Reverent Rients Dijkstra was on May 7 1945 in the NIeuwe Kerk, he published his story in the book “O, dat stuwend Amsterdam”.
On May 7 1945, after the liberation, when the Mininstery held his assembly, the Dam was filled with a cheering crowd.
“But every child was waving with a flag for happiness. But how fragile it all was after five year of repression.” (Quote Anton van Duinkerken)
We saw the illegal forces, arresting trucks and German soldiers, when suddenly grenades were thrown in the crowd, and the rattle of machine-guns, startled us. The Germans in the Grote Club fired from the windows. A fearful crying arose from the crowd, who fled to all directions.
Through the door of the vicarage, and the window which was smashed in, the crowd fled inside. The Nieuwe Kerk was filled with refugees.
“Down”, I heard somebody call. I threw myself on the ground and saw all my colleagues next to me in all sort of shapes on the ground, except an older one, who placed his chair
gently by the wall, against the window, and looked outside. I thought, it is probably for an article of the “Dutch Reformed, but when, once more a salvo sounded, I changed my mind.
After ten minutes of silence we stood up. At the Dam, about 20 wounded and deceased, laid abonded and lonely.
Scouts with white flags offered help. Shortly the medical service arrived.
A German officer and the head of the illegals, with a military police in front of the motorbike, white flag in his hand and shouted “don’t shoot”, proceeded to the Grote Club.
The military policeman got shot.
I went downstairs, to visit the wounded and to help soothe the troubled emotions in the Nieuwe Kerk. When I went upstairs again, the chairman laid wouded on a few chairs.
He was hit by a bullet, which came through an open window, but it caused only a flesh wound on his thigh, and the bullett hits the door. It happened at the moment that he stood up to look outside and that saved him his life, else the bullet would have gone through his heart. He was bandaged by a nurse, and brought home on a transport bicycle and recovered in some weeks. In the heat of the battle I heard a few colleagues say: “That is called a ceasefire”.
Source: “O, dat stuwend Amsterdam”1924-1949, from page 110.
The novel was disposed by Mrs.M.Veltman
Editor: In the original text was written: “On May 9 1945, after the liberation”. This must have been a mistake by the author.
