Children's stamp campaign staff 1949 – 1964: deportation, depersonalization, and traumas!

A fortuitous confluence of circumstances within a relatively short period has meant that a dark period of the school campaign (1949–1964) is being highlighted precisely now, in the anniversary year of the children's stamp. 1. Catalogue of Dutch Postage Stamps 2025 “Filling the glassine bags with children’s stamps was a major undertaking.” This observation is taken from the new Catalogue of Dutch Stamps 2025, from the chapter '100 Years of Children’s Stamps' (page 4). 2. Volkskrant article of November 7, 1961 The discovery, following the recent cleanup of my archive, of the Volkskrant article from November 7, 1961, 'De Goede Herder pakjes kinderzegels elke jaar' (The Good Shepherd packages children's stamps every year), containing detailed and little-known information about the activities of girls during the preparation period for the school campaign. 3. 4-part television documentary  The start of the 4-part television documentary 'Girls of the Good Shepherd' (period 1949 – 1964) on June 3, 2024, which poignantly highlights the activities of the girls in the convent.

Huge job

There are two groups of staff members involved in the children's stamp school campaign: one active before the campaign and one during it. Both started their work simultaneously in 1949 at the start of the 'For the Child, By the Child' school campaign. The school campaign itself requires no attention due to its notoriety, but that of the girls deserves all the more. The group of schoolchildren is widely known, in contrast to the group of 'young girls from 'De Goede Herder', who (totally invisible to the outside world and even to SKN!!!) are active and closely involved in filling the packets of children's stamps. The start and activities of the schoolchildren proceeded harmoniously; those of the girls unfolded in the opposite manner!

Out-of-home placement / deportation

Girls who were particularly difficult to keep within the family due to their behavior came into contact with the phenomenon of out-of-home placement as 'difficult-to-raise' girls. At the time, this mainly concerned children from the working class, and particularly from the larger towns and cities of our country. On numerous occasions, girls without problems were also evicted. The reason? The parents themselves were the cause through marital problems and divorces. Their 'upbringing' was/is under the watchful eye of the Dutch government.

Reception center 'The Good Shepherd' monastery

In *de Volkskrant* of November 7, 1961, there is a detailed article titled 'De Goede Herder packages all children's stamps every year' containing a wealth of little-known information about the activities of the young girls in the convent during the period 1949–1964. “Zoeterwoude, October 6, 1961 – The stamp campaign began a few days ago. It is an annual task, in which nearly 150 girls and sisters (nuns) from the convent and girls' boarding school 'De Goede Herder' in Zoeterwoude dedicate themselves to packaging millions of children's stamps into bags for the benefit of the foundation 'Voor het kind' (SKN). This year, the director of the boarding school, Sister Daniëla, has already received instructions to fill 1.000.700 bags, in which 20.400.000 stamps and 1.700.000 rebus cards must be incorporated. In approximately 25 working evenings *) from 7:00 AM to This number will be reached around 9:30 PM, at which point the workers on the evening off can brace themselves for any potential follow-up orders.” *) The figure of 20.400.000 stamps was estimated prior to the girls’ packing activities. The print run figures in the 2025 stamp catalog show a higher number of stamps (9.352.180 + 17.052.467 = 26.404.647 stamps). The increase comprises 6 million stamps (20.400.000 – 26.404.647), which will involve at least 6 working evenings after the daily long, arduous work in the girls’ sewing, washing, and ironing departments (see further)! Photo Volkskrant 07-10-1961 1) Skilled hands were necessary for tearing off the white sheet margins (preceded by folding), dividing the stamps into units of four (which is also preceded by folding), and sliding the stamps into the glassine bags in combination with a rebus card. The tedious task consists of an innumerable number of automatic actions, including the continuous counting of the bags. 2) After checking the bags for correct contents (1 cube 4 cents & 2 cubes 12 cents), they were bundled in sets of 10 or 25 and assembled into units of 100 or 250. Finally, 2.000 bags were placed in boxes. With that, the 'order' was ready for shipment. 3) The girls worked in teams of ten, with a novice nun (left of the top center of the photo) assigned to supervise. Each performed a fixed task, ensuring the high pace and set time limit were maintained. 4) For 'De Goede Herder', the enormous task became too big. In 1965, the children's stamp block replaced tearing the stamps. Filling the packets was reduced to two actions involving a children's stamp block and a rebus card, and was carried out elsewhere.

