on a graver toll on the rebellious younger population. The Belgians fought for that right since they battled Ceasar who recognized their fierceness and described it so well in “Bello de Gallico” or The war in Gaule”. “Of all the people in Gaule, the Belgians are the Bravest”.

My intent in writing this book is to emphasize the importance of freedom of thought and the almost divine right given to all individuals to express it without restriction. For the basic need of self preservation, food is somewhat available but freedom is irreplaceable. Its only exchange is prison or death, and we understood this basic right, as we defied our enemy at every turn. The Belgians are proud of their democratic ideals as well as their judicial ethics which the Nazis destroyed in a heart beat. In the Nazi court of law the accused was always guilty and had to prove his or her innocence. This devious way to administer justice was the antipode of our judicial system in which the accuser has to prove the guilt of the accused without a reasonable doubt just as it is practised in every democracies. This philosophy is really the corner stone of my thoughts and a great emphasis, in my book, is put on that premise.

As soon as the war was declared, patriotism surged through each and every one of us with such force that it almost choked us. The king who was ignored before the invasion became overnight a figure who had to be reckoned with. As for the Church, it couldn’t have opened its doors wide enough and fast enough. The agnostics of yore became fervent “prayers”, not necessarily believers, probably to test the power of the Almighty. Mr.le cure was beaming , envisioning great revenues in both gelt and guilt. Yet I have to add that the greatest part of the clergy conducted itself with courage, dignity and the self-denial of true saints. Many of us joined the clergy to help and hide our Jewish friends. Even though we ignored the atrocities being committed, we had a sacred obligation to save innocent people regardless of citizenship, race or religion.

School, which for most students is a bone of contention and certainly not the place “of choice”, became fashionable, especially since it had been closed by the Kaiser during WWI.. Kids were bound and determined to continue their education which now became as precious as the jewel in the king’s crown.

On the negative side many sins were now condoned by our parents as well as by la sainte eglise, stealing from the enemy was not only justified, but encouraged. Lying and cheating became part every day life and practiced casually in the name of self defense. Killing was pardoned providing it resulted in the extermination of a foe. The values we held so dearly before the war were now crushed under foot. But in the end, our will and determination combined with our faith in the victory of the allies prevailed…And now dear readers, enjoy my book