But nobody knew

Heroes Remember

But nobody knew

Transcript

And I had seen that the Lancaster got shot down you know and that the crew came out, that they shot the whole crew dead on the parachute. They were famous for that, the Germans. Yeah, I don't want to see it anymore, that's one of them things, you know, you don't forget. And I worked for an uncle one time and his fields was here and there was a big channel here and there was a farm on the other side. There was always a guy working, working away there you know. Oh he said," Christ, that guy is, must be mute or deaf." he never said a word. You can talk to him, he'd just keep going. 'Til '45 that the war was over and he came out and he had an air force uniform on. But then I found out he was a pilot! But nobody knew. And I had a nephew, it was on a Sunday the bomber got shot down and he was standing in the doorway and all of a sudden a guy came out of the sky in a parachute, right in front of him. He kept the parachute, rolled it up, stuck it somewhere, put the guy somewhere else and half an hour later the Germans were looking for the guy. They never got him. And then two days later he was back in England again.

Description

Mr. Beukema talks about the death and survival of air crews shot down over Holland

Laurens Beukema

Mr. Beukema was born in Forbruk, Holland, in 1927. He and his family lived through the hardships caused by the German occupation and the subsequent joy of liberation by the Canadian army. After serving overseas for three years in the Dutch Army, Mr. Beukema and his wife moved to Canada. Although he visits Holland often, Mr. Beukema is proud to claim Canada as his home.

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