Appallingly inhumane living and working conditions!

The journalistic report above will not ring any bells for an uninformed newspaper reader, but appearances in the boarding school's theater hall are extremely deceptive! The subheading in de Volkskrant, 'Boarding school girls in Zoeterwoude offer free time', contains a list of blatant falsehoods that a senior spokeswoman for the convent order presented to the journalist without batting an eyelid:Sense and chatting make the actually boring task more pleasant, which consists of an innumerable multitude of automatically performed maneuvers. The girls let for this their craft, game, sport, dancing, sport, ballet or music stand, with which they otherwise their free time spend it usefully and pleasantly. The conclusion of the article is also striking: “On November 13, peace will have returned to the theater hall. This place can be used again for game, music or sportThey do this not only for the low earnings or the planned movie nights, but also because she want to actively participate in the work 'For the Child', that appeals to them in this way.I have deliberately and purposefully presented the incorrect claims in italics and underlined in order to clearly accentuate the inhumane strategy of the house on the Hoge Rijndijk in Zoeterwoude belonging to the 'Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd' (cynically and sarcastically labeled as a 'CHARITY INSTITUTION'). The text above, taken from Britta Hosman's Good Shepherd documentary, presents a completely different picture of what took place behind the closed doors of the 'Good Shepherd' convent.

Forced labor under deplorable conditions

Within the walls of the institutions, the strict lifestyle of the nuns played a major role in the upbringing of the girls. The sisters made the children perform unpaid labor for extended periods under appallingly bad conditions in an 'industrial labor process':

1. In sewing workshops, ready-made clothing was manufactured using treadle sewing machines for, among others, C&A, V&D, and even for the Royal Family.
2. In laundries, the girls lugged buckets of hot water.
3. In ironing rooms, the irons were heated on gas or a stove, even in summer when it is warm.

  The proceeds from the work performed went to the congregation. Furthermore, there was hardly any time, privacy, or loving attention for the children (no warmth, affection, or arm around you). Friendships among the children were strictly forbidden, and contact with the outside world (with parents/family) was discouraged. Refusal to work was threatened with punishment (isolation in a solitary confinement cell).

Nightmares, traumas and stigmatization

1) Many girls who died during their time at the Good Shepherd are buried anonymously. The women who survived struggle for years with nightmares, trauma, and stigmatization. Some even to this day! * Girls/teenagers who resisted or tried to run away and flee were locked up in solitary confinement for a long time. 2) The forced labor of underage girls via 'group therapy' (consisting of prolonged, fast, and disciplined work) was in line with the authoritarian pedagogical views of the time, in which strict order and subordinate obedience were requirements. At that time, the pedagogue still adhered to the reprehensible proverb 'Labor ennobles,' meaning that if you work hard, you become a better person.

Ups and downs and double standards of the SKN and the Roman Catholic Church!

1) Director Britta Hosman (editor of the documentary 'Meisjes van De Goede Herder') and investigative journalist Joep Dohmen have conducted extensive research into the abuses at 'De Goede Herder' in recent years. A Google search yields a wealth of information regarding their names. 2) Three women, who as girls were forced to work in the convents under appalling conditions, finally filed a lawsuit against the nuns years later. 3) Branches of the Zoeterwoudse mother convent 'De Goede Herder' in Bloemendaal, Velp, Almelo, and Tilburg employ the same approaches and forms of punishment, even rape! These boarding schools reinforce the 'horrific edge' of the children's stamp. 4) The print run figures became too high for 'De Goede Herder'. The 1965 children's stamp block proved to be the solution alongside the issuance of sheet stamps. This new children's stamp product increased SKN revenue. 5) The 'ups and downs' of the children's stamp school campaign (with an emphasis on the downs) and the 'double standards' of the Roman Catholic Church (“Listen to my words, do not look at my deeds!”) determine the thrust of this article. Undoubtedly, there will be readers who argue that the above has nothing to do with philately. However, the millions of children's stamps are indeed the connecting link of this article.

Broken rose: “They destroyed my youth and life!”