No products in the cart.
Eyewitness Story: Anna Lanooy
Anna Lanooy from Sint-Annaland was 18 years old when the war broke out. She already had a boyfriend, Gabriël, who was in the military and was called up for mobilization. In the early years of the war, things remained relatively calm in Sint-Annaland, but the village soon changed under German occupation. Every Saturday, the Jeugdstorm (Youth Storm) and the defense unit of the NSB marched in black uniforms on the school square.
“There was quite a grim atmosphere,” Anna recalls. “Some people closed their shutters so they wouldn’t have to see anything. There were also older people who sang the Wilhelmus, and they were arrested.” During these years, Anna lost friends who joined the Jeugdstorm.
Evacuation to Schiedam
In 1944, the island of Tholen was flooded by the Germans, and the population had to evacuate. Anna and her father were initially allowed to stay because her father was a blacksmith. However, when even the last horse was gone, they followed the rest of the family to Schiedam. Gabriël stayed behind. From Schiedam, there was no contact possible with Tholen, and for 16 months, Anna heard nothing from Gabriël.
Surviving the Hunger Winter
In Schiedam, everything revolved around survival. During the Hunger Winter, Anna walked for hours just to get a little food. She remembers the sugar beet soup and tulip bulbs she ate: “I truly experienced hunger. It was terrible.” When the Allies dropped biscuits from planes in April 1945, it felt like cake, it was so special.
On May 5, Schiedam was also liberated. That day, Anna was surprised by Gabriël, who returned with chocolate for her and a lace collar as a gift. Within six months after the liberation, they were married. Despite the joy of their reunion, little was said about the hardships of the war. However, the war always remained an invisible burden on her nerves: “It has always affected my nerves.”
Anna Lanooy
Discover the story of Anna Lanooy, a young woman from Sint-Annaland, who endured the grim atmosphere of the German occupation and fought to survive during the Hunger Winter. Despite 16 months of uncertainty about the fate of her beloved Gabriël, she never lost hope. Her story is a testament to perseverance, hardship, and the enduring power of hope in wartime.