Information About Hedda Louis van den Beemt

Memories

Memories are based on documents, family lore or personal experiences. They give more information about a person, but are not necessarilly complete or correct.

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Photo of the twelve children of Johannes Andreas van den Beemt and Dominica Elisabeth Maria Kramer, ca. 1938?

In the back: Hedda, Jan, Nicky, Leo, Gré, Stof. In front: Harry, Trees, Maria, Frans, Cees, Ben

I was not the only naughty one in the house, our Hedda also knew something about that. One day when the Zandstraat was being asphalted, when the workmen went home, Hedda went to put a tar on his side, pick the plug out and let the barrel roll down the hill. The tar was splashing in all directions.

When our Leo married Nel van der Aa in 1943, no alcohol was allowed on the wedding party, because Nel's father was a teetotaler. Hedda and Ben had found a way around that. They put on a play in which they were babies were suckling from a baby bottle and that bottle contained... exactly, gin.

After the liberation and after our house on the Zoom was, after some months, habitable again, it was particularly nice. Ben and Hedda had crossed the lines shortly before the liberation and had taken up service as a war volunteer in Belgium. After the liberation and completion of their training, they were stationed in Tholen. If they or their mates had to go to the doctor, they would come to the military hospital in Bergen op Zoom. The trick was to miss the last ferry, after which they reported to the Zoom to spend the night. They always had all kinds of goodies from the military kitchen with them. Trees was always ready for anything at that time, so to me it always seemed like a party.

Later the brothers were stationed in Germany where they guarded a prisoner of war camp with Yugoslavs. In that camp there was a real war between the followers of Tito and those of King Peter.

The supporters of Tito had the upper hand and those of King Peter were afraid for their lives. Our boys then brought home two Peterists who received some pocket money from Pa and who were also entrusted into the good care of Trees. She also gave Mateovitch, who stayed the longest, Dutch lessons.