STUNNING RESCUE STORY SENT TO ME FROM MY FRIEND GENE IN TEXAS





A reunion was held at Scheveningen, Holland on May 14, 2015.

The occasion was in memory of 46 men and women who some 75 years ago sought safety from the Nazi using a small boat named ZEEMANSHOOP. 

This is an amazing story.  My friend KAREL DAHMEN (a Dutchman) was one of the four students who helped those folks (Jewish) to safety.

Karel was also a novice officer in the Dutch Navy at the time.  They literally stole the boat on which they escaped Holland to go to England. 

Karel and I worked together at CONTINENTAL CARBON COMPANY in Houston for many, many years.  I count him as one of my closest friends today.  As you can see, I still am in touch with Karel.  At present, he is vacationing  in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where he has a second home.

His primary home is here in the Austin, TX area not far from me. 

If you have some time, take a gander through the following and read this very interesting event by clicking on the various links.

From: Karel Dahmen [mailto:karelrdahmen@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 2, 2015 5:20 PM

Subject: Reunion at Scheveningen on the 14 May 2015

If you were at the reunion of the families of the 46 men and women on the ZEEMANSHOOP in Scheveningen on the 14 May you will know what a wonderful day it was.  

Karel Dahmen and Loet Velmans recalled their memories of the day the ZEEMANSHOOP left for England 75 years ago and what it meant to them and were photographed aboard the restored lifeboat. We made brief trips round the harbour and Karel Dahmen took the helm just as he did on the 14 May 1940. The Mayor of The Hague and the British Ambassador spoke and Danny Verbaan signed copies of his book (in Dutch) about the voyage. 

The Royal Navy was represented by HMS TRUMPETER, the training ship of Cambridge University's Royal Navy Unit, and Radboud Hack, son of Harry Hack, the Captain of the ZEEMANSHOOP, thanked the Royal Navy for coming to their aid. Lt Chris Chew RN,  the CO of HMS TRUMPETER, was presented with a plaque recording the rescue of the passengers by HMS VENOMOUS. 

And if you were not able to be there you can read about it and see the photographs of Amke de Wiet, Michelle Henning and others - including myself - on this page: http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/anniversary2.html

A video of the event is being edited and details will be posted on the web page as soon as I receive them.

And if you have photographs complementing those on the web page please send them to me by e-mail.

The reunion was widely covered by the national press and television in the Netherlands and this led to me being contacted by a Dr Jenny Goldschmidt whose family were on the ZEEMANSHOOP.

Her aunt is still alive and you can read their stories on this page: http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/Engelandvaarders.html

This leaves only eight passengers untraced and the Association of Jewish Refugees in London will publish an appeal in the AJR Journal  for information about them:  

Jacob Meier ("a koopman in London"), Singer, the Arnheim family, the Czech P. Zajíček (P. Bunny in English) and Van Wezel.

See: http://www.ajr.org.uk/about

But perhaps you know of other organisations which might help trace their families?

Bill Forster

http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/Zeemanshoop.html

 

 

Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach offers a special one-night only summer film festival of short movies.

These movies will be shown starting at 6 pm on Monday, July 5th.  They are dedicated to architecture, design, preservation and town planning and before the movies start, President Alexander Ives will introduce them and link the films with the causes and work of the Preservation Foundation. 

Twelve films will be presented during 2 hours.  Included are

• films about future influences for architecture
• architecture of Portugal
• Miami’s 1111 parking garage changing people’s perception about what a utilitarian structure can be
• Architect Renzo Piano’s designs for the Whitney Museum’s new home-just now open to the public
• the ruins of New York City
• efforts to save Yangon, capital city of Myanmar, from crumbling and being demolished
• time lapse shots of 2 years of Shanghai construction
• raising awareness of Modernism Architecture in Japan
• saving the 1880’s Holland House in Chesapeake Bay
• the destruction and changes to the Gran Casino Kursaal in San Sebastian, Spain.
  Refreshments will be provided.  Location is 311 Peruvian Avenue in Palm Beach, 2^nd floor Rosenthal Lecture Room.  Showing is FREE but only reserved seating is available.  Call 561-832-0731, ext 111, to reserve.  No admission after program begins.
  Over 30 years, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach has given millions of dollars for the preservation and restoration of historic properties; worked advocating for over 290 landmarked properties; recognized numerous architects, owners and properties with awards; educated hundreds of thousands of children about the architectural, cultural and environmental legacy of Palm Beach; and saved thousands of archival documents in its library, among many other accomplishments.
  Come join us and watch history unfold amidst these buildings.

How to Decorate Your Home With Grandma's Antiques

 

Whether it is an ornate armoire or a set of antique tea cups, you may have quite a few possessions that once belonged to beloved members of your family — items that you want to incorporate into your home. However, as styles and tastes change with time, it might be difficult to find the right places for these items. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Use furniture as a focal point. That china hutch from the 1940s may not match your cozy living room, but you can still use it in your house. The best way to mix furniture styles is to create a focal point featuring the antique piece on display.

• Create a grouping. If you have a number of smaller items that you’ve inherited and want to use, don’t place them randomly around the house. Instead, group them all together in one place to draw people to them as a feature. Decorative plates, photographs and paintings can be hung together on one wall.
• Determine what is useful. There was a time when all this furniture wasn’t just on display. Before they were antiques, they were functional. Did you inherit a roll-top desk from your grandfather? If so, why not use it as a writing desk in your house? Give new life to old pieces by making them useful again.
• Know when to let go. Of course, even with all your best efforts, you can’t use everything that you’ve received over the years. If generations of antiques are languishing in your attic or basement, it may be time to find them new homes. Sell what you can; donate other pieces to people who can use them. If you love them but can’t keep them, give them to other family members who can use them.