The Beginning of Married Life
"Even honeymoons, like the real moons, set down and it was back to the Z.L. camps. Aly to Grand Hôtel des Narcisses and me to the drain pipes of Cossonay. Albeit temporarily, because now as a married man I could join my spouse at Chamby.
The challenge of every refugee was to somehow get out of the dreaded labour camps and there were a number of possibilities how that could be achieved. One could get a doctor's certificate saying camp life was killing the applicant and only outside living could save his life, request study leave, get married like we and a couple of other people did, escape the camp and try to reach the UK via occupied France, Spain and Portugal or get sponsored.
The fellows who tried to reach the UK made it over the Pyrenees all right, but many finished up in a Spanish concentration camp called Miranda, which was not better than its German counterpart.
It did not take us long to produce son No. 1. On March 9, 1944 our first son Raymond Willem Joseph was born. By that time both the Z.L. and the Netherlands Consulate had worked their way through the mountain of (un)necessary paperwork and I was transferred from Cossonay to Chamby to start my role as husband, father and Shabbat goy albeit not for long."
The challenge of every refugee was to somehow get out of the dreaded labour camps and there were a number of possibilities how that could be achieved. One could get a doctor's certificate saying camp life was killing the applicant and only outside living could save his life, request study leave, get married like we and a couple of other people did, escape the camp and try to reach the UK via occupied France, Spain and Portugal or get sponsored.
The fellows who tried to reach the UK made it over the Pyrenees all right, but many finished up in a Spanish concentration camp called Miranda, which was not better than its German counterpart.
It did not take us long to produce son No. 1. On March 9, 1944 our first son Raymond Willem Joseph was born. By that time both the Z.L. and the Netherlands Consulate had worked their way through the mountain of (un)necessary paperwork and I was transferred from Cossonay to Chamby to start my role as husband, father and Shabbat goy albeit not for long."
Ray van den Nieuwenhof was certainly not the only child born in exile. Already on 30 November 1943 Louise was born, daughter of Jack and Li van Gorkom. In early 1944 Huib and Beppie Dupon got their daughter Patty and at about the same time Jenny was born, daughter of Sal and To Schnitzer, who belonged to the same circle of friends as well.
Some time after son Ray was born, Alice produced a baby album in which she describes to Ray the events of those days as well. A few edited fragments illustrate war-time family life.
"Then Ray, the day came that we were to go home which was the same day as your baptism. This could not happen earlier because you were not allowed to leave the hospital before you were ten days old.
When you were 40 hours old Herr Vikar Reidy took some photos of you, they are colour photos but can not be processed until after the war.
On the 18th March at half past two in the afternoon the taxi came to take us to the church. I had gone to communion in the morning so the Vikar had come to Collonge. Ton Smulders would be the godfather, he was doing his final exams at the Lyceum in Glion. Philomena Caduff, a Swiss girl who was with the family Delhaas, would be the godmother. At three o'clock we were at the church where Mr. and Mrs. Delhaas were waiting. Then, dear Ray, you were baptised where your mama also had been baptised." "Around 4 o'clock we arrived at Chamby. On the way we had bought a splendid little bath for you, Ray, and papa had bought some tasty cakes to celebrate our homecoming. When we arrived at our room Jack and Li van Gorkom were there to welcome us. Our room was wonderful, so light and full of sun. The loveliest of all was your little cot which we had made ourselves. We had been given the basket, but papa had made legs for it and painted them dark brown and I had lined it with material of blue flowers..."
When you were 40 hours old Herr Vikar Reidy took some photos of you, they are colour photos but can not be processed until after the war.
On the 18th March at half past two in the afternoon the taxi came to take us to the church. I had gone to communion in the morning so the Vikar had come to Collonge. Ton Smulders would be the godfather, he was doing his final exams at the Lyceum in Glion. Philomena Caduff, a Swiss girl who was with the family Delhaas, would be the godmother. At three o'clock we were at the church where Mr. and Mrs. Delhaas were waiting. Then, dear Ray, you were baptised where your mama also had been baptised." "Around 4 o'clock we arrived at Chamby. On the way we had bought a splendid little bath for you, Ray, and papa had bought some tasty cakes to celebrate our homecoming. When we arrived at our room Jack and Li van Gorkom were there to welcome us. Our room was wonderful, so light and full of sun. The loveliest of all was your little cot which we had made ourselves. We had been given the basket, but papa had made legs for it and painted them dark brown and I had lined it with material of blue flowers..."
Collonge was the name of the private hospital in Territet, a little south east of Montreux. As mentioned before, mr. Delhaas was the director of the Prinses Beatrix Lyceum in Glion. Alice was baptised in Montreux as well, as she had recently been converted from the Protestant to the Roman-Catholic church. Very unfortunately, those rare colour photos were lost.
Private hospital Clinique de Collogne in Territet near Montreux
