Laundry room behind the church in Bergeijk

“The Dog’s Droppings”

Not everywhere was there brutal warfare. For children, the war was often a great adventure. Every day there was something happening. Next to the church in Bergeijk lived the Biemans family with seven children. Mother Lien took care of the meals and the household every day. In the evening, she did the laundry. Father John senior worked as a gardener for the priests, where he also maintained the heating system. Every evening he made sure the heating in the furnace room of the church was burning. He would take the laundry from Mother with him and hang it to dry in the furnace room. Every morning, before sunrise, Father would collect the dry laundry again.

The eldest son, ten-year-old Johan Biemans, was very observant and found the events of the war extremely fascinating. He noticed that when all the children were in bed, his parents and the neighbors secretly listened to Radio Oranje. One time, when Johan helped with the laundry, he walked with his father through the dark graveyard to the heating room behind the church. They opened the door and set the heavy basket on the ground. When the light came on, Johan saw to his surprise a few large droppings lying on the heap of coal dust. Whose could they be?

This text has been translated using AI.