one night we were awakened by terrible continuing rumblings. The earth trembled. We fled out of our house just like the rest of the village did and we saw the whole sky a deep red glow to the NorthWest. Later we learned that we had seen the bombardment of Merelbeke railroad station, where, unfortunately, a major part of the load fell on the surrounding houses. A terrifying experience seen from more than 40 km away in Okegem. The date was April 10 1944.
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We lived in a a very small house in a row that opened up unto a courtyard. There my father and the neighbours built a dirt shelter covered with some planks and more dirt. Each time there was an alert we dived into that hole, water sloshing around our feet and the stink of cat piss in our nose. A direct hit would have gotten us all, but fortunately we were spared.
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I remember that early in September 1944 my grandfather was working in his field and we were playing around "helping" him when the first Allied tanks appeared between the oak trees on the Aalst - Ninove road about 500 m to a km away. We crossed across the fields in the hope of tasting our first chocolade ever - grandfather gave us the idea, we did not even know what chocolate was - but came too late. Ninove was liberated on September 3 by the English, Tommies as we called them affectionately.**************
Probably a couple of days later there was a very young, unarmed German soldier who had been left behind or was lost. He had to run for his life. A numerous mob chased him up the Kattestraat, armed with knives, sticks, axes and all kinds of agricultural tools. Fortunately, almost at the limit of the village, two gendarmes, coming from Ninove, happened by and arrested the boy. I tremble to think what might have happened if the gendarmes had not passed by ...**************
Monday January 1 1945 was a bitterly cold day with a clear blue sky. We heard stuttering engines and saw parachutists jumping out of a plane which crashed in the fields a couple of kilometers away near the Kipsteekbos. As an adult I doubted for years whether this was a memory or a dream, until I found the confirmation in an article by Achiel Anthoens in "Mededelingen Heemkring Okegem 2004, nr 4, p 110 - 112". I even got the day and the weather right !
Eight crew members jumped out of the bomber and one of them was injured by the jump. As the crashing plane touched some trees it was badly damaged and pieces were scattered all around. Fortunately the bomb hold was completely empty. Soon there was a guard of eight to ten soldiers but, after they left, the plane was further dismantled by the locals, including my grandfather, I'm sorry to say (my younger brother and I were there with him). Much later the rest of the plane was cleared up by scrap merchants. Unfortunately, the story doesn't report the make or the origin of the four engine plane. Given that it was a daytime raid, it probably was American. Further information is very welcome.
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Earlier that same day, we came back from my father's parents in Meerbeke and leaving Ninove at a place called De Doorn a dead, completely frozen, sparrow lay on the side walk, close to a German road sign for "Brüssel". The roadsign has been visible until quite recently, and 62 years later, I still see that dead sparrow ...
Kids !
Kids !
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