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Eyewitness Story: Dick Jeras
Dick Jeras was six years old when the war began. His family lived in Middelburg but had to flee to Koudekerke during the first days of the war. Dick remembered his mother walking behind the pram, with blankets and clothes draped over it. From Koudekerke, he could see the Lange Jan tower of Middelburg in the distance. One day, he watched as the burning clock face of the tower fell down, a sight he did not dare to speak of for many years.
When his father and brother later returned to Middelburg, they found almost nothing left of their home. The family moved in with their grandfather, where they had to live with nine people in a small house. There was hardly any space, and Dick shared a bed with several other children. He also remembers going to see Doctor Weil as a child for issues with his feet, caused by a lack of vitamins. Not long after, he heard that the doctor, like other Jews in the city, had been deported. The questions he had remained unanswered.
Prisoners of War and Escape
Another vivid memory from that time is of the Moroccan prisoners of war who were held at Toren Vliet in Middelburg. Dick and other children sometimes gave them pieces of bread, even though their own families were also dependent on ration coupons and faced shortages.
One day, Dick narrowly escaped a bombing at the auction. He had just left with a horse and cart when the auction was bombed. He ran away and sat in silence for a long time on the Havendijk, too shocked to tell anyone at home.
Evacuation and Sheltering
In 1944, the family had to evacuate again when Walcheren was flooded. They moved to relatives in Nieuw- en Sint Joostland, where they were not warmly received. Later, they had to relocate again, this time to Arnemuiden. During the shelling, they sheltered with twenty people in a potato cellar. For three weeks, they sat on top of the potatoes, unable to wash. After the liberation, they were covered in scabies and lice, but the relief was immense.
After the war, the family faced another heavy blow. Dick’s younger sister died of diphtheria. It was one of the hardest moments for the family, and the only time he ever heard his father cry.
Dick Jeras
Watch below the story of Dick Jeras, a boy from Middelburg who experienced evacuations, bombings, and taking shelter from the horrors of war during the wartime years. His story shows how a family managed to survive under difficult circumstances, with memories of courage, loss, and the resilience of a young child in times of war.