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Eyewitness Story: Rien Koole
Rien Koole from Kamperland is eleven years old when the war breaks out. As the tenth of twelve children, he starts his first job young, working as a cowherd. Although the war changes daily life, Rien experiences this time as adventurous and full of freedom. German soldiers regularly come by to get milk from him and smoke a cigarette. Rien tells them, “You don’t belong here. But you’re here anyway, and you’re still people.”
Exciting Moments
Rien often takes his cows to the beach, but during the war, this becomes dangerous. Bullets fly around him, and the Germans forbid him from going near the bunkers. They do, however, ask him to report any washed-up bodies he sees from the dike, which he does without question. The war feels close when air battles frequently occur near Kamperland. Rien recalls one time when he and his friend Gerrit, with milk cans on their handlebars, quickly took cover behind a dam in a ditch as the fighting continued overhead.
A Special Clothesline
The large family doesn’t lack food, but many scarce items are hard to come by. When his mother needs a clothesline, Rien decides that the brightly colored German telephone line would be perfect for the job. Completely unaware of the risk, he rolls up the line, drapes it over his handlebars, and cycles home, cheerfully waving at the German soldiers he knows well. “I was lucky; otherwise, I might have ended up in a camp. But my mother got her clothesline,” Rien says with a laugh.
An Attack and New Friends
On October 11, 1944, Rien watches as Allied planes bomb the dikes of Walcheren. Lying on his back on the dike, he looks up in awe as the bombers open their hatches and release their bombs. It almost feels as if the bombs are aimed directly at him.
After the liberation of North Beveland, English commandos set up their headquarters at the Bible School in Kamperland. Together with his friend Piet, Rien starts working in the kitchen, where they regularly receive treats like raisins, butter, and cigarettes to take home. The boys quickly earn the trust of the commandos and are allowed to watch over the school when the soldiers go on patrol. When the soldiers return and discover that the boys left the chocolate bars untouched, Rien and Piet soon become the mascots of the group. To their surprise, they even receive their own uniform with a green beret, specially made by the army tailor. “That was amazing, of course—now we had a uniform too.”
Rien Koole
Watch below the story of Rien Koole, a boy from Kamperland who, as a young cowherd, experienced adventures and sometimes took risks during the war, like stealing a telephone line to use as a clothesline. His story is a testament to youthful courage and the unique friendships that could form even in times of war.