Memories of Frank Yates Chapter 42

Memories of Frank Yates CHAPTER 42

Eventually, the day arrived when my Italian, my Dutchman and my little French seamstress received movement orders. I saw our catering people and persuaded them to fill three cardboard cartons with food items to keep them happy on their journeys, which I knew would be fairly chaotic. I personally drove them to the collection point, and wished them bon voyage. I received nice letters from all three of them, after they had safely reached home, I hope that you will bear with me if I quote, in full, the thoughts of the Dutchman, because it says much about the effects inflicted on the world by the Nazis.

E D de Crane Haarlem, Holland July 45
Freideriks Park 4.

Dear Sir,
Hoping my letter will reach you at the Hamburg address. I am, at last, writing to you. How are you and are you still in Hamburg? I am wondering if you are still issuing the “Victory Herald”, It was so wonderful, working with you and that fortnight made good all the unpleasant experiences I made, during my three and a half years in Germany.
I made the journey back to Holland in a rather bad state of health. I had a high fever and a terrific headache. Fortunately I managed to get hold of some aspirin. The day after you brought us to the transit camp, we were taken to Luneburg, by truck. There I met Dutch Officers, prisoners of war. Among them was a nephew of mine and lots of friends and colleagues. They were on their way home, too, after having been liberated by the Russians. The following day, we went, by truck, to a little place called Sulingen The journey took a whole day and was very tiring, The next day we went to the Dutch frontier, by train, and passed through the German towns of Osnabruch and Rheine. They were absolutely smashed to pieces. I must say that the Royal Artillery and the RAF did not half do their work there! In Enschede, in Holland, we stayed three days due to disinfection, bathing and all sorts of administration, Saturday, June 2nd; I threw myself into the arms of my parents. I stayed in bed for a week .The Doctor said that I was overworked. I had too much trouble with the German Labour Front, Herr Henke, (The swine) and the men I had to care for.
I have tried everything to get back to Germany, as an interpreter, in Allied Service, but in vain .I can’t find the instance to send me back to one or other HQ in Germany. Last week I volunteered for the Royal Netherlands Marines and I hope to gain my commission. Training is in the USA and I hope to leave in August.
I found Holland in a terrible state, especially the western provinces. Do you remember writing in the V.H. that 450 men and Women died in Rotterdam in a week? Well, a very good friend of mine started a Hospice in his factory in Rotterdam. Of course, this was strictly forbidden by the Germans, as he intended it to help wounded partisans. Never the less it was a great success. They were very well equipped and had equipment that the Germans no longer had. After the Liberation he carried on helping poor hungry patients, and when I spoke to several doctors in Rotterdam, they told me that, in the last weeks, before the surrender of German troops in Holland, 1000 people died of starvation every week!
The Germans destroyed all the cranes and the harbour utilities in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. They took away all our railway carriages and locomotives, the electric wires from our electric railways, they even pinched the rails. Everything they took away or destroyed. It will take years to rebuild our railways.
So many of my friends were shot or killed in concentration camps. Eighteen young men were killed by the Gestapo just behind our garden and my parents were forced to watch. You can easily understand why we come to hate the Germans. All of them should be killed and if you do not understand, come to Holland. Day after day the newspapers are filled with advertisements of the death of prominent Dutchmen in Buchenwald, Dachau, Belsen or Oranienburg. Here, around our own town, graves have been found holding 550 men, shot by the Gestapo. And then what happened in the four Dutch concentration camps! It is a good thing that I did not know about these things when I was in Hamburg, I would have started a murder gang of my own. But enough of this, it is getting dark now and there is no electricity yet
I just want to thank you again for all you have done for me and for all the lovely food you supplied me with on the way home. If you see the charming Edith, will you give her my love.
With my best wishes from

Yours sincerely
DONALD CRANE

This letter, I feel, is a social document that is deserving of wider circulation than can be given in these limited memoirs. In case you should wonder about his questions: Firstly, as I have previously mentioned, “Victory Herald” was taken over by the military government. I was in the Rhineland when I received Donald’s letter and I never saw the delectable Edith after leaving Hamburg.

Before we left Hamburg, we had distinguished guests in the persons of Lawrence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Joyce Redman. They were under the auspices of ENSA and were giving, over three nights, in the Opera House, “Peer Gynt”, and “Arms and the Man and I got a ticket for the Shaw opus. I have always remembered the entrance of Olivier, in the resplendent uniform of a Hussar as he strode onto the stage. “Strode” is not the right word, he proceeded majestically to centre stage, accompanied by a loud gasp from the hundreds of ATS girls in the audience. After the show we entertained them in the Officers’ Club. And interesting company they were. Olivier was at the height of his fame, the films “Rebecca” and “Henry the Fifth” showing at the time.

Before I conclude this Chapter, may I mention that I received, in November, another letter from Donald Crane. He was unable to join the Marines, but was a lieutenant in the Dutch Army. He was clearly smitten by the beautiful Edith, despite his hatred of Germans.
“by the way, do you ever hear from Edith in Hamburg? I should love to see the Southern Beauty again! She’s charming, isn’t she?”

So ended my exciting and interesting time in the great port on the Elbe.

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