My name is Joop van Beek. Born in 1929. Those days I was 15 years old.
Why did I go the the Dam? The rumor was that the Canadians would come to the Dam. I went there on my own. I lived at the Barentszstraat 10.
Arriving at the Dam there was a festive atmosphere. Even a barrel organ played.
When the shooting started I fled in the direction of the Nieuwe Kerk. I laid against the wall of the church and in front of me a lot of people were laying. A lot of these people had the change to fled in the direction of the Gravenstraat.
Then the most terrible thing happened. In front of me, a man, he sat on his hands and knees, and out of his neck came a thick stream of blood. He looked at me with a glance for help, but I couldn’t help him. He was the only one that laid in front of me and I was numbed with fear. This man, probably saved my life, without knowing it.
Eventually I saw the change to fled in the direction of the Gravenstraat. I was save but a new unpleasant surprise awaited me. I had lost my shoes and wore clogs.
It seems that the cap of the clog was broken. I was afraid to go home because I would probably get a scolding. You thought like that when your just 15 years old.
When I arrived at home, I heard that my girl next door, Rika[red: Rita Overijk], was killed at the Dam.
