Historical Facts & Fiction
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The Miracle of Empel: An Unconventional Christmas Tale
For the exceptional tale of The Miracle of Empel (Milagro de Empel in Spanish) we’re – for once - not talking about the Second World War but about the Eighty Years’ War which raged between Spain and Holland in the 16th century.
The Miracle of Empel happened in my backyard here in the Netherlands, so let me share this amazing field trip experience.
Introduction
For the exceptional tale of The Miracle of Empel (Milagro de Empel in Spanish) we’re – for once - not talking about the Second World War but about the Eighty Years’ War which raged between Spain and Holland in the 16th century.
The Miracle of Empel happened in my backyard here in the Netherlands, so let me share this amazing Spanish victory over the Dutch on 8 December 1585. The miracle is still celebrated every year by Spaniards flocking to the shores of the river Meuse. This year, on 8 December 2023, I experienced the first part of this remarkable ceremony down by the river.
Visiting the Event on 8 December
Background
How did the Immaculate Conception become the Patroness saint of Spain and of the Spanish Armed Forces?
In December 1585, the Spanish soldiers of the Tercio Viejo de Zamora found themselves surrounded in Empel, a town on the river Meuse in the Netherlands, after the Dutch rebels opened the dikes and water flooded the entire area.
When all seemed lost, a Spanish soldier found a panel with the image of the Immaculate Conception, surely hidden by local Catholics to keep it safe from the image destruction campaign unleashed by the Calvinists.
Spanish soldiers, seeking the Immaculate Conception's protection, witnessed a miraculous event: a sudden icy wind descended upon the river Meuse, freezing the water. This enabled the Tercio Viejo of Zamora to break the siege and triumph over the terrified rebels, a moment now known as the Miracle of Empel.
From that day forward, the Immaculate Conception became the guardian of the Spanish Tercios. In 1892, she was officially declared the Patroness of the Spanish Infantry, a title she had held unofficially for centuries. Additionally, the Immaculate Conception holds various other patronages within the Spanish Army.
Obsessi apud Bommeliam Hispani Anno 1585 - The Spaniards were driven out of the Bommelerwaard by breaking the dikes 1585
Since 2004, the Spanish Army has made it a custom to pay tribute to its patron saint in that Dutch town where the miracle occurred. The soldiers taking part are stationed at the Allied Joint Force Headquarters in Brunssum in the Netherlands.
Hundreds of Spanish citizens from all over Europe flock to the, now tiny, village of Empel on this Holy Day of The Immaculate Conception to celebrate their patron and their historic victory.
The Empel Maria
The Empel Chapel
On 8 December 2000 a small chapel was erased in Empel on the place where all earlier Empel Catholic churches stood. The last church was bombed in WW2. From the ceremony on the river, the Spaniards paid tribute to the chapel and then went to a communal Mass in New Empel.
On YouTube you can watch more on this ceremony (in Spanish). Below is a short explanation of the videos.
From The Crystal Butterfly to The London Spymaker
Field trip to Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek and last week to read - as sneak peek - the first chapters of The London Spymaker!
Two months ago, I shared a video (link below) on YouTube, recounting the remarkable liberation of Amsterdam in May 1945. Little did I expect it would capture the hearts and minds of 54,000 viewers, many of whom were touched by the heroics of their Canadian relatives, who played a pivotal role in Holland's liberation. All these reactions from viewers ignited a spark in me, and made me think with even more fondness why I wrote my book on the Dutch Resistance, "The Crystal Butterfly." In the 7th book in The Resistance Girl Series, our heroine, Edda Van der Valk (then Edda Valkena), joins in the jubilation of Amsterdam's liberation.
The popularity of the old Dutch news reel also evoked a profound sense of gratitude in me towards the brave Canadians, Brits, Americans, Australians, and others who landed on Normandy's beaches on that historic day of June 6, 1944 to begin their relentless march northward. It spanned eleven grueling months and was marked by countless sacrifices before the European Continent was liberated from Hitler's Third Reich. How the SOE secret agents played a vital role in assisting the Allied forces with their sabotage actions will be at the core of my new series “Timeless Spies”, coming in 2024.
