Local Dutch resident shares family’s war stories

Van Hage moved to Prince George 47 years ago, and he took after his family’s tradition in the Netherlands by starting his own plant store: Art Knapp Plantland Home and Garden. His family is rooted in a bulb farm in the Netherlands, one the Van Hage’s have operated for generations, even through the challenges of Nazi occupation.

“They (the German army) put a base on our farm, where they were shooting V-2s to London, the V-2s were self-propelled rockets, we still have them today, believe it or not. They shot them off from the farm, there was a whole battalion of Germans that my mom had to feed, and my dad had to produce milk and, of course, food for them,” Van Hage said.

Van Hage tending to plants in his store, Art Knapp Plantland Home and Garden

During the occupation of the family farm, Van Hage says the occupying army wasn’t overly hostile, as the family was even on a first name basis with the soldiers, and in seeing the missile launches up close Van Hage says his family noticed some of the missile launches wouldn’t go as planned.

“During the time when they were there shooting the V-2s off. My dad was telling me, he said: ‘Jos, so many of these V-2s, they went up in the air maybe a couple hundred yards, and they came down, because there was a lot of sabotage from their own people’,” Van Hage said.

Van Hage says big cities suffered the most during the war, often struggling with severe food shortages, which his family saw first hand. This was especially prominent towards the end of the war when the Germans destroyed bridges and roads, and took as much food and supplies as possible on their retreat.

“When people came from the big cities, they walked through one of the worst winters, 44/45 was the worst winter Holland has ever had. What happened was they walked with their bare feet all the way from Amsterdam to get one sugar beet. And my dad said: ‘you know Jos, the thing was the people at 1:00, 2:00 at night, knocked on the door, they were laying underneath praying and saying Mr. Van Hage, can I please have one sugar beet?'” Van Hage said.

Van Hage was one of many at the flag raising ceremony, a ceremony that also saw the Royal Canadian Legion, several local leaders, and many members of the Dutch community. Also among the spectators was elementary school students, so they could learn more about the history between Canada and the Netherlands.

“It’s very important to us in the Legion to have our youth come forward and to recognize and be educated in some of these values that are extremely important to us, so seeing these young people out here today is really heartfelt for us,” said Ken Pendergast, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 President.

Van Hage made his love of Canada widely known, adding that same love goes into Prince George, a community he has built his business and family in.

“I would not move away from Prince George because first of all Prince George has been very good to me, Canada has been very good to me,” Van Hage said.

by Tommy Osborne

Local Dutch resident shares family’s war stories

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