Second World War survivor reflects on how RCAF helped save her life in 1945

Second World War survivor Johanna Meijs will celebrate her 91st birthday this week, and with Remembrance Day approaching, she will always remember how the Royal Canadian Air Force helped save her life in 1945.

Meijs lived through fear, hunger and shock every day in the German-occupied Netherlands during the 1940s. She grew up in Utrecht, a Dutch city roughly 40 kilometres southeast of Amsterdam, which was in the flight path of German aircraft as they attacked England.

“Your freedom was gone right away. You couldn’t go outside in the evening after 7 o’clock,” recalled Meijs. “I was terrified about the bombing and that went on every night.”

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On the ground, she says German troops confiscated the copper from their households which they used to manufacture weapons. She was among the millions who were affected by the 1944 Dutch Hunger Winter, as the Germans cut off food shipments from farm towns.

Despite months of starvation, Meijs survived.

Then, in May 1945, the Royal Canadian Air Force liberated the German-occupied Netherlands, making it rain food from the sky.

“We looked outside and there were parcels coming down,” said Meijs. “And in those packages, square loaves of bread and peanut butter.”

Fast-forward 80 years later, the soon-to-be 91-year-old calls Simcoe County home and is still going strong, with plenty of support from her two sons and three grandchildren.

“I think my mom sort of kept the whole memory of the war alive,” said Tim Meijs, her eldest son. “By doing so, you appreciate what you’ve got.”

“The Canadians came in our country and set us free,” added Meijs. “A Dutch person never can forget that.”

Meijs will turn 91 on Wednesday. She says she keeps herself going by going for walks, reading and playing games to keep her mind active.

Meijs adds that she will continue supporting veterans and food banks the same way the Canadian troops helped her during the Second World War.