At an hour’s drive from where I live lies the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek, Netherlands. Two weeks’ ago, on a sunny Sunday, I went on a field trip to honor these young heroes who gave their lives for our cherished freedom. Over 7,600 Canadian soldiers died for the liberation of Holland, and 2,331 of them found their eternal rest at Groesbeek. It stands as an immense Canadian Commonwealth Cemetery, with a minority of other nationalities interred alongside.
The original Canadian cemetery 1946
The Canadian cemetery 1947
My fascination with the Secret Operations Executive (SOE), as discussed in last week's blog, led me to discover that two of the five Canadian secret agents who were murdered in concentration camps while serving in the French section of SOE are commemorated on one pillar at this graveyard. That was my second motivation to pay a visit and pay tribute.
I also reached out to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and became a Foundation member, granting me the opportunity to contribute to their vital work. It puzzled me that the records showed that three agents were commemorated at Groesbeek - Pickersgill, Sabourin Biéler (correct spelling) -, whereas I could only find two names. (See photo left). The War Graves Commission told me that WW2 casualties with no known graves, like these five agents, may only be commemorated in one location. Where Biéler is commemorated elsewhere I’m still in the process of finding out. Considering that all 104 fallen agents of the French Section are commemorated on the Valencay Memorial in France (see last week’s post), the French memorial is not classified as a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. A valuable lesson learnt.
Mind you, these men are heroes of the highest class. They fought alone!
The author at Groesbeek, left of me you can see the two agents’ names
The 5 Canadian SOE agents who died in concentration camps
I invite you to watch my visit to Groesbeek through the video linked below, and I'm excited to share that you have one more week to download and read for free the first chapters of "The London Spymaker," set to be released next March.
The link between The London Spymaker and SOE
Read the rough draft of the first chapters of The London Spymaker! It will give you a taste of the history and research behind Anna’s story and SOE. The book is on preorder and will be available on 7 March 2024.
As I’m writing the last book in The Resistance Girl Series (for now), I’m already transitioning to what I’m going to specialize in for probably the rest of my writing career. The secret agents of SOE, an abbreviation for the Secret Operations Executive. A name and organization as shrouded in mystery as its non-descript name.
Hannah at SOE plaque in Beaulieu
In book 7 in The Resistance Girl Series, titled The London Spymaker, I’m already deeply invested in SOE, the British organization Winston Churchill launched in July 1940 “to set Europe Ablaze” with irregular warfare and sabotage actions. Flight officer Anna Adams in The London Spymaker, though fictive, is based on Vera Atkins’ remarkable position at the London-based organization, as the second person behind Colonel Maurice Buckmaster, the head of SOE’s French section.
Vera Atkins
From 1941 till after D-Day in June 1944 some 400 Section F agents were dropped into France. 109 of them didn’t survive the arrests, torture, and murder by the Gestapo. Most of these heroic agents, who came from all walks of life, were killed in concentration camps. Of the 40 brave women, whom SOE started recruiting in 1942 as women could more easily blend in with the French population and were less likely to be stopped by the Germans, 13 did not survive their missions. 104 of these agents are commemorated on the Valencay Memorial in France, which I will certainly visit in person one day and tell you all about.
Valencay memorial for SOE French Section
With Anna’s story, we start at the end of the second World War as she flies to post-war Germany in search of her “missing agents.” In the chaos after the liberation, with hundreds of thousands of bewildered and traumatized holocaust survivors trying to find their way to safety, it was often unclear what had happened to political prisoners, especially these agents whom Hitler had branded the worst enemies of the Third Reich. They fell in the “Nacht und Nebel” category, people the Nazis didn’t want to leave any trace of where they’d gone (Night and Fog), so their families would never know what had happened to them.
Anna not only attends the opening of the Nuremburg trials in November 1945, she also interrogates arrested camp commanders from Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen to find out about the fate of “her girls”. The real Vera Atkins made it her life’s mission after the war to trace all the agents so she could tell their families what had happened to them.
