Overview
- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Theophile D., a Catholic, who was born in Zoutleeuw, Belgium in 1918, one of two brothers. He recounts his father's death in 1933; enlisting in the military in 1938; mobilization in 1939; German invasion; capture as a prisoner of war; transfer from Ghent to Wissel, Herzberg, then Stalag 1A; forced labor in a factory, then on a farm; release in January 1941; returning to his family; joining a Royalist group, then the Resistance; burning crops planted for German use; organizing train sabotage; hiding Allied pilots and Jews who had escaped from transports; his mother distributing clandestine newspapers; arrest with a Jew he was hiding; incarceration in Breendonk; torture; slave labor building fortifications; constant fear and anxiety; release after two months; re-arrest en route to Brussels; imprisonment in Antwerp as a Jew; release several months later; returning home; continuing to work in the Resistance; liberation; and enlisting in the Belgian army. Mr. D. discusses the importance of praying and faith to his survival; his belief that collaborators were not sufficiently punished; nightmares resulting from his experiences; sharing his experiences with his children and grandchildren; and visiting Breendonk with them.
- Published
- Brussels, Belgium : Fondation Auschwitz, 1999
- Interview Date
- May 20, 1999.
- Locale
- Germany
Belgium
Zoutleeuw (Belgium)
Ghent (Belgium) - Cite As
- Theophile D. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-4227). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in French.
Physical Details
- Language
- French
- Copies
- 2 copies: Betacam SP dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
- Physical Description
- 1 videorecording (4 hr., 14 min.) : col
Keywords & Subjects
- Subjects (Local Yale)
- Resistance.
Aid by non-Jews.
Postwar experiences.
Survivor-child relations.
Postwar effects. - Subjects
- Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Belgian. Concentration camp inmates. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Belgian. Prisoners of war--Germany. World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, German. World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons,Belgian. World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Belgium. Forced labor. Concentration camps--Psychological aspects. Concentration camp inmates--Religious life. Nightmares. Belgium. Zoutleeuw (Belgium) Ghent (Belgium) Oral histories (document genres) D., Theophile,--1918- Breendonk (Concentration camp) Stalag 1 A.
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
- Special Collection
-
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
- Link to Yale University Library Catalog:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/6115191
- Record last modified:
- 2018-05-29 11:42:00
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt6115191
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