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R.N.D CHRISTMAS CARDS

FROM 1914 TO 1918.....................

AS THE HEADING INFERS, THIS PAGE  WILL SHOW A  FEW OF THE CHRISTMAS CARDS SENT,

FROM THE INTERNEES IN HOLLAND,

AND THE R.N.D THAT WERE ON THE WESTERN, FRONT THROUGHOUT THE WAR..................

ALSO SHOWN IN THE OTHER POST CARDS  ARE OTHER INTERNEES,

AND ON THE POST CARD BOTTOM RIGHT,

WE CAN SEE 3 INTERNEES,

THE FIRST SAILOR  SEATED ON THE LEFT,

IS  WILLIAM ANDERSON,

HIMSELF.........................

ABOVE IS AN IMAGE OF THE INSIDE OF WILLIAMS CARD,

SHOWING CLEARLY THE OLD ARMY BARRACKS THEY WERE HOUSED IN,

THE 2 IMAGES  ABOVE ARE FROM  A,

CHRISTMAS CARD DATED 1915,

THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT IS AN ENLARGEMENT OF THE LOWER HALF, OF THE INSIDE RIGHT PAGE

SHOWING A CHANGE OF ADDRESS,

FOR A MONTH ?,

THE 2 IMAGES BELOW ARE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ONE ABOVE AND  SHOW A ,

PENCIL WRITTEN NOTE, " WITH FONDEST LOVE & BEST WISHES"

"KNOWING THAT THIS CHRISTMAS WILL BE SPENT IN ENGLAND"

         CECIL...................................

THIS IS QUITE REVEALING IN A WAY !  AS IT WAS A LITTLE KNOWN FACT THAT, DURING THEIR INTERNMENT , THEY WERE ALLOWED HOME LEAVE, IN  A FAMILY CRISIS ETC,

ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY RETURNED WHEN THE LEAVE PASS, WAS COMING TO AN END, IT ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE APPLIED TO CHRISTMAS LEAVE TO?

THESE PASSES WERE ISSUED BY THE DUTCH AUTHORITIES , AND THERE WERE SEVERAL INSTANCES OF  MATELOTS ,  REPORTING TO NAVAL AUTHORITIES,

AND BEING TOLD! "GO BACK TO HOLLAND !" IF WE LET YOU STAY IT WOULD, VIOLATE ,

THE INTERNMENT AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH THE DUTCH!!!,

PEOPLE ASK ME " WAS THERE FEELINGS OF RESENTMENT BY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY,

WHEN THE WAR ENDED , AND  THE MEN RETURNED HOME , AND PEOPLE FOUND OUT, WHERE THESE MEN WHERE DURING THE WAR, THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS YES ! THERE WAS,

BUT ALSO THESE MEN FELT GUILTY I KNOW, ABOUT BEING INTERNED, BUT THEY DID THEIR BIT,  IN HOLLAND, THEY MADE THEM SELVES USEFUL AND WORKED IN DUTCH,

BUSINESSES AND MADE WOODEN ITEMS THAT SOLD OVER THERE AND IN PRESTIGEOUS SHOPS, LIKE SELFRIDGES IN LONDON, SOME OF THE FUNDS RAISED WENT TO SUPPLIMENT,

THEIR RATIONS , AND SOME WENT HOME TO THE U.K TO SAILORS CHARITIES, FOR THOSE WHOSE DEPENDANTS WERE LEFT  IN NEED AS THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME, HAD BEEN KILLED IN ACTION, ALSO  THEY SUFFERED THE SAME PRIVATIONS THE DUTCH DID AS THE WAR PROGRESSED, THEY HAD SUCH AN EFFECT ON THE LOCALS , THAT AFTER THE WAR ENDED AND THE MASSES OF GRAVES SCATTERED ALL OVER WERE BEING PUT IN LARGER SITES , THE PEOPLE OF GRONINGEN " SAID NO!!!!"  LEAVE THEM HERE!" WE OWE A HUGE DEBT TO THESE MEN , "WE WILL LOOK AFTER THESE GRAVES"

AND THEY DID AND STILL DO,

WHEN KIM(MY DUTCH FRIEND) AND I VISTIED GRONGINGEN IN 2014 THE LOCALS WERE SO KIND AND HELPFUL IT DOES THEM CREDIT, WE LAID A NAVY POPPY WREATH THERE ON THE GRAVES , TO SHOW PEOPLE, I/WE WOULDNT FORGET THEM EITHER.

I SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT COMMODORE W. HENDERSON , MADE A VERY COURAGEOUS DECISION , AFTER THE RETREAT FROM ANTWERP, THAT AFTER WEIGHING UP  EVERYTHING, HE WOULD MARCH THEM INTO HOLLAND AND INTERNMENT, AND HOPEFULLY SAFETY, THEREBY  SAVING 1500 SOULS MOST OF WHOM SURVIVED THE WAR,

AND CAME HOME SAFE! SOME DIED OF DISEASES PREVALENT AT THE TIME, SOME STAYED THERE AND MARRIED DUTCH GIRLS, THE REST CAME HOME,

TO THOSE THAT SAY ! THEY WERE COWARDS WHO TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT,

I SAY "NO!" THEY HAD NO CHOICE !!! , AND WITH THE MILLIONS THAT DIED IN THAT,

BASTARD OF A WAR!!! THESE MENS FAMILYS WERE SPARED THAT DREADFUL,

TELEGRAM THAT TOLD OF A LOVED ONES DEATH IN ACTION,

AND TO THOSE MEN WHERE EVER THEY ARE I SAY" YOU DID YOUR BIT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF WHATSOEVER!"

I DO THIS WEBSITE TO TELL THE STORY OF THE ROYAL NAVAL DIVISIONS IN WW1,

THAT INCLUDES YOU, INTERNED IN HOLLAND AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE RND,

YOU ARE A PART OF THAT HISTORY, AND AS LONG AS THIS WEBSITE IS , ONLINE ,

YOUR STORY WILL BE TOLD,

SLEEP WELL MY FRIENDS YOU DESERVE IT ..................................