Five Brothers and a War

School—Bertus

A series of problems came together in the Fall term of 1944. Kees had transferred to the Dalton HBS, Bertus was without a school, and Mary was forced to transfer to the Dalton courtesy of the German war machine. Leendert then managed to find a school with lower academic requirements, an ULO-type institution. Dr. Herman Bavinkschool was located near De Populier, and would have worked out well had Mary not transferred to the Dalton. The relationship over the years had progressed a long way and until the end of the war. Mary became Bertus’ first love. His parents had little knowledge of its extent.

van Pelt

Dr. Herman Bavinkschool where Bertus attended for a few months after his dismissal from De Populier HBS . This campus was simultaneously also the location of the Aeneas Mackayschool, where Flora first attended school, for one year, in the mid-1930s. All of the doubling up did allow for a lot of free time, which was not unpleasant for either Bertus or Mary. Bertus loved being with Mary, but also found it distressing to see Mary, her mother and her brother skimping on their food. He would therefore manage to surreptitiously acquire a little food from his home to take it to Mary. This might involve a couple of preserved eggs or some pieces of meat out of a pot. He would carefully carry the food in a small box with a soft padded lining, of which Marie had a few. Years later, when Bertus told his mother about his sneaky actions, she told him that while she never missed the box, she did think that she had preserved more eggs. It had been very gratifying to Bertus to see Mary and her mother cook the eggs and enjoy the re-heated but tasty meat. But there was also a payoff for Bertus. Before he left to go home, Mary took extra time to thank him profusely. This had the added benefit of encouraging him to repeat his largesse.

Five Brothers and a War

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