Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 117 That Christmas of 1944, we had to stay in the basement for three days straight. The Germans were bombing and shelling something terrible. This heavy bombing went on until February 1945. We still had little food or heat in the house and just a small coal stove to keep us warm. Sometimes the soldiers would bring us wood or coal. After the Germans began to retreat, we were able to go out more. We were able to get a hot bowl of soup and bread for lunch at the community soup kitchen. It was still only turnip and potato but it filled you. Despite the hard time, we were all going through, Bill and I still found ways to communicate with each other. When he was at headquarters here, he would try to visit me. But when he was away, he would send me short letters through one of the Dutch volunteers patrolling the no-man's land between the two fronts. Bill would get him to deliver his letters in return for a hot meal - an offer the guy could never refuse. We did find lots of ways to have fun in spite of the war. One night I was playing a game called 'monkey' with my brother Harry when suddenly he brought his head up while I was still bent over, accidentally hitting me on the mouth and knocking my partial plate out. Bill had asked me to go to a party that night where he would be cooking for the officers. There being no dentist around, I just tried to stick the plate all back together with tape as best I could. But I didn't dare eat, and Oh! They had such nice things to eat; things I hadn't seen for years, like white bread. And I didn't dare open my mouth to speak. Every time I was introduced, all I could say was, "I'm glad to meet you; how are you?" One officer actually complimented me on my English, telling Bill how his friend spoke such good English! By the summer of 1945, things had begun to get better and we were able to get bread and meat but it was a long time before the gas and electric service were fully restored and we could have normal meals. Still we managed to pull through. On May 5, 1945, the rest of Holland was liberated by the Canadians for which the Dutch people will always be grateful. I am especially grateful because it was the Canadian presence in Nijmegen that allowed me to meet my husband and eventually come to Canada in 1947. Story by Anna Marie Cuppens Lamont (Compiled & edited by Marilyn Livingston) continued ... Anna Marie Cuppens Lamont
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