Marie Verbraken Blomaart
Born in Tilburg in 1933, Marie Verbraken Blomaart was just six years old when the German occupation of the Netherlands began in 1940. Her family was deeply Catholic and very close-knit—she remembers her parents’ courage and resilience vividly. From a young age, Marie was taught to stay quiet about what she saw, especially as her parents became involved in underground resistance work. Their home, though modest, became a haven for those in danger.
Marie recalls the tension of daily life: the constant fear of air raids, of betrayal, of not knowing whether a knock on the door meant danger. Her family helped hide a young Jewish girl for over a year, an act of immense bravery that was never spoken of publicly during the war. Marie, barely old enough to understand, instinctively knew not to say a word to anyone outside their home.
Despite the looming threats, Marie also remembers moments of kindness—secret smiles between neighbors, the shared food in lean times, and the warmth of her mother’s arms when fear became overwhelming. Like many children of that era, Marie matured quickly. School lessons were interrupted by sirens, and playtime often meant foraging for firewood or helping with chores. Her father, a skilled carpenter, used his profession to smuggle resistance messages hidden in wood deliveries.
When the liberation came in the spring of 1945, Marie remembers hearing the rumble of tanks and the cheers of neighbors pouring into the streets. Canadian soldiers, young and smiling, handed out chocolate and chewing gum. For the first time in years, Marie felt safe. She still recalls the taste of her first piece of real chocolate and the joy of seeing her parents laugh without worry.
Now in her nineties, Marie speaks about the war with a quiet strength. She often tells her grandchildren that freedom is not something to be taken for granted. Her story, like so many others, is a reminder of the everyday courage that defined a generation—and the immense gratitude the Dutch people continue to feel toward the Canadians who gave them back their lives.
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Lamswaarde
Photography & Story by Jason van Bruggen
