Comment: The events described in Hinne’s memoirs are not always it the right order. It seems he just wrote down what came into his head. He didn’t worry a great deal about the actual sequence of events. So it is with these stories, which will form the bulk of this chapter. When did all this happen? Before WWI or during? Ah, what does it matter. Anyhow, Hinne’s writings focus extensively on that period in his life when he and his young friends just felt the need to be, well, just boys. They could be naughty, mischievous, but never, I think, malicious. - sdj

It’s not hard to imagine a group of young fellows roaming through the narrow streets of West- Terschelling just looking for something to do. And, like today’s young people, they had a habit of gathering at a place where one could find something to eat and drink. For them it was the cafeteria in the Torenstraat of West- Terschelling. Hein Bloem worked there as “chef de cuisine.”
Trouble was, this Hein Bloem was pro-German and these where the days before or during WW I.

Some people on the island were pro-German, others were pro-English. One fellow who was pro-English was a certain Frans Pie who ran a store in the Commandeurstraat. He sold things Hinne and the guys loved to eat, like nuts and corned beef. For a few cents one could buy a whole lot in those days.

Hein Bloem and Frans Pie would occasionally meet each other at the little building called “Het Wakende Oog” (see chapter 4) by the harbor. As always, the elderly citizens sitting on the bench were chewing their tobacco wads and spitting juice in all directions. People were always sauntering around the harbor because that’s where the ferries and boats were loaded and unloaded. And on this day, Hein and Frans attracted quite a crowd when they started to lash out at each other, furiously debating the issues of war.

And there came Hinne and a bunch of boys, marching out of a street, and singing as loud as possible: “Deutschland, Deutschland, uber alles” (Germany, Germany, over all), a very controversial song then and, later, during WW II. And off they went to Frans Pie’s store to spend some money on delicacies.

“Totebellen”

At other times the boys just felt like being a nuisance. They had fun with what was called “totebellen,” something like ticking on someone’s window. It required a spool and thread, a thumbtack and a nail. During evening hours one of the boys would creep up to a window, stick a tack in the woodwork, wind some thread around the tack, and tie a nail to the thread a foot below the tack. Then they would sneak away and sit behind a hedge, a fence or brick wall.

Pulling on the thread would cause the nail to hit the glass. Soon the people reacted to the ticking, peeping through the curtains. But our heroes outside would then stop, only to start again after a while. Some people simply ignored it all and did not react. But then there was Ape Does, who lived right behind the de Jong farm. Ape always stormed outside with a loud roar and, frothing at the mouth, gave chase. But the boys had much younger legs.

And then there was Cornelis (Kees) Buijl. If Kees didn’t show, the boys would throw a piece of glass against the bricks, making it appear a window just broke. And there he was, snorting and cursing. But he, too, never caught the boys, except that one time....

Village Constable de Haan

Yes, one day they walked into a trap! They were bothering Kees Buijl again and, during the act of “totebellen,” Kees sent his daughter out the back door to notify the man of the law, Constable de Haan.

Usually, the boys ran towards the harbor and, with Kees giving chase, it was there that de Haan was waiting for them. The boys scattered in all directions. De Haan could only grab Klaas Wortel, but Klaas managed to escape by quickly turning himself around, losing all the buttons on his jacket in the process.

Soon the boys were nowhere to be seen. They gathered at the bakery in the Boomstraat and, looking totally innocent, they joined another group of boys there. Momentarily, Constable de Haan showed up. Addressing the group, he said, “Jongens, maybe you can help me, eh! Do you know who were ‘totebelling’ at the home of Kees Buijl a little while ago. I would like to talk to them.” It appeared the boys didn’t want to discuss the ninth commandment at that moment, and, with uncomprehending faces, they told de Haan they had no idea what he was talking about.

Later, the same Kees Buijl was chasing the guys once more. They escaped through a back lane behind the home of Tjebbe Stobbe. Lo and behold, Hennie Stobbe fell into a full tub of water and Kees grabbed him. He was going to give Hennie a whacking on his bare bottom. But Hennie, stricken with fear, decided to do a “Number Two” at that moment. Kees just kept hitting him and soon he was splattered with human poop!! The boys observed all this and nearly died laughing.

(P.S.. Hinne wrote that Kees Buijl suffered a tragic and fatal accident. He fell one day into the spike-like teeth of a harrow that was lying on top of the wagon, after his horse bolted. This happened close to Tjebbe’s farm in “‘t Land,” just outside the village of West Terschelling. Kees died later from the injuries sustained. -sdj)

Of monkeys and fleas

Hinne and his pals found themselves in the Westerbuurtstraat one day. They were slinking through the narrow back alleys that gave access to the gardens behind the homes. A certain man and woman lived there (Hinne wisely omitted their names) who sometimes behaved like monkeys.

You see, two monkeys will groom each other searching for something in each other’s hairy coats. Well, these people were in the process of cleaning each other of those pesky, jumpy fleas, a bane in the olden days.

On orders of the woman, the man pulled off his “borstrok” ( heavy, woollen undergarment) and she then started attacking the little devils. The fleas she found were killed between thumb and index finger. They never noticed the boys who didn’t want to miss a thing, of course.

And then there were the narrow alleys behind the houses on the “Zwarte Weg,” wrote Hinne. There was always lots to see...

Drunken sailors

A tugboat from the city of Den Helder arrived one day at the Terschellinger harbor. Some of its sailors went into town and promptly got drunk.

Three of these inebriated types met Hinne and his friends in the Torenstraat and tried to stop them from going any further. Hinne picked up his “klomp” and threw it hard at their attackers. It hit the guy in the middle on the head. He screamed like a stuck pig and gave chase. Hinne’s buddies scattered and he himself disappeared into a back alley off the Trompstraat. After a while, they found each other again. They climbed a wooden fence and hid at the home of Hinne’s sister-in-law, Trijn, and her husband.

Later, they told Herman, Hinne’s brother, what happened and Herman, as was his nature, immediately wanted to do battle with the sailors. But they had disappeared. Hinne’s “klomp” was found in the store of Hein Droog. The top was broken right off. A bit of steel wire and a few nails, and Hinne could again walk on his wooden shoes. He often wondered if his “klomp” broke on the head of that angry sailor....

“Sursum Corda”

That was the name of the choir Hinne and his siblings Jacob, Griet and Tjebbe joined. It still existed in 1972, when Hinne wrote this, and it probably still exists today. They rehearsed in a community hall, called “Ons Huis” (Our Home) , well known to West-Terschellingers.

A certain Jan de Jong (no relation) also joined. Hinne recalled Jan’s beautiful tenor voice when he led the choir and sang, “To give glory to Jesus, my Savior, that is my calling as a pilgrim on this earth.” And then the choir sang the refrain.

During the summer they would go “opperied” (see chapter 8) and then Hinne would proudly serve as coachman of one of the covered wagons. The de Jongs were a singing family. They would all gather in the “mooie kamer” (Sunday family room) and sing song after song. Hinne wrote: “It sounded so nice that people outside stopped and listened.”

Going to Amsterdam

“One day,” Hinne wrote, “ I made a trip ‘abroad,’ all the way to Amsterdam! In my youth, everything away from Terschelling was considered ‘foreign country.’ After all, we never left the island.” He could have added: “Why should anyone want to?”

During the time his sister, Trijntje, and her husband, Carel Funke, lived in Amsterdam. Hinne made a trip there with the brothers Jan and Kees Roos, the skippers of the cargo-boat. So, one day, they sailed out of the Terschellinger harbor, leaving at 7 a.m. The wind was favorable, but it was blowing pretty hard and white breakers were seen all around them.

At that time, there was no “Afsluitdijk” (see chapter 7), so they didn’t have to go - as you do now -- through the locks of Kornwerderzand. Using full sails all the way, they arrived at 10 p.m. at the “Oranjesluizen” (Locks of Orange) in Amsterdam.

And now Hinne saw this beautiful city for the first time. And this was Amsterdam at night!! Already then there must have been lights everywhere. With open mouth Hinne observed trains going over bridges and overpasses, and streetcars going on the streets below. And so many cars! That night he stayed on board. But the next morning his brother-in-law Carel came to pick him up. Before leaving ship, Hinne looked kind of bewildered and shook hands with the brothers Roos, as though he might not return. Oh, how they laughed about that! They figured that Hinne would soon be back on the boat. And they were right: Hinne felt like a fish out of water in that weird city!

Yet, the boys of Carel and Trijntje took their uncle Hinne along into the city. They even went to “Artis,” the famous Amsterdam Zoo on the Middenweg, but they got lost on the way back and had to ask a policeman for directions to the harbor.

