Jan van Harlingen *1927

It’s a little bit what I can still remember.

I was 18 years old and quite curious by nature. Our family used to live in the Wilhelminastraat in Amsterdam-West( in the Second World War, Westergasthuisstraat)) because there was a question that the Canadians would come to Amsterdam, that’s why I went to the Dam. Everybody looked out for the liberators. I stood at the Dam opposite the Kalverstraat.

Unsuspecting there was a shooting with a machine-gun, not for a while but for some time. All frightened and scared people fled and tried to find a save place. I fled with others behind a lamp post.
When the shooting stopped a lot of people laid wounded and dead at the Dam. What afterwards happened I can tell you: I was afraid and went home as quickly as I could.

January 2017

A reaction on an article from De Telegraaf