To give you a taste of the history and research behind Anna’s story, you can read the rough draft of the first chapters of The London Spymaker here. The book is on preorder and will be available on 7 March 2024.
The London Spymaker sneak peek - click to download
Next week I will tell you about my visit to the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, where 2 of the 5 French-Canadian SOE male agents are commemorated. Though I intend to start my new series “Timeless Spies” (2024) with the female agents, in time I’d like to honour the brave men as well. What’s more, they usually worked together in teams.
In the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn
Visiting the places where Audrey Hepburn lived during WW2: Arnhem and Velp.
For my final blog for Book 6 in the Resistance Girl Series, The Crystal Butterfly, I spent a day in the footsteps of the famous 20th century actress Audrey Hepburn. During her life, little was known about her war years as a teenager in The Netherlands, but one of her more recent biographers, Robert Matzen, together with Audrey’s youngest son, Luca Dotti, unraveled most of the mysteries around this period in the moving and impressive biography Dutch Girl. Audrey Hepburn and World War II.
Robert Matzen's Dutch Girl, Audrey Hepburn and World War II
I read Robert’s book as part of my research for my own book on a ballerina under German occupation in The Netherlands. And also, because I’ve been a lifelong fan of Audrey Hepburn. Robert’s detailed description of Audrey’s life in Oosterbeek (before the war), Arnhem and ultimately Velp, three places in the Province of Gelderland, made me decide to visit all the places where she either lived or spent (dancing) time.
Come with me on my trip.
There’s just one aspect of Robert’s book, which I highly recommend, by the way, I want to touch on because I’m not sure many people knew this about Audrey. She, herself, had a lifelong admiration and tender spot for Anne Frank, who in a way was her soul-sister. After the liberation in 1945, Audrey moved to Amsterdam with her mother so that she could take dance lessons with the famous Sonia Gaskell.
They happened to live in the same building as the editor working on Anne Frank’s Diary. Audrey was the first to read this moving account of a girl only six weeks apart in age. She was also among the very first to visit “Het Achterhuis” on the Prinsengracht, where the Frank family hid until they were betrayed.
Of course, Audrey heard when the Diary of A Young Girl became an instant bestseller in America. Then she was asked to portray Anne in George Stevens’ 1958 movie on the Jewish girl who died in Bergen-Belsen. Typically, the thoughtful and emphatic Audrey refused the role. Even after meeting up with Anne’s father Otto in Switzerland, who asked her to reconsider, Audrey declined. The war and its scars were still too raw for her. And how could she accept money for a role about a girl who felt like a sister to her but who hadn’t survived the war?
However, in the 1980s Audrey went on a tour through the US to give readings of Anne’s Diary in her function as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. And thus, raised money for the organization that meant everything to her.
I wanted to share with you this story of Anne and Audrey to round off my series of blogs for The Crystal Butterfly.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
There is no mention of Audrey Hepburn in my own book, of course, as Edda–my main character - was unaware of that budding film star and ballerina - who would capture the hearts of millions a decade later - living in the same country as she was. But there are many similarities. Both are dark-haired ballerinas, resilient girls that strive for the top. Both have parents that embrace Hitler’s Nazism, and both come from Frisian nobility.
Here's the link to Robert’s book Dutch Girl:
https://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Girl-Audrey-Hepburn-World-ebook/dp/B07MSCBVBJ/
(Amazon US store but I’m sure it’s available everywhere)
In the footsteps of Anne Frank in Amsterdam…
Visiting the places where Anne Frank lived during WW2 in Amsterdam.
Anne Frank's importance for the world stems from her powerful and poignant account of her life in hiding during the Holocaust, documented in her now-famous diary, "The Diary of a Young Girl." Why was the voice of a teenage girl so significant?
Though Anne doesn’t play an active role in my fictive book on the Dutch resistance and Jewish persecution in WW2, “The Crystal Butterfly”, she is an important symbol of Holland in WW2. No wonder, that her name came up time and time again in my research. Both in Amsterdam and in transit Camp Westerbork.
