I now noticed that the 2nd operation was much more serious than the 1st one. With much more care I was taken w to my room and put in my bed, whilst my right eye was covered up and they urged me to stay on my back and not to move at all. I wasn’t allowed to have any visitors for the first few days, on the third day only Carey or Piet were allowed to come and look for a moment; lucky no complications occurred and the situation improved all the time and I was allowed to receive visitors the first few days sitting in bed and quite soon sitting at the table; however I was not allowed to move my head and every time I was being fed by nurse Hazewinkel, a cousin of the surgeon.She was a big woman, who in all views took very good care and after about 8 days let me have a nice bath..The director and the night nurses were also good people, the first one came regularly in the morning and evening to see how I was and sometimes in the evening stayed chatting with me for an hour; the last sister Borst was an example of watchfulness; if I only gave one sound in the night she stood at my bed and fixed up my pillows and in the morning she washed me and fed me my oatsporridge and slice of bread with bacon.On the 9th July the nurse told me that I had to get dressed and that I had to go downstairs to be examined in the dark room, where they diagnosed that I was nearly healed; after that the doctor held a lens in front of the eye and let me look at the clock; it was a revelation for me when I could read the correct time ( 4 minutes to 11 ).The next day the engagement of Miel and Elly was made public and there ws a reception in the Sweelinckstraat, whilst in the evening they had a dinner in the Reynkenstraat at the home of Mrs. Soeters, Elly’s grandmother. They purposely chose this day whilst I was still in the clinic because the reception and the dinner would have been too tiring for me.However I stil wanted to show my presence and thought of the next thing:As a reply to Miell’s and Elly’s anouncement cards for their engagement I received heartfelt congratulations from my friend Pennington in Arnhem, to which he had added a small card to give this to the engaged couple on the day of the reception; I asked sister Hazewinkel to buy a small tinnen plate at an antique dealer and I asked uncle Doctor to help me with the writing of a small fitting letter for it. I then got an instrument in front of my face with a lens in front of the left eye, sothat I, whilst the doctor held the instrument was able to write a small letter; one and the other I sent to the dinner with Oma Soeters in the evening, as evidence of my first writing after my operation.I obviously had succes with my plan.The reception in the morning had been busily attended and there were numerous beautiful flower arrangements, of which afterwards several were sent to me in the clinic and with these I made the director, my nurses and also the sick happy.The next day Dr. Hazewinkel gave me a pair of glasses and I was allowed to walk in the garden with the guidance of the director; however I was so bad on my legs, that I ended up sitting and cherishing the sun and further to read a bit, for which I had received an excellent pair of glasses from Dr. Meylingh, the partner of Dr. Hazewinkel. When I received a lot of visitors in the afternoon I could mainly with the last glasses see my visitors sharp again.Yet, on Monday the 12th July, on the birthday of my since long deceased father, I was surprised by Dr. H. by the announcement, that I could leave the clinic at 2 o’clock and rang home to pick me up; I received orders to avoid bright sunlight and so only take walks in the late afternoons.The first work at home was writing a letter to Muis asking to send that immediately through to Carey and Renny, sothat the East Indian family knew the memorable news from myself.Since Jopie had achieved his masters title and he preferably didn’t want to arrive in the Indies before January 1927 so as to avoid he would have to do his military service over there, they established to get him here as volunteer in the army and so to relieve him from his duties, Miel, who was’t drawn out like him and was destined to be incorporated as recruit with the Navy flying corps for some time for his duties.
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The Memoirs of J.G. Kerlen – Part 36
After much running and writing around this succeeded and Joopie served as gunner with the 3rd field battery here on the 19th of July, thereby delivering his brother exemption of service duty and gave him the opportunity to continue his studies.
It was remarkable how well Joopie adapted to the military service and was the subject of conversation at the table formerly about sport, now it was about grooming horses and cannons all the time; he prefered to sleep in the barracks to be able to sleep in half an hour longer and didn’t have to change himself.
Did Herman before have an easy service with the same battery, Joopie had a much easrier job and amused himself in the barracks with his mates in an excellent way.
After Frits had received his diploma of the H.B.S. and so his parent’s the stay in Zeist was not neccesssary any more and went to Spa, where they stayed till the 1st of September, when they moved into a boarding house in the Prins Hendrik straat here.
Besides that they were planning to build their own house; with the search for a decent block and the drawing of the neccessary projects nearly 2 months passed and finally they decided to erect a villa in Marlot and the whole family was enthousiastic about this plan.
