I Will Remember
With Remembrance Day around the corner, I will remember! In this case, it's my maternal grandfather, Christiaan Lodewijk Hubertus Vincken - though I knew him better as Opa Lou! I'm not sure when this portrait was taken - perhaps late 1920s or early 1930s. The only thing I know about his military career is that he served as a Dutch marine naval officer and at the outbreak of WW II, became a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp. As an officer, he was treated a little better then enlisted men but it was still a tough go. I remember him as a very formal man and not one to play with his grandchildren on the living room floor. However, he made me a garage for my toy cars from scratch. He also had a temper - driving in his little car usually involved some profanity and grumbling at other drivers that didn't meet his standards. He can be forgiven for that as my wife complains that I do that now too. He died in the 1960's from complications of hip surgery. We were in Africa at the time and it was my mother who flew back for the funeral.
I have no idea who took the photo but it was clearly a formal portrait. Perhaps his official navy portrait. Now it's quite yellowed and after scanning, I converted it back to black and white. The hat was in the family for years after his death. I remember trying it on but not where it ended up.
I Will Remember
With Remembrance Day around the corner, I will remember! In this case, it's my maternal grandfather, Christiaan Lodewijk Hubertus Vincken - though I knew him better as Opa Lou! I'm not sure when this portrait was taken - perhaps late 1920s or early 1930s. The only thing I know about his military career is that he served as a Dutch marine naval officer and at the outbreak of WW II, became a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp. As an officer, he was treated a little better then enlisted men but it was still a tough go. I remember him as a very formal man and not one to play with his grandchildren on the living room floor. However, he made me a garage for my toy cars from scratch. He also had a temper - driving in his little car usually involved some profanity and grumbling at other drivers that didn't meet his standards. He can be forgiven for that as my wife complains that I do that now too. He died in the 1960's from complications of hip surgery. We were in Africa at the time and it was my mother who flew back for the funeral.
I have no idea who took the photo but it was clearly a formal portrait. Perhaps his official navy portrait. Now it's quite yellowed and after scanning, I converted it back to black and white. The hat was in the family for years after his death. I remember trying it on but not where it ended up.