The years 1926 –1947 continued
Q: And then?
A: I did some exams and I started to search for a job. And I found one in Rotterdam. I worked there between 1926 – 1929.
Q: What did you do there?
A: I worked as a clerk on the town clerk’s department, but in the summer of 1929 I saw an advertisement of the Provincial Authorities of Zuid-Holland. I still had good contacts with Clasien (I told you about her earlier) and she gave me the advise to apply for the job of clerk over there, because there would have been better prospects for me.
Q: And? Did you get the job?
A: On October 15, 1929 I switched over to my new job. A had a one-year contract then.
Q: You worked more then 40 years there, so you got a longer contract after all.
A: Yeah. On October 16, 1930 they gave me a "normal" contract, but I never expected then, that I would stay there more then 40 years!
Q: Clasien influenced your life in more then one way.
A: She (and her sister Margot) played piano and I started to play as well. I got pianolessons when I was little and later I played for my family and myself.
Q: You were a sportsman too, aren’t you?
A: Yes, I played korfball by "De Spartaan". In July 1934 I became honoree member of the Spartaan. I met my first wife Johanna Maria Leonard, "Marietje", there too.
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De Spartaan
Q: And you got married August 8, 1934?
Weddingannouncement
A: Yes, we both lived in Hillegersberg at the time, so we married there. It was a simple wedding. Marietje’s parents were there, my mother and Uncle Sier. He was my witness and he really appreciated that. And my wife’s sister Riek, with her husband Willem Poot. Riek was Marietje’s witness. And Willem and Jan Leonard. Marietje made a lovely dress for herself.
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J.M. Leonard van der Waard andHendrik Leonard |
Uncle Sier |
Marietje and her sister Riek |
Q: And after the wedding?
A: As I told you, it was a simple wedding, we had a little meal at Marietje’s house and then we went away to Putten in Gelderland for our honeymoon.
Q: And you stayed in Hillegersberg after your wedding?
A: No, we moved to Den Haag. We got a house in the Obrechtstraat nr.134.
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In the Obrechtstraat |
Q: Can you describe that house?
A: It was a house on the first floor. We had a big room at the front and one in the back. There also was a sunroom with few on the garden. We had our own kitchen and a passage that led to two other bedrooms built in an addition. There was no central heating so when it became winter we had to move the bed back to the front room where we had a little stove. Sleeping in the addition was impossible then.
Q: That must be not very comfortable.
A: We got used to it, but every year it looked like a small house moving.
Q: I guess, you moved to another house very soon. From what I heard from you so far, you loved to move around every two, three years…..
A: Ho, wait a minute! That was not my decision to move so much and most of the time, it were the circumstances that forced us to move again.
Q: You’re right. I’m sorry.
A: I forgive you. Well, maybe this comes as a surprise, but I lived in the Obrechtstraat till 1971. Then I moved, with my second wife and daughter to the Meloenstraat.
Q: I can tell you something more about the Obrechtstraat if you want.
A: Be my guest.
Q: There was and still is, a tram riding behind the houses. No, it wasn’t very noisy. The only thing you heard sometimes was the barking of a dog that was standing on the balcony of the old trams. That was very funny. You heard him barking on the Conradkade and then the tram passed us, the barking became louder and louder and disappeared then again. Marietje and I had a dog too. His name was "Max" and he was a sheep dog.
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Marietje and Max |
Max |
A: It must have been a hard time during World War 2. Especially for the dog.
Q: We hardly had any food for him. For me, it wasn’t that easy also. A part of the War I went underground with some colleagues of my work. Most of the time, even my wife didn’t know where I was hiding myself to save her. With these colleagues we had our own company that was called "The Jampot". When we were liberated we came together every year, mostly in November, to go out for dinner. First without our wives, but later they were invited as well.
A: And did you do something special on your 10th wedding anniversary in 1944?
Q: We invited our family to come over.
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A: And on your twelve and a half-wedding anniversary in 1947?
Q: That was on February 8, 1947.
A: What happened that she died in March 1947?
Q: If you don’t mind, I won’t tell you the details, but indeed she died at March 9, 1947. Her funeral was held on a very cold day and there was snow laying all over the graveyard.
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