Partly to honour Anne, I have my main character, Edda, keep a diary as well. But Edda, who is not Jewish but the daughter of collaborators and a resistance fighter, only writes what she witnesses around her during the Nazi occupation. So it’s not a personal diary like Anne’s.
Also, Edda is at almost the same time in Transit Camp Westerbork, when Anne briefly stayed there with her family before being transported to the German concentration camps.
Enough reason for me to go to Amsterdam and visit the two places where Anne lived and the one place where she is commemorated with all other 120,000 murdered Jews, Sintis and Romas. Will you join me in her footsteps?
But what is – in a nutshell - Anne Frank’s legacy?
Anne Frank's importance for the world stems from her powerful and poignant account of her life in hiding during the Holocaust, documented in her now-famous diary, "The Diary of a Young Girl." Why was the voice of a teenage girl so significant?
Symbol of the Holocaust
Anne Frank's diary provides a personal and relatable perspective on the horrors of the Holocaust. Through her writing, she humanizes the millions of victims and gives a voice to the countless innocent lives lost during World War II.
Impact on Education
Anne's diary has become an essential educational tool in schools worldwide. It helps students learn about the Holocaust, discrimination, and the consequences of hatred, fostering empathy and understanding.
Testament to Resilience
Despite facing extreme hardship, Anne's diary reflects her resilience and optimism. Her courage and determination to keep hope alive amid despair serve as an inspiration to people facing difficult situations.
Human Rights Advocacy
Anne Frank's story has become a symbol for promoting human rights, tolerance, and inclusivity. Her words remind us of the importance of standing against prejudice, discrimination, and injustice.
Preservation of History
Anne's diary provides a first-hand account of life during the Holocaust, preserving an important historical record for future generations.
Global Recognition
The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, where Anne and her family hid, is now a museum attracting millions of visitors each year. This international attention helps ensure that her story reaches people from all walks of life.
Cultural Impact
Anne's diary has been translated into numerous languages, making her story accessible to people around the world. It has also inspired various adaptations, including plays, films, and other literary works.
Unfinished Potential
Anne Frank's untimely death at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, shortly before the camp's liberation, serves as a poignant reminder of the potential that was lost due to hatred and intolerance.
In summary, Anne Frank's significance lies in her ability to humanize the Holocaust and serve as a beacon of hope, education, and inspiration for generations to come. Her enduring legacy reminds us of the importance of promoting understanding, compassion, and the protection of human rights.
Anne Frank statue Merwedeplein
Significant Anne Frank sites
WW2 Field Research to "Mussert's Wall" Netherlands
I invite you to join me on my field trip to Mussert’s Wall. Anton Mussert was the leader of the NSB. Learn more about World War 2 in Holland, about the Dutch NSB Party and Collaboration during WW2.
Unveiling the Dark Pages of History: The Dutch NSB Party and Collaboration during World War 2 in Holland.
In an upcoming blog I will shed light on the rise of De Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, the National Socialist Movement (NSB), in the Netherlands before and during World War 2 and its collaboration with Hitler’s Germany.
The most controversial part of writing The Crystal Butterfly for me was Edda’s parents’ membership of the NSB and their support of Hitler’s ideology. I strongly felt, though–when writing a book on Holland in WW2–collaboration needed to be addressed. Most Dutch people remained neutral during the war, a small yet active part resisted and quite a significant number actively collaborated with the Nazis, whether or not they were a member of the NSB.
I went on a field trip to Mussert’s Wall. Anton Mussert was the leader of the NSB. I invite you to join me on my field trip using the video below.
In 2018 after a lot of debate it was decided that this wall shouldn’t be taken down, as it is an important remembrance for people what happened here. On my photograph you can see what it looks like today and compare it to when it was used over 80 years ago.
Mussert's Wall in 1940
Mussert's Wall in 2023
Feel free to comment below. Share your thoughts, knowledge, experiences. All appreciated!
And stay tuned for more research on WW2 in the Netherlands.
