Figure 1.--Here I am with some of my Dutch friends. This show how we dressed in the 1950s. The boy on the far right is literally in "peasant clothing" or a working hand me down farm outfit (figure 1). The second on the right is myself, expensive clothing (but still shorts). The little difficult kid is my brother, sister is in the background. The other boys are all from farm families, dressed up for the visiting occasion. Image courtesy of John Falkenstine. |
My Dad worked for the American Battle Monuments collection in the Netherlands after World War II. Our relatives lived in the Netherlamds. I went to school there and fondly remember the time I spent there with my Dutch friends.
I was born in 1949. My Dad worked for the American Battle Monuments collection in the Netherlands after World War II. Our relatives lived in the Netherlamds.
I started school in the Netherlands about 1955 and then transferred to an American Department of Defense (DOD) school in 1959.
I wore short pants as a boy. Much of the clothing was hand me down for families
that had limited funds. I still remember going out in the wintertime in shorts, and it didn't seem to matter much. We had good times. However, there are aftereffects, namely the numerous scars, some of them very deep on my knees that were acquired from the rough and tumble goings on. One photograph taken in 1955 and shows a wide variety of clothing. The boy on the far right is literally in "peasant clothing" or a working hand me down farm outfit (figure 1). The second on the right is myself, expensive clothing (but still shorts). The little difficult kid is my brother, sister is in the background. The other boys are all from farm families, dressed up for the visiting occasion.
Plumbing in many houses out in the countrside was still a luxury item. When our house was completed at the Margraten Cemetary, folks would marvel at the bathroom with the
American-style toilet.
Even though I was an American kid, the after effects of World War II were very significant. My Grandfather called me aside once and I was ordered not to play with a certain kid whose father had been a collaborator. When Germans visited the Maastricht cemnetary after the War, it was common for them to leave before dark, in case their cars would be damaged. Once of my friends lost part of his ear after we found anti-aircraft shells (AA) shells, dismantled them for their explosives which we set off in fires.
For some, shoes could be a serious problem and I remember kids wearing oversize shoes in elementary school, or not attending class because they had no shoes. As for Dutch boys going to school, shorts were the order of the day.
Once I transferred to an American School in 1959, I thought I had gone to heaven. Gone were the shorts, there were girls in the class and the teacher NEVER hit you or, pulled you around by your ear and you didn't have to kneel with straight upper legs in front of the class. This is very painful when you're wearing shorts.
I found your netsite while searching for "Emil and the Detectives". I saw this movie while attending school in Maastricht the Netherlands. We attended the movie as a class and I remember the German version as a great all-time movie.
I remember my first long trousers for my First Holy communion. I have an
excellent picture of the first communion suit.
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