I grew up in the Netherlands during the 1960s when Queen Juliana was the reigning monarch of The Kingdom of the Netherlands. (Commonly referred to in English as “The Netherlands,” or “Holland.”) She was the daughter of the former queen, Wilhelmina, who abdicated in 1948 for health reasons. I can vaguely remember my parents and others talking about the former queen and some of her perceived eccentricities. Other than that slight exposure to her, I have only followed the Dutch royal family since Queen Juliana and her daughter, Beatrix.
The Dutch royal family on the palace balcony immediately after Queen Wilhelmina’s abdication. Queen Julianna (left) and her husband, Prince Bernard (right) flank the former queen. Photo by Willem van de Poll (4 September 1948). Nationaal Archief NL. PD-CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.
Fast forward to 2020 when I got my hands on Robert Matzen’s book, Dutch Girl (see below in the recommended reading section). I really enjoyed his book on Jimmy Stewart (Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe) so I thought I’d take a chance on reading about one of my favorite actors, Audrey Hepburn. One of the things I learned was the role Queen Wilhelmina played during World War II and how much Hitler hated her and the royal family. He despised them so much that orders were given to round up anyone who were friends, cronies, or political friends of Wilhelmina and her family and hold them as hostages for possible execution in retaliation for attacks on German soldiers. This is where Audrey Hepburn comes into our story. Oh, I also learned the one secret Audrey tried to hide for her entire life. Read More Audrey Hepburn & Queen Wilhelmina
I ran across an article several months ago that immediately captured my attention. It was a photograph that sent chills down my spine. I said to myself, “Now that’s a very powerful image.”
I thought about the story behind the photograph and decided to write a blog about powerful and iconic images from World War II. Unfortunately, we can only include twenty-five photographs in this blog. However, there are hundreds if not thousands of other photographs that would fit into the theme of this blog. If interested, you can check out various web sites listed below to view some of the other photographs we did not include.
Please be warned that some of the images included in this blog are very disturbing.
We begin our photographic journey with the Hanukkah menorah in the window. It is the image that inspired me to write this blog.
Did You Know?
Did you know that nearly all forty of the original Washington D.C. boundary stones are hidden in plain sight? The capital city of the United States was originally a ten-mile by ten-mile diamond shape. These stones marked the boundaries of the city, and they are the oldest federally placed monuments in the United States.
Chart showing the original boundary milestones of the District of Columbia. Map by Fred Woodward (c. 1906). PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Andrew Ellicott was hired to chart out the new city, but the surveyor needed an assistant to read the stars to ensure the markers were placed accurately. Benjamin Banneker, an African American, was recommended to Ellicott. He questioned the competence of a Black man who had no formal schooling or scientific training. Faced with no alternatives, Ellicott hired the amateur astronomer to work alongside him. For six nights, Banneker lay on his back to record the stars and with those calculations, the first marker stone was placed at Jones Point. (You can see the stone through a window in the seawall of the 19th-century Jones Point Lighthouse.)
Benjamin Banneker, astronomer and city planner. Illustration by Charles Henry Alston (c. 1943). U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
The stones are one foot square and three feet high. They were placed one mile apart and each is numbered according to its quadrant and location. Each side bears the inscription of either “Virginia” or “Maryland” depending on its border state. Other information inscribed on the sandstone markers were the words “Jurisdiction of the United States,” a mile number, the date the stone was erected (either 1791 or 1792), and a magnetic compass variance for the stone’s location. Thirty-six stones remain in their original place (some in severe deterioration as sandstone is not the best material for posterity) while three are replicas and one is represented by a simple plaque.
Boundary stone Northeast No. 2. Photo by anonymous (c. 1907). PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state at the time, and he went on record as saying he did not believe Black and enslaved people were of the same standards as White people in terms of brains and physical abilities. Clearly, Jefferson had never met Mr. Banneker.
Boundary stone NE 2 between the District of Columbia and Takoma Park, Maryland. Photo by Bruce Anderson (August 2010). PD-CCA-Share Alike 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia Commons.
The Hanukkah Menorah
Hanukkah menorah on the windowsill of the Posner’s home in Kiel, Germany.
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert
“Stew blends the dark history of buildings in Paris that are associated with the infamous deeds of the Gestapo with contrasting insights into the bravery of the French people, who, at great risk to themselves and their families, secretly resisted the German Occupation.”
Stanley Booker, MBE, RAF (Ret.), Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur
