In Memory
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:44 pm
My father-in-law passed away the other day. He was a 95 year old dutchman, who emigrated to Australia in the early 50's. He was active in the dutch underground during WWII. On more than one occasion he was involved in the repatriation of downed flyers from Holland back to England. This is a tribute to Felix. It might be a bit raw, but so are the emotions right now.....
Flying with the Dutchman
A shuddering of gunfire, or perhaps a burst of flak
And in that dreadful moment there would be no turning back
You know your plane is going down; to stay would be to die
And so you leap into the void on wings not meant to fly
After an eternity you finally hit the ground
You’re in behind the front line, there’s danger all around
In your desperation you long for a distant shore
But here you are in Holland, surrounded by the war
Instinct says to run and hide, behind bush or maybe tree
An old abandoned farmhouse seems to offer sanctuary
You’re deep within a cellar, your back against the wall
Your heart beats in mortal terror as close by footsteps fall
“Underground” a voice says, at once both deep and quiet
“We have to get away from here; keep your movements light
We’ll get you back to England so you can fly once more
Fly right back and help us finally end this crazy war”
Across fields and over hedges he leads you to the coast
He asks for no acknowledgements, he’s not a man to boast
He thanks you for the things you’ve done to make the germans flee
And make his homeland safe once more for his growing family
And now you’re off to safety, cross the channel at a chase
Maybe you’ll get home again; at least back to your base
And when you’re with your family, or you fly your next attack
Don’t forget to tell them that Felix helped to get you back
Vale Felix Hippolyte Wijsman
Flying with the Dutchman
A shuddering of gunfire, or perhaps a burst of flak
And in that dreadful moment there would be no turning back
You know your plane is going down; to stay would be to die
And so you leap into the void on wings not meant to fly
After an eternity you finally hit the ground
You’re in behind the front line, there’s danger all around
In your desperation you long for a distant shore
But here you are in Holland, surrounded by the war
Instinct says to run and hide, behind bush or maybe tree
An old abandoned farmhouse seems to offer sanctuary
You’re deep within a cellar, your back against the wall
Your heart beats in mortal terror as close by footsteps fall
“Underground” a voice says, at once both deep and quiet
“We have to get away from here; keep your movements light
We’ll get you back to England so you can fly once more
Fly right back and help us finally end this crazy war”
Across fields and over hedges he leads you to the coast
He asks for no acknowledgements, he’s not a man to boast
He thanks you for the things you’ve done to make the germans flee
And make his homeland safe once more for his growing family
And now you’re off to safety, cross the channel at a chase
Maybe you’ll get home again; at least back to your base
And when you’re with your family, or you fly your next attack
Don’t forget to tell them that Felix helped to get you back
Vale Felix Hippolyte Wijsman