Five Brothers and a War

Leen and Kees— Onderduikers

Back on the farm, it didn’t take too long for Kees to get the hang of milking cows. He began doing his quota of nine or ten cows in the morning and late afternoon. He was also put in charge of feeding the newly-born calves. Every calf was supposed to get over a gallon of milk twice a day. JanKees suggested that Kees should supplement his food intake by taking half a cup of milk out of each calf’s breakfast or supper, which worked well in dealing with the empty feeling he was experiencing. Leen was told that he too could take milk from the storage vat. As this was milk straight from the cow, it was rich in milk fat. At first, on his way to the wash-up area, Kees had to pass a big vat to be used for churning butter. There was such an inviting thick layer of cream waiting to get a finger dipped into it that he managed to get a big slurp each time he wiped a finger across the edge. The trick was to not take so much that the Germans would notice a drop in their butter deliveries, so Leen and Kees were cautioned to take it easy on the cream “shrinkage” to avoid unwelcome visits from the Nazis. Leendert ventured out to visit Ottoland one time when supplies at home were at a critical stage again. With his many connections he became an accomplished barterer, though all of that was illegal, and subject to harsh punishment. While the Germans knew that the population could not survive on their rations, they did not permit bartering, much less black-market operations. Leendert’s good relationship with his tobacco supplier gave him material to barter for food. Leen and Kees sensed that the visit from their father had an urgent purpose, so they had spread the word to the locals that their malnourished father was on his way. The result was that all sorts of food was donated. After having spent a day with his sons, he set off with two loaded carrier bags, heading for home. The trip there and back was quite a feat for a 57-year-old who was used to driving a car, rather than riding a tire-less bike for 70 kilometers. On his last stretch while he was about to enter Den Haag, he was warned that Germans were checking every bag for food. Tired, he stopped to think how he could avoid the trap. Just at that moment a small newspaper delivery van driver recognized him and stopped to ask what he was doing there. After explaining his problem the man told Leendert to get into the van while he covered the food with his cargo of letter-sized newspapers. He then took a different route, not only avoiding that checkpoint, but also taking Leendert home to the Margrietstraat. Very much relieved, Marie and Bertus welcomed Leendert safely back home. They were also very happy with the food that he brought with him, including cheese, butter, fat, dried peas and flour. After a few months, knowing that the Germans were pre-occupied with nearby Allied forces, JanKees let Kees off the farm to do some delivery work to his relatives in the village. For that Kees got the use of a horse and short cargo cart. Having used that same cart on the farm and in the field, JanKees thought Kees could handle it to deliver cow feed to his father. The horse, apparently quite happy to work on a paved road, took off like a shot when he got to the hard surface. Mr. Aantjes Sr. lived at the other side of the canal that divided the village.

van Pelt

Five Brothers and a War

Page 522