Flight to the Netherlands

After this night my parents feared for our safety. With the help of an acquaintance they sent us both to the Netherlands on the 29th of December 1938. At the time I was seven years old and my sister was six. Our parents wanted to follow us and from there take us to England. Some days later our father brought us to the Goch railway station and said goodbye before the train left. We waved until we could no longer see him! Gerd Vondermans – a friend of our parents accompanied us. He was Dutch and thus it was easier to cross the border. In the train my sister and I sat quietly together – whereas at home we were always quarrelling. The next day when the train arrived at Soesterberg I was still asleep. There my sister and I were interned in a home for refugee children. It was situated in a large barn type building. We were allowed to choose where upstairs we wanted to sleep. I put my things in the same drawer as my sister’s and we sought beds next to each other. The days passed slowly because apart from playing & eating there was nothing to occupy us. Going outside for fresh air was only possible for a couple of minutes and then only with at least seven children together. The months at Soesterberg were pretty bad.

Childrens Refugee Home Soesterberg 1939 kneeling: Margot Cohen on the left standing: Herbert Cohen and Erich Cohen (B1)

Childrens Refugee Home Soesterberg 1939 from left to right:. red dots half hiddenHerbert Cohen, besides him his cousinErich Cohen lower row second from the right:  Margot Cohen The childrens home was close to the town Utrecht (NL) (B2)