In the middle of summer we celebrated 40th wedding anniversary of Oma and Opa Aalbers. Amongst the biggest dahlia flowers ever seen and colourful gladiola, we found the happy couple and the Aalbers clan, in their best suits and dresses. On the left Gerda and Henk the oldest son, who not long after this happy occasion was killed by a granate splinter. He had a greengrocer shop in van Eck street.Their son Henk in a white shirt blotting out Coba and behind her husband carpenter Bertus. Next is Dien and her man Kees Aalbers who helped his father Hendrik on the farm. The tallest is our Dad Jan with Mum in front of him and in front of her standing tall is Joke (Elizabeth). Next is Gerard Aalbers, an accountant at the ink factory and his wife Koos. Gerard didn’t have to walk far to his office, just uphill Oranje Street.
We move on to Tony the Austrian wife of Johny, the shortest of the Aalbers brothers, who was a penpusher at the Heidemaatschappij in Arnhem. The older lady is the mother of Tony.
Last in the row with a tie is yours truly, Bernard (Ben). On the right of Oma is Els, daughter of Gerard and Koos and between the celebrants seated is Juul, daughter of Henk and Gerda, while Jacqueline ends the row looking not too happy. In the front seated on the carpet are from left Bert son Henk and Gerda, my brother Frans (Frank), Boudewijn, son of Gerard and Koos, than my brothers Kees (Keith) and Tony in sailor suit.
Unfortunately one son was missing, Dick and his wife Beb and their son Onno and daughter Hans.
Dick was a teacher in the then Netherlands East Indies and the whole family were incarcerated and seperated in Japanese concentration camps during the war.
For years nothing was heard from them.