Thursday 29 December 2011

Day 1 - Louis E. Fynaut - A tribute to a very brave Flemish man from Belgium!

Story about a Belgian survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp during WWII.  The Gestapo suspected Louis of being in The Resistance and dangerous so he was designated N.N.,or Nacht und Nebel (the night of the mist) - it seems that the literal translation may be somewhat different?????I have read a variety of explanations about Nacht und Nebel and what it means or meant!  

The comments on this page are all written by Paula Fynaut, Louis' daughter!

It is said that the oak tree stump in Buchenwald concentration camp is considered to be Goethe's Tree. (Goethe the great German philosopher who lived in Weimer, Germany).   I found this out yesterday while researching Buchenwald as I was thinking of visiting the site of my father's incarceration!  After reading about Goethe and Buchenwald and the Oak Tree that once stood in Buchenwald I felt compelled to tell my Dad's story! 


So, here I am blogging!  When I was a young girl in England in the 60's I remember being fascinated by the number tattooed on my Dad's arm,which I thought was #188590????. (when discussing the number with my brother he had remembered a number slightly different to the one I was recalling and we disagreed - it turned out later, as the blog evolved, that the number my brother had recollected from his memory was indeed the right one and the number I had put on this blog was incorrect - I have decided not to change it now, as at this moment, I can't remember the proper number .

After receiving my Dad's records ,it was confirmed that the number put on his arm was indeed an Auschwitz tattoo- to me the number is symbolic more than anything else - so I have left the number as I typed it originally as I am not sure how to change it on the blog but eventually I will get round to changing it to prevent any more confusion!!!I guess my memory is not quite as good as my brothers!!!

Loo E as Flemish people often pronounce his name was a Belgian political prisoner at Buchenwald during WWII and this was the number he was branded with when he entered Auschwitz  His arm and that number will be etched in my heart forever as symbolic of my Dad's great courage and integrity!

My Dad wrote a book about his life called "To Each his Own", which I considered publishing recently but found it was too expensive so blogging seems another way of honouring my Dad's story!

Hopefully, this story will help someone be strong in their life! Today, I realized that the blog will probably continue for quite a while longer as at this point in February 2012, I am only about a third of the way through my Dad's memoirs. 

Since doing this blog I have heard a variety of different opinions about WWII;  such as; "I don't believe that so many people got burnt in those ovens" and "it is good that people remember Buchenwald as supremist type thinking seems to be on the rise!!!!!!These comments and others I have heard make me reflect on many things!" Thank you to all my friends and relatives who have encouraged me and continue to encourage me in typing up my Dad's words on this blog!

In addition, I have found that there is a great deal of conflicting information out there in cyber space - so the good side is I have learned to be a much more critical thinker about what I read on the web and I really have tried to check out my sources well before quoting them:  it has been a great learning experience for me!From now on I will be extra vigilant about what I quote from other sources!!!!

I have had much input about this blog from a variety of people and my sincere thanks goes out to all those people who have been giving me constructive criticism and have helped me make this blog as accurate as possible as it has evolved. .

PLEASE NOTE: My Dad was born in 1920's and so it is important to remember that these were the thoughts of someone from a conflict 70 odd years ago.  Some of my Dad's comments may not be appropriate or politically correct today!

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