Meanwhile Johan had left on the 3rd of September from Marseille to he Indies by SS. Indrapoera; so his stay in Holland had lasted months longer than he had anticipated and the patience of Muis had been tested heavily; however she was compensated as she could meet Johan in Belawan and spend a lovely week with him near the Toba plains.Before his departure Johan still treated both his sons to a week’s stay in Oisterwijk ( N.B. ) where he with his friend Lelieveld had hired some rich fishingwater and so all week a lot of fish was caught, mostly eel and father and sons were completely in their element there; they even had a visit from Joopie and Arend Rosmanen and wife and from the most intersting moments the neccessary films were made.In the beginning of September Hans was promoted to the 2nd class of the H.B.S. whilst Ernst who by change had exemption for admission examination was admitted to the first class.From the the 15th to the 22nd of September Guus Pasteur stayed with us; in those days she had a film made for her husband who had stayed behind in Soerabaja on which she was seen with both her sons in her homely surroundings and also in ours, which film succeeded remarably well though through unfortunate circustances did not arrive in Soerabaja at the particular day though not untill a few months later than his birthday it came in Pasteur’s possession.On the 18th of November we read an add in the papers for barristors, who would be willing to act as civil workers with the tax department of the Ministry of colonies. Joopie who was interested, sent a few days later an extended application for this and through several realtions received the almost certain promise that he could count on a appointment; however there were certainly about 40 applicants whom the miniistry had to obtain all kinds of information from, sothat at the end of the year no selection was made and nobody had even been called for a physical examination yet.In the meantime Johan in the Indies had also been busy for a suitable job for his cousin and telegraphed that there was a small chance to get him placed at the broker’s office with the firm Dunlop & Kolff; the starting wages would be f. 375 a month and for equipment and pasage he had to look after himself.Of course we enquired with several persons and were convinced that the suggestions of Johan would be prefered above a placing with the taxation department, about this was written to the Indies and he had to wait for a telegraphic answer from Johan, to which was no objection due to the not forthcoming decision of the Ministry of Colonies.On the 9th of December Piet made a trip to Genoa to pick up his brother-in-law’s eldest son van Wessem from the mailboat; herefore he had been invited by his father, who was not feeling strong enough to make the trip himself. It was a nice change for Piet and he enjoyed beautiful summer weather going there and on the way back the already starting Swiss winter, brought the son with wife and child to Amersfoort and returned here on the 20th.On the 18th prior to that Miel passed his heaviest preleminary exam for chemistry with professor Boseken in Delft; I gave him as reward some money to buy cigarettes at which he told me that if I would repeat this with every prelimenary exam it would certainly cost me a lot of money, because he would still have to pass 7 exams; if I would still be alive to see the end results I may be suffering but will be offering the neccessary monies with pleasure.Christmasdays were for all of us real cosy; the first Christmasday I had a nice dinner amidst all my loved ones, the second we were together with the van Heels when they lit the Christmastree. Jop had done a lot of work for it and everyone received a fitted present, for instance I got a silk umbrella ( the second one in my life ).The most surprising thing happening that evening was a telegram from Johan, mentioning that Joopie could start a job with Dunlop & Kolff with a salary of f. 300 a month to start on the 1st of March 1927.Of course this was thoroughly discussed especially since the starting salary now was F. 75 less than earlier was given by Johan. They decided to sleep on it for a night.The next morning they made as many enquiries as possible about the firm Dunlop & Kolff and it was clear that this firm deserved recommendation in all points of view, so Joopie already quickly decided to accept the offered job, thinking that in a government’s job with the taxation department one would not really get rich.The taken decision of course brought a lot to-do in the household: immediately care had to be taken, the journey had to be booked and the different persons and authorities, who were involved with the application for the taxation had to be notified.For one and the other Joopie had been given service leave for the last days of his stay in the barracks; he did his shopping still wearing his uniform; though on the 30th he returned to the barracks in the evening in civilian clothes to be discharged for ever from H.M. Military service.New Year’s Eve we spent in a relative small company since Miel and Elly were not present, instead Herman came still at 10 0’clock from Eindhoven and we were sitting together real nicely till 1 o’clock.The first day of the year 1927 started very sadly for me, when I arrived downstairs I found a death notice with the message of the death of my only left friend Pennington de Jongh; we were used to write each other regularly for our birthdays. His was on the 29th December and this time I had forgotten my duty to my friend and on the 30th I wrote an as cheerful as possible letter including the neccessary wishes for the new year; it really was tragic to think that whilst I was typing the letter the brave man was dying or had passed away. I never would have thought that he would go before me and I loose with him a faithful mate and friend.He is going to be cremated in Westerveld on the 4th of January at the age of 74.On the 3rd of Janyary our landlord Mr. Bevelander will also be burriedd and we lost with him an accommodating landlord who always tried to please us and took pride in keeping our home in a good state.On the same date a spade was pushed in the ground for the foundations of the furtre house in Marlot by Gerard and Jop’s two youngest children, of which fact a picture was taken.And now I am up to date with my memoires and I could see my work as finished, if it wasn’t that I still wish to give some words to two of my deceased friends, whose deaths I didn’t mention at the correct time:The first was my old schoolmate Willem le Rutte who later on was officer of Administration with the Navy, married with a West-Indian woman and was retired at a relative youthfull age. We visited each other only on our birthdays but he was mainly a support after my operation in 1912; he passed away in 1916.The other one was Pieter Kooreman whom I got to know for the first time in Bengkalis, where he was secretary and later on he became assistent Resident of Painan and ended his career as Resident of the Eastcoast of Sumatra; we met each other often at de Witte and he gave me much attention through giving me his membership card for the French opera and taking me repeatedly in his carriage he rented monthly; his wife had died in 1921, though as I was sick I could not be present at her funeral. Some days later – it was just Pentecost- when I wanted to visit him, his daughter opened the door in hevy mourning and told me that her father also had passed away.Both were my excellent friends and luckily I have still been able to render them the last honours.Finally I still want to give a word of thanks to all who have made it possible for me to write my memoires; it has been a real pleasure and has chased away many dark moods.I do hope that my children and further descendants also will have a lot of pleasure and wish them all:PROSPERITY, HAPPINESS AND PEACE!The Hague, the 4th of January 1927.signed: J.G. Kerlen.