Jenneke Maria Stinis-van Straten

Q: After you came in Rijswijk did you stay by the family Vollgraff?

A: There were so many people and the house wasn’t build for that, but Mr. Vollgraff had a solution. My mother staid three houses to the left and I got a place in a house that was situated three houses to the right. We also got some extra tickets from the IKB for extra food. Carel and I walked every day with big buckets with food back to our houses.

Q: And the other family members? I guess they were really worried about what happened with you and your mother.

A: On Sunday I went back to Den Haag to inform Aunt Marie van Straten and my Uncles Reinier and Gerard that we were safe. But I had to walk! I had a bike but I had never seen it anymore when I lent it to a nurse who wanted to get some help. My Aunt Marie lived in the Vondelstraat and I lent a bike then from her nice and went to the Meloenstraat (yes indeed the same street as where I’m living now!) to inform Uncle Reinier and then drove to Uncle Gerard who lived on the Mient. After that I had to walk back again from the Vondelstraat to Rijswijk. Not a pleasant trip when you have nothing in your stomach. My mother assisted Mrs. Vollgraff and we also looked around for a place to live.

Q: You found one in the Pien Heinstraat.

A: One day I went to Aunt Berta Roos who lived on the Regentesselaan and she told me that she knew someone who "probably" had a room for us. I went to the Piet Heinstraat and indeed there was a room available for us Aunt Nel told us. We could also use the kitchen. For people who have nothing anymore it was very luxury.

Q: And you moved in there? Did you get some help from other people?

A: We did. Everybody came over and brought us something. It was incredible.

Q: You also spent some time in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht? Why?

A: Uncle Reinier spent some time there during the winter of 1944-1945 and he thought that it would be time for us now to spent there some time as well. So we changed places and we staid there a couple of weeks. It was so great. We got food and we had a marvelous time. After the War ended, a car of the "Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten" brought Aunt Berta Roos, and us who also spent some weeks in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, home. I’ll never forget that May 5, 1945 when the War was over and we celebrated our freedom with our national flag and a lot of festivities.

Q: And then you went back to your old job by Merwestein?

A: Not really. The boss of Merwestein (the NSB’er remember) was arrested and when I was in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht I heard that there was a job available for me by the Centrale. So I had a new job. I went to the department "Correspondence". I guess, I started there in June 1945. We were still living in the Piet Heinstraat. When Uncle Reinier also moved in with us, we looked around for another living. The brother of one of my chefs said that he had a big room available for us at the Soestdijksekade and so we moved again.

Q: And you made promotion didn’t you?

A: After two years I became direction-secretary. I had my doubts about that job, because I thought I could never do that, but they wanted me and I staid there till November 1949.

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