{"id":148610,"date":"1945-05-15T21:34:00","date_gmt":"1945-05-15T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldaalten.nl\/aalten-achteruit\/a-letter-from-distant-lands\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T02:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T00:05:13","slug":"a-letter-from-distant-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldaalten.nl\/en\/war-resistance\/world-war-ii\/a-letter-from-distant-lands\/","title":{"rendered":"A letter from distant lands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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De Graafschapper, 15 May 1945<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of these days brought a peculiar surprise for the Houwers family at \u201cNeerhof<\/a>\u201d in Dale. They received a letter from a Frenchman who sought and found refuge there for about three weeks, but was then unfortunately dragged away by cruel S.S. men, as was the person in hiding from Apeldoorn, Henk, who also became a victim. A third fugitive managed to escape. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around mid-July of last year, our Remy arrived at the Houwers’. \u201cGood people?\u201d was his first question. One immediately noticed by the peculiar accent that he was a foreigner. There was not much time for talking, and therefore he was quickly transported to the attic, where he passed the time peeling potatoes and shelling beans. The greatest difficulty was the difference in language, so that he could only make himself understood to the daughter, a teacher. But then, sometimes, exciting stories would emerge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Neerhof,\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
‘t Neerhof, Elshoekweg 6 in Dale<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He was, so he said, a French non-commissioned officer who had fought in Madagascar, Africa, and French Indo-China, among other places. In 1940, he was unfortunately one of the first prisoners of war to be taken. However, there was no soldier in the entire camp more industrious than Remy. He soon won the trust of his guards. Consequently, he was moved to a factory in Krefeld. By feigning illness, he had to go to the toilet abnormally often. This gave him the opportunity to make plans for his escape. He had already tried this three times before, but they had always caught him again before he reached France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his workshop, he made a compass from an old tin-opener. A razor blade, which had been magnetized with a knife, was attached to a bachelor button. He put a bit of radium on the North Pole of the magnet so he could orient himself, even at night. Cigarettes were saved and exchanged for a civilian suit. He made his final preparations, paid \u201chonor\u201d to his \u201cillness\u201d one last time, and then escaped through the toilet window. After a journey of 4 days, during which he took catnaps under the thorns by day and fled North by night, aided by his compass, he safely crossed the border. Towards morning he reached the Houwers’, where he was so well received that he decided to stay here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stayed at \u201c’t Neerhof\u201d for three weeks, and then he was caught for the fifth time and taken to Arnhem. After this, as he writes in his letter, he was imprisoned in a camp near Bocholt. In September, however, he was moved and ended up in M\u00fcnster. But here it soon became too hot for the Germans, because \u201cthe bunch of idiots,\u201d as Hitler once expressed in his speech, kept advancing in their direction. They were thus forced to move away, and now their goal was Bremen. But on the way, Remy writes, I had no desire to follow them any further; in other words: for the fifth time, our friend managed to escape. And this time he had more luck, for a week after his last flight, the Americans came to liberate him and brought him safely back to his birthplace; Palalda<\/a>, in the Pyrenees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter was written on April 18, 1945, and reached its destination on May 9. We sincerely congratulate the Houwers family, who did so much for this young man, on this letter, and we hope that the other person in hiding, Henk, who was first taken to Amersfoort and then ended up in Germany, may also soon return to native soil, along with all the others who are still there. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Nationaal Onderduikmuseum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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During World War II, Aalten was a sanctuary for a large number of onderduikers<\/a> (people in hiding). To record and keep the memory of this part of history alive, the National Hiding Museum was established in Aalten. The museum focuses on showing and documenting the stories of those in hiding and the people who helped them. It shows how ordinary people can demonstrate courage and humanity in extraordinary circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum is partly located in a building with a special history: Markt 12<\/a>. At the time, this was the home of a family with children. People in hiding were concealed in the attic, and the cellar was a shelter for local residents, while the living room was requisitioned by the occupier as the \u2018Ortskommandantur\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information: nationaalonderduikmuseum.nl<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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‘Hiding house’ Markt 12, Aalten<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Source<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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