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| The house today. A gable has been added to the roof and the building has been converted into apartments. |
The house had many spacious rooms. There was a large garden at the back and a little cottage for the caretaker. There was a bicycle stand for bank employees, as well as two large garages. One garage served as an archive for the bank's records. Our family stored our bicycles in the other one, which we also shared with Mr Merckx, the caretaker. Our front door was at the back of the main building, making it difficult to find. Later this turned out to be an advantage for us.
Gradually the Germans tightened their grip on the country. Workers were sent to Germany to the armaments factories. At first, people signed up voluntarily, but later most were conscripted. They had little choice but to go to Germany. If they refused, they were sent to punishment camps. If they went into hiding, their ration books were withheld. The loss of income would doubly punish the families. Workers considered themselves quite lucky if they were put to work at military installations within The Netherlands. Not only were they closer to home, but in Germany there was always the not insignificant risk of death from Allied bombing raids.
Students were forced to sign loyalty oaths to the Germans. Those who refused were also sent to Germany. Many students went into hiding if their parents had the means to support them.
The persecution of Jews started to pick up. First they had to wear a large yellow star. Later they had to be registered, and subsequently deported to camps in Amersfoort and Overijssel. From there, they were transported to Germany. What happened to the Jews there is now well known, but not back then. People must have had an inkling though.
Some Jews were able to go into hiding. It was very risky to provide shelter to Jews. Also, Jews had to have considerable means to be able to afford to go into hiding. Not only did they have to pay for their hiding place, but their food could only be bought on the expensive black market. Of course, ration books were not available to them.
A number of Jewish children went to my school. Almost from one day to the next they all disappeared.
I only ever saw four of my Jewish classmates back again after the war: Jack Koppels, Jettie Sittard, and Alfred Josephus Jitta [died in a motor accident in 1966] and his sister Carla.
Jack lived near our house and we often played together. He had an electric train, a Marklin Track 0, and he played the jazz piano tremendously well. Jack's parents also survived the war; his grandparents on the other hand, did not. Jack, his grandparents and a number of other Jews all went into hiding in a house in Laren. Somebody betrayed them and the Gestapo raided the house. Jack hid in a cupboard and wasn't detected, but everybody else was arrested and deported to Germany.
Father somehow managed to find Jack a new safe house in the Province of Friesland and personally brought him there by train. This was risky because Jack didn't have an identity document. If he had been discovered, both Jack and Father would have been arrested. When the new address in Friesland became unsafe a couple of years later, Father brought Jack back to Bussum. I happened to be away at the time, and Jack, without my knowledge, slept in my bed for two nights. For safety reasons, my parents didn't tell me this until after war.
Alfred Josephus Jitta and his sister were deported to Theresienstadt, where the chance of survival was a little better.
Jews who were sent there tended to be more affluent, probably by virtue of substantial 'donations' to the German cause.
The Germans closed off the main road between Bussum and Crailo to civilians during the war. General Christiansen had established the German headquarters in a large villa about halfway along the highway.
The inside of the Bosch van Bredius Hotel, in which the Germans established their headquarters
To prevent sabotage, a large area, including the main road, was declared off-limits. If you wanted to cycle the short distance from Bussum to Laren, you had to take the much longer route via Blaricum instead.
At first we didn't pay too much attention to the German army. A number of school buildings were requisitioned and troops would march through the town singing loudly. We were told to ignore the soldiers, although it was impossible to resist secretly peeking at them.
In our spare time, we often played football on the playing field in Bussum. Every now and then the Germans would kick us out so they could train there. Usually they would do physical exercises, which incidentally were extremely strenuous. If a recruit wasn't able to do exactly what his superiors required, he would be punished with 'frogging', which entailed marching with his heavy rifle in his outstretched arms. After 25 metres they would be so exhausted that they could hardly remain upright. Even we would sympathize with the plight of these 'Krauts'. The soldiers practised attacking and defending in the fields outside the town. Sometimes they would use heavy anti-tank cannons, which the soldiers had to drag up and down themselves In order to keep the cannon in balance during transportation, a soldier had to sit on the end of the barrel. This was always funny to watch, because his legs would just dangle in the air.
