In 1941, World War II came to the Netherlands. My Great Grandfather Joseph and his family of 5 were impacted. He had 3 children which included my grandfather Tjeu. Before they went into hiding in a basement to stay safe from the war, Joseph threw a full set of tableware in a rain barrel. After a ½ year of hiding, Joseph and his family were forced to leave the basement because it was no longer safe. While on their way to their new hiding spot, they encountered the remains of a battlefield. Joseph and his family had to hide in a ditch for 3 days. Once in their new hiding spot, they remained there for several months and for the war to be over. When they came back to their town, my grandfather looked in the rain barrel and everything was still there. Everyone was in need of new items because almost everything was destroyed. Joseph kept most of the tableware and used them for many years. When my father was given a choice from the tableware he chose the sugar bowl. Now every time we look at the sugar bowl it reminds us of how much our grandparents endured to keep the family possessions from disappearing. 

– SJMS

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant