The Kweekschool Voor Zeevaart 1948

On board Prince Hendrik Leiden circa 1948

The Prins Hendrik was a school ship that my father is standing on board sometime around 1948.  He would have been 13 years old.  He was the one standing to the right of rather dopey looking chap with his tongue out.  As near as I can tell the ship is still in Holland today and used by the Kweekschool Voor Zeevaart.  I have sent an email to the institute requesting to send this photo to identify the ship.  You can see the two links below.  One link is for a 360 photo.  If you pan left from the front of the doors of the school the ship is moored right in front.  I believe this is the ship.

The other link is for the school webpage.  My father spoke of his experiences in boarding schools like this one many times.  He was only thirteen.  He spoke of some of his boarding experience there which was mostly making his way in the world for the first time.  Being so young and subjected to some of the realities of life apart from his family around that time helped to shape his character.  No doubt his experiences at the school had an impact on his entire life.  It's a pretty nice school today with lots of history.  A history that was paved by my father, his classmates, and the schoolmasters generation after generation like waves of the sea.

In a breath I can imagine my father being life like in the photo.  The cool breeze from the sea.  The warm morning sun on his face.  The loneliness and the comradery of being surrounded by his schoolmates.  His hopes and dreams.  There he was innocent and naive with his entire life outstretched before him.  The reality was that he was longing to be with his family.  He wanted to make everyone proud.  The conditions of World War II Europe were that this school was an opportunity and relatively close to Leiderdorp where he was born.  He showed so much promise so he was sent away to learn a trade.

I thank him for coming to Canada in some small way.  But, in another sense he might have profited more had he stayed in Holland and took advantage of this early training.  He no doubt would have advanced in the ocean faring trades such as transport or working with the canals.


http://www.360cities.net/image/kweekschool-zeevaart-prins-hendrik-leiden-netherlands#294.96,-0.01,45.3

http://www.vok.nl/content/84/Welkom/Welkom.html