Back to the Netherlands, Part 2: The “Tiles of War”

We enjoyed an unexpected and wonderful surprise during our recent visit to the Netherlands, thanks to Henny Dekker, whom you met in our previous post. As we related in an earlier posting https://wwiitracings.wordpress.com/2021/04/16/the-tiles-of-war-part-2/ we learned that Henny had recently retired as a manager at a tile factory in Maastricht. The 111^th had camped out in another tile factory there for a few weeks before moving to Heerlen in October 1944. I had always hoped to find a home for the four lovely ceramic tiles my father (and a few other of the men) had somehow picked up during his stay there. So I asked Henny for help, and in April 2021 he put me in touch with the curator of Maastricht’s Centre Ceramique, Wim Dijkman.

Mr. Dijkman did indeed want the tiles—he knew of their existence, but the museum had none in its collection. There were six in total, all prototypes that were never mass manufactured. I mailed him four of the tiles, and a granddaughter of another 111^th soldier sent Mr. Dijkman the two remaining tiles in the set.

Henny took us to Maastricht to meet up with Mr. Dijkman for a tour of the Centre Ceramique and its amazing collection of historic ceramics dating back to the Roman era and even earlier. We learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed our tour. To top it off, he took us up to his offices so we could see the tiles again. Ed and I thank our new Dutch friends for a wonderful afternoon. Mr. Dijkman is planning to do a special display of the tiles at the museum sometime next year.

The Centre Ceramique, Maastricht

Wim Dijkman with the tiles

View from the museum toward the Maas River; the new white building in the center sits on the site of the ceramics factory where the 111th stayed.