gezocht; familie Crijns uit Maastricht
Below is the message that was transmitted from the citizens of Maastricht to the New York Times. My father, who was in the signal corps., still has the original transmission paper. He said that the people of Maastricht were very kind to him when he was stationed there during World War II and one particular family, the Crijns family, who owned a shop in Maastricht, befriended him and he got to know them quite well. After the war he lost contact with them, but he has often wondered what happened to them.
(the name of Maastricht is noted by dashes to protect the citizens of the town):
This message was transmitted from Maastricht, Holland by the 310th Signal Operations
Battalion on Armistice Day, November 11, 1944.
LETTER OF AN INHABITANT OF LIBERATED -------------
TO THE EDITORS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES
WE, THE INHABITANTS OF HOLLAND CITIZENS OF THE LIBERATED TOWN OF------,
OF------WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS OUR GRATEFULNESS BY WRITING TO THE UNITED STATES THROUGH YOUR NEWSPAPER, WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR SONS WHO BROUGHT US THE LIBERTY, FOR WHICH WE LONGED SO FERVENTLY.
WE NEED NOT DESCRIBE TO YOU OUR SUFFERING AND OUR WANT. THE TYRANT ROBBED US OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DEAR TO US. HE TRIED TO DESTROY OUR CULTURE, OUR UNIONS WERE DISSOLVED, OUR RELIGION WAS SUPPRESSED, OUR MEN AND BOYS WERE CARRIED OFF, OUR HORSES AND OUR CATTLE WERE ROBBED, OUR BICYCLES WERE TRANSPORTED TO GERMANY AND EVEN OUR HENS HAD TO LAY EGGS FOR THE HUNS. ONLY GERMAN MUSIC WAS ALLOWED TO BE PLAYED. WITH GREAT DANGER WE HAD TO MEET SECRETLY TO SPEAK TO OUR FRIENDS WHO BROUGHT US THE NEWS.
OUR CHILDREN BECAME UNDERFED, BADLY CLOTHED AND HAD TO WEAR WORN SHOES, THE WOODEN SHOES BECAME BY FORCE THE FASHION AGAIN.
EACH NEW DAY BROUGHT NEW PAIN AND NEW CARE. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE HAD NO YOUTH. THEY WERE CHASED AND HIDDEN IN CELLARS AND WOODS. SO WAS OUR SITUATION----AND THEN YOUR BOYS CAME; CAN YOUR READERS CONCEIVE AND REALIZE WITH WHAT JOY WE HAVE WELCOMED THEM?
THANKS, AND MANY THANKS FOR THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR DEAR BOYS. AND HOW THEY WERE BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS; WHAT A WRONG IDEA WE HAD ABOUT AMERICA AND ITS PEOPLE.
THE PLEASANT SMILE OF YOUR BOYS HAS STOLEN OUR HEARTS! THEIR VIGOROUS AND BRAVE APPEARANCE, THEIR KIND-HEARTENESS AND ESPECIALLY THEIR SIMPLICITY HAVE TOLD US THAT THESE SONS OF THE GREAT AMERICAN REPUBLIC BEAR THE TRUE DEMOCRACY IN THEIR HEARTS AND THAT THE WORLD MAY BE GLAD THAT THE UNITED STATES HAVE INTERESTED THEMSELVES IN THE BEHALF OF OUR COUNTRY AND OF EUROPE.
HOW WE SHOUTED FOR JOY AND FEASTED WITH THEM, AND HOW WE SHARED WITH THE GREATEST PLEASURE, THE LITTLE WE COULD GIVE; STILL, HOW DELICATE OF YOUR LEADERS OF WAR TO FORBID THE BOYS TO BUY HERE. OUR ENEMIES ROBBED AND PLUNDERED AND YOUR SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO TAKE THE LITTLE THAT CAN BE GOT FOR MONEY.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS, THANK YOU FOR THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR BOYS. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ITS SOLDIERS IN THEIR BATTLE. MAY HE CARRY BACK YOUR BOYS SAFELY TO THEIR COUNTRY. GOD BLESS THE MANY AMERICAN MOTHERS AND WIVES WHO HAVE GIVEN THE DEAREST THEY POSSESS FOR LIBERATION OF OUR COUNTRY AND OF EUROPE. WE PEOPLE SHALL NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICES THAT AMERICA HAS MADE AND WE SHALL PRAY THAT YOUR BATTLE AND VICTORY MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TIME, A TIME OF UNDERSTANDING AND WELL BEING.
GOD BLESS THE STATES AND THEIR CITIZENS, GOD SAVE THE DEAR BOYS WHO HAVE BROUGHT US FREEDOM AND WHO HAVE CAPTURED OUR HEARTS BY THEIR STRENGTH, THEIR KINDNESS AND GOOD NATURE.
THANK YOU ONCE, AGAIN THANK YOU.
IN THE NAME OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE ------
"UNQUOTE"
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THE DASHES CONTAINED IN THE LETTER ARE WORDS THAT I CANNOT ENCLOSE
BECAUSE OF CENSORSHIP.
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