2023: the birth of a new book
New book, but also a new home and a new website. Years of research on European countries during World Wars NOT lost, and more to come! Did you know about Audrey Hepburn’s Dutch war years?
Since book 5 in The Resistance Girl Series, The Highland Raven, came out, I took a short break from writing about my main topic World War 2. In the interim I launched a new historical detective series, titled The Mrs Imogene Lynch Series. I also moved to another part of Holland at the end of December ‘22 and became a first-time grandmother in January. All very exciting but very distracting from my WW2 writing schedule! :-)
In January 2023 I began writing The Crystal Butterfly, my newest book in The Resistance Girl Series. This book is about the Dutch Resistance. It was a Godsent to be able this time to do all my groundwork ‘around the corner’ and I’ll share plenty of my (on the spot) research with you on this blog.
I took the time to deep-dive into the new story and get to the heart of my heroine’s journey before and during WW2. Her name is Edda Van der Valk and in The Crystal Butterfly she will take you through her Dutch war years.
As I now live close to Den Bosch - which is in the centre of Holland - I can easily travel to the most important places of action during WW2 in this country. So let me take you with me on my field trips as I retrace my steps to that gruesome part of our history, now some 80 years ago.
Few people living through WW2 are still with us today. The medalled-up veterans and bravely surviving Jews have become sparse centenaries, whose live presence in TV shows and newspaper articles are almost non-existent. WW2 is now almost history, lived through by the generation of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. But I still feel it is my duty to keep the history alive LEST WE FORGET.
The Crystal Butterfly is also inspired by - though far from identical to - Audrey Hepburn’s Dutch war years, so I’ll take you to places where she lived and spent some of the most arduous years of her life. And, of course, Anne Frank cannot be ignored in a book that is centred heavily on the deportations of Dutch-based Jewish people. After all, the arrest of Edda’s big love, Asher Hoffmann, was her reason for joining the Resistance.
PS For avid readers of my blog you may notice I have a new website and miss the abundant archive of years of research on many European countries during the World Wars. Fear not for it will return in an even clearer and more user friendly way.
Hello Reader
Welcome to Historical Facts & Fiction. Here imagination meets reality. I created this blog as a space to assemble my own research that had no place in my World War novels. Find out more about the background to The Resistance Girl Series!
Welcome to Historical Facts & Fiction. Here imagination meets reality. I created this blog as a space to assemble my own research that had no place in my World War novels. I hope you’ll enjoy finding out more about the background to The Resistance Girl Series.
Titbits of research certainly have their place in historical fiction, but when it becomes info dump, it’s too much. But in a blog there’s enough space to share all in-depth investigations and fieldwork to my heart’s content.
Most Historical Fiction readers are fervent researchers themselves; half the fun of reading a good HF novel is popping onto the net to fact-check what you’ve just read. You simply must know if SOE really had women spies, or if Eva Braun actually married Hitler hours before joining him in death. The internet is our treasure trove. I know I can’t stop myself, and love learning a thing or two in the process.
Have you ever wondered where HF authors get their ideas for a new book or series, or how they do their research? No two HF authors are alike – of course – but we all do rely heavily on today’s search engines. No work gets done without it.
However, as you’ll read in an upcoming blog post, my reason for starting The Resistance Girl Series was a family photo I found by chance. Curiosity is a good start. As a European with lineage in several countries, I not only study the lives of these people. They are in my bloodline.
My Great-uncles William and Jack Westcott
But it wasn’t just my uncles’ photograph that incited me to write In Picardy’s Fields. It may sound terrible to say - and I won’t do so aloud - but I love the World Wars. For me as a fiction writer these intense and dark periods in recent human history provide the greatest canvas on which to splash my stories, in an endless variety; this was the period – par excellence – in which ordinary people performed extraordinary deeds. And we all love us a decent hero(ine)!
I’m never tired of learning more about the first half of the 20th century and how it’s shaped our current society. So, please permit me to infect you with some of that passion.
Next to online studies, you can also join me on my field trips to various countries while I do my onsite research.
On to the first blog now…
Thank you for being here!