Lot 179

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Description:

DIARY OF AN IMPRISONED FEMALE DUTCH COLLABORATOR WITH HER PRISONER NUMBER
Intriguing manuscript diary kept by a young Dutch woman "Sammy" or "Samantha", being held as a collaborator by the Dutch in the post-war Netherlands. The diary, about 150pp. 8vo. and covering the period from April 9 to June 27, 1946, is written in Dutch and is housed in a homemade cloth-covered binder with button closure. An old staple holds a piece of coarse brown cloth to the front cover, the cloth bearing what we believe to be the prisoner's number "618". The diary opens with a dedication by the unknown writer: "To my best friend E. Ekker" whom we learn through further reading is a fellow prisoner named "Etty". The author further places herself at "Beugelen" which was a detention camp from 1946 to 1951. Two other camp locations are mentioning in the writings, as well as the fact that the diary had been smuggled in a false bottom of a suitcase between the different locations. The initial pages of the journal also mention a woman that they have nicknamed "Tiger" for the fur sleeves of her coat which bear a tiger print. It is soon clear that "Tiger" is also a camp guard. At some point the author is transported from Beugelen to the "Kamp Erica" near Ommen before her final transport to Almelo, a formal prison, where she arrived on July 1, 1946. She is kept apart from the general population, indicating that she is being held on more severe criminal charges, likely treason. There is mention of waiting to appear before the tribunal which will apparently determine her innocence or guilt. She writes that the women in the other barracks are celebrating the fact that the girl named "Elly" was only sentenced to one and one-half years imprisonment. She then mentions a woman named "Loes" imprisoned for consorting with a German soldier, and that the woman has been taught English by another inmate. In the second part of the diary the author wonders when she will be called to appear before the tribunal. By the end of the diary she believes she is to be moved to a bigger prison. This diary was offered at auction in the 1970s by a very small French museum de-accessing material to raise funds for operations. A paper label accompanies the diary: "MEMOIR D'UN COLLABORATEUR - PRISONIER EN 1945 - MEMBRE DU PARTI NAT. SOC. DEM. ARB. PARTI." ("Memoir of a Collaborator-Prisoner - Member of the N.S.D.A.P."). Only partially translated, as described above - a more thorough translation would undoubtedly prove worthwhile. Very good. Holland took harsh measures with suspected collaborators. Five years after liberation, 66.000 had been sentenced, 15-20.000 people temporarily lost their Dutch citizenship, and thousands more were shipped off to Dutch possessions to undertake hard labor.

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December 8, 2015 10:30 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

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