Back to Terschelling

Hinne was happy to be back on the ship and they left soon after the brothers Roos had finished their business. This time they ran into a strong headwind causing them to tack to and fro for many hours. Once on the Zuiderzee they were able to tack forward for longer stretches but then a gale started to blow. Passing the Frisian coast they decided to seek shelter in the harbor of Harlingen.

That night, sitting in the cozy deckhouse, Jan Roos asked Hinne, “Hest stou oek nog geld in dien portemonee?” (Any money left in your wallet?). Well, Hinne still had a “rijksdaalder” (2 ½ guilders) and he was told to go into town and buy some “worst” (sausage). After all, it wouldn’t do to come back to Terschelling with money in your pocket, they said. So, Hinne bought a bunch of “worst” which he shared with the Roos brothers. That was also the idea, of course!

The 'Brandaris Tower' at West Terschelling

The weather cleared the next morning and away they went. They were back in the Terschellinger harbor at 11 a.m.. On arrival, Hinne ran home along the Willem Barentszkade to be with his Mom and Dad. Klaas Rab, one of his cousins, said later that Hinne was so happy to be home that the first thing he did was to go into the stables to hug everyone of the cows and horses!

At this point Hinne wrote: “How was it possible for Hinne of Kees of Doeke to eventually say good-bye to all this?” And he answered: “ That’s because I had to go into the army and because there was not enough work on the farm for me and Tjebbe. Lots of work on the island, yes, but to start for yourself at a later time, that was impossible.”

“Guusjen”

This is another one of those mysterious words native to the island which are kind of untranslatable All true Terschellingers instantly know what it means and so it was in the olden days. “Guusjen” is a term used to call to one another whenever a ship has stranded somewhere on the sandy coasts of the North Sea islands. The history of Terschelling is rife with stories of stranded ships, rescue efforts, cargo drifting ashore and salvage operations by the mighty tugboats.

So, one day, when Hinne and his buddies heard the cry, “Guusjen!” they went off to the harbor and found that the tugboat “Texel” was preparing to lend assistance. They asked the captain if they could come along. The captain said he could use a few extra hands. Yes, it was okay, come along. Now these boys had never been on the high seas with a tugboat. They were apprehensive, but it being such a beautiful summer day and all and with the water in the harbor like glass, the boys thought, “What can happen to us?”

They were allowed to join the captain on the bridge. Once away from the harbor they soon arrived at a spot called “Stortemelk,” that often dangerous body of water between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling, which is also the entrance to the North Sea. And that’s where they were going. The boys had never seen anything like it. Huge waves smashed into and over the tugboat, even reaching as high as the bridge. Everyone was tossed around like beach balls. A member of the crew brought the captain a cup of coffee, but the boys declined. Already some began to get seasick and wished they had stayed home.

Later, on the North Sea, they approached the “Vliehors,” the sandy south side of Vlieland, and saw a timber-laden ship kind of lying on its side. Hinne thought, that ship will never again get away from there. Another tugboat was already on the scene, so their assistance was not needed. Yet, the “Texel” captain wanted to help. He ordered his men, including some of the boys, into the sloop and row towards the stricken vessel. Hinne did not come along; he figured his presence might endanger someone. Anyhow, the rowers soon returned. In fact, none of the tugboats ended up giving assistance. Maybe the owner of the stranded ship figured this will cost me a heap of money. Lo and behold, the ship eventually floated free and righted itself during the next high tide. After another eventful trip, the “Texel” returned to its berth on Terschelling.

Hinne observed: “This was the first and last time I went along with ‘guusjen.’ Brother Herman went along a number of times and made good money doing it.”

Biking through Friesland

Hinne, Jilles Roos, Albert Kaale and Tjaard Wortel one day made a plan to bike through Friesland, a new experience for them! They took the “Minister Kraus,” - the old ferry then in service - to Harlingen. Then they biked via Franeker, Leeuwarden and Hardegarijp to Drachten.

Once in Drachten they figured they had seen enough. Isn’t Friesland all the same?, they said. Meadows and cows and more meadows and cows. They biked to Leeuwarden and booked a room at “Hotel Schaaf.”

Hinne wrote: “I slept on a bed with a spring-mattress. When I jumped on it I promptly fell off on the other side. Never experienced anything like that before!”

The next day they rapidly biked to Harlingen in order to be in time for the boat to Terschelling. When they arrived there, it was as though they had completed a trip around the world. The people who were waiting for the boat said: “Well, what do you know, where have those boys been?”