My war, our memory

The War and Information Centre Drenthe (OICD) has captured the stories surrounding the war memorials in Drenthe in six documentaries. The OICD wants to keep the memory of the Second World War alive in Drenthe.
With the oral history project Mien Oorlog, oeze naogedachtis, the OICD recorded stories about war monuments in each of the former 34 municipalities of Drenthe.
Longer versions were made. Unclear whether these are still available anywhere.

The six documentaries, each lasting 10 minutes, were made based on Oral History: the testimony of those involved and memories of people who lived through the war and can still report on it. The starting point is the war memorials of the former municipalities of Drenthe. There are special stories behind each monument. These are the stories below:

Roeli Roelfsema
Surgeon and gynaecologist Johan Roelfsema from Meppel was a victim of the Silbertane murder and was shot dead near Ruinen on 29 September 1943. His wife was just pregnant at the time. It is a son, Roeli. A son Johan Roelfsema will never know.

Johannes Post
Johannes Post, Drenthe resistance hero. He distributed illegal literature. Collected distribution vouchers, forged identity cards, sheltered Jews and resistance fighters and offered armed resistance. His children recount their experiences during the war.

Coba van der Helm
Jan and Annechien van der Helm’s farm in Nieuwlande housed three Jewish people in hiding for many years; the Lelie family and the lawyer Maurits Levie. Coba’s sister would later marry their Dutch absconder Andries van Grondelle.

Bouke de Jonge
Three Drenthe boys from Eeserveen are killed by exploded German ammunition in the woods of Odoorn after the liberation. Bouke de Jonge and another friend survive the disaster.

Piet Pomp
Piet Pomp still sees it happening, The endless aerial battles in the skies above Nieuw-Dordrecht. On life and death, because all too often planes crashed. Just like that time his house almost burned down.

Floor Aukema
Floor’s father, Evert Aukema, was picked up as a resistance fighter in 1944 and never returned. Died in Neuengamme concentration camp. Floor still has several memories of his father.