Very early on in the Occupation, the Germans ordered us to hand in all radios. This was to prevent people listening to the BBC. At first the Bank of Amsterdam was allowed to keep its office radio to listen to the stock exchange news. From the beginning, the Germans drowned out British radio signals with heavy static. However, with a special antenna it was possible to overcome this. Father had hidden in his office a wooden frame measuring about 45 x 45 x 15 cm, wound with copper wire. One end of the copper wire was attached to the radio. By turning the frame, the static could be strengthened or weakened. Under favourable conditions, despite the interference, we were often able to listen to Radio Orange broadcasts via the BBC.
Father often listened to the office radio, and not only for stock exchange news. Strangers couldn't be trusted, so he usually listened at night. But I still remember Mother severely berating Father one time for listening to the BBC during broad daylight, when clients could quite easily have heard what he was doing!
A number of Jewish children went to my school. Almost from one day to the next they all disappeared.
I only ever saw four of my Jewish classmates back again after the war: Jack Koppels, Jettie Sittard, and Alfred Josephus Jitta [died in a motor accident in 1966] and his sister Carla.
Jack lived near our house and we often played together. He had an electric train, a Marklin Track 0, and he played the jazz piano tremendously well. Jack's parents also survived the war; his grandparents on the other hand, did not. Jack, his grandparents and a number of other Jews all went into hiding in a house in Laren. Somebody betrayed them and the Gestapo raided the house. Jack hid in a cupboard and wasn't detected, but everybody else was arrested and deported to Germany.
Father somehow managed to find Jack a new safe house in the Province of Friesland and personally brought him there by train. This was risky because Jack didn't have an identity document. If he had been discovered, both Jack and Father would have been arrested. When the new address in Friesland became unsafe a couple of years later, Father brought Jack back to Bussum. I happened to be away at the time, and Jack, without my knowledge, slept in my bed for two nights. For safety reasons, my parents didn't tell me this until after war.
Alfred Josephus Jitta and his sister were deported to Theresienstadt, where the chance of survival was a little better.
Jews who were sent there tended to be more affluent, probably by virtue of substantial 'donations' to the German cause.
The Germans closed off the main road between Bussum and Crailo to civilians during the war. General Christiansen had established the German headquarters in a large villa about halfway along the highway.
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| General Christiansen, Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht in the Netherlands |
The inside of the Bosch van Bredius Hotel, in which the Germans established their headquarters
To prevent sabotage, a large area, including the main road, was declared off-limits. If you wanted to cycle the short distance from Bussum to Laren, you had to take the much longer route via Blaricum instead.
At first we didn't pay too much attention to the German army. A number of school buildings were requisitioned and troops would march through the town singing loudly. We were told to ignore the soldiers, although it was impossible to resist secretly peeking at them.
In our spare time, we often played football on the playing field in Bussum. Every now and then the Germans would kick us out so they could train there. Usually they would do physical exercises, which incidentally were extremely strenuous. If a recruit wasn't able to do exactly what his superiors required, he would be punished with 'frogging', which entailed marching with his heavy rifle in his outstretched arms. After 25 metres they would be so exhausted that they could hardly remain upright. Even we would sympathize with the plight of these 'Krauts'. The soldiers practised attacking and defending in the fields outside the town. Sometimes they would use heavy anti-tank cannons, which the soldiers had to drag up and down themselves In order to keep the cannon in balance during transportation, a soldier had to sit on the end of the barrel. This was always funny to watch, because his legs would just dangle in the air.
Very early on in the Occupation, the Germans ordered us to hand in all radios. This was to prevent people listening to the BBC. At first the Bank of Amsterdam was allowed to keep its office radio to listen to the stock exchange news. From the beginning, the Germans drowned out British radio signals with heavy static. However, with a special antenna it was possible to overcome this. Father had hidden in his office a wooden frame measuring about 45 x 45 x 15 cm, wound with copper wire. One end of the copper wire was attached to the radio. By turning the frame, the static could be strengthened or weakened. Under favourable conditions, despite the interference, we were often able to listen to Radio Orange broadcasts via the BBC.
Father often listened to the office radio, and not only for stock exchange news. Strangers couldn't be trusted, so he usually listened at night. But I still remember Mother severely berating Father one time for listening to the BBC during broad daylight, when clients could quite easily have heard what he was doing!
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