The playing Jantje Esselink

It was on this farm that Jantje Esselink grew up. In 1950, he was a mischievous little boy with a lovely curl in his blond hair. He attended primary school and dreamed of becoming a gardener. Jantje often played with his brothers, Chris and Wim. One summer day, Jantje found something in the ditch that looked like a goose egg and put it in his pocket. He and his brothers began a game they called “hammering on the hairspit.” They cheerfully tapped on what they thought was a goose egg, but it wasn’t an egg at all. It was a large hand grenade. Suddenly, there was an enormous bang. Jantje’s mother and sister rushed outside and found Chris lying on the ground, badly wounded. Little Wim stood frozen, hands clamped over his ears. And Jantje... Jantje was dead.
He was only eight years old.

Chris Esselink

Wim sustained no physical injuries. Chris spent about five weeks in the hospital. A specialist from the hospital in Enschede visited him every day. In September, he returned home, but by then he was still unable to walk. To allow him to get some fresh air, a deckchair was placed outside for him. Chris had trouble settling in; he had lost his playmate. He wandered around alone once he was able to walk a little. During his recovery, he kept pulling at his left leg. He walked with a slight limp. His parents and the surgeon wanted him to continue rehabilitation, but Chris said, “I can do everything anyway, play football, go ice skating.” For the rest of his life, he could and would never complain about his physical condition again.