Dutch liberation joy 1945 – in a literal and figurative sense

The exhibition 80 Faces of Freedom by Canadian-Dutch photographer Jason van Bruggen, currently on view at Museum Opsterland in Gorredijk, features eighty portraits of people with their memories of war and freedom. Their faces tell stories: sometimes serious, sometimes relieved, sometimes radiant. This raised the question for me: do we see that same joy, relief, and emotions reflected on stamps referring to the Second World War and the liberation? How have designers captured the mood of that time—hopeful, subdued, or perhaps exuberant? Liberation in 1945 On various stamps referring to the war years 1940–1945, the emotion of that moment can be recognized in body language and symbolism. Sometimes the joy or emotion is clearly visible; sometimes it remains more concealed or is only represented in symbolic form. The reason? The expression of joy is linked to the designer and/or the PTT. The way in which he or she experienced the changes after five years of war can vary. You experience it with a pessimistic view, or with an optimistic outlook. From Tuberculosis Control Stamps to Liberation Stamp 1945 In November 1944, the Provisional Head Office of the PTT in Eindhoven invited engraver CA Mechelse (engraver at Johan Enschedé en Zonen) to design a Liberation stamp. On his own initiative, he had already created a design, namely a lion defeating a dragon with the text 'TBC-bestrijding'. This name turns out to have been a pseudonym. 1) Green-colored and liberated part of the Netherlands in 1944 (Source: Netherlands Institute for Military History). 2) There are striking differences between the vertical and horizontal Liberation stamps in terms of meaning, function, and appearance: * The mythical beast, the dragon, possesses a large snake-like body. The animal represents evil in Greek mythological stories and is black in color. On both stamps, however, the animal is white. One is even pierced by an arrow. * The orange-colored, heraldic Lion (according to insiders, depicted anatomically incorrectly) represents the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The combative animal plays a heroic role on the stamp. In doing so, it is forgotten that the liberation is thanks to the Allies. Perhaps the Lion represents the Underground Fighters from our country. * Vertical stamp (heavenly oriented) with a horizontal stamp (earthly oriented) as a counterpart. After the World War, the Netherlands was still particularly religious. Naturally, a vertical stamp was the norm at the time: “Peace was achieved through divine support. The vertical stamp fully underscored the prevailing vision and circumstances at the time.” * Contrasting texts appear on both stamps: “Netherlands Risen” and “Rising Netherlands”. The first position effectively means that the Netherlands has already risen, while the second qualification states that the Netherlands is still in the process of 'rising' in the post-war period. Philatelic evidence of an ongoing 'rising' can be found in the issues of the Churches in Wartime (nvph 556/60) and the Reconstruction 1950 issue (nvph 550/55). The reason? Should the proofs ever fall into the wrong hands (not entirely inconceivable: German inspectors regularly visited the Enschedé printing house), the stamps would not stand out in blue, green, and red with an incorrect issue name. The definitive orange color was only applied in the post-war period. The Liberation stamp was available from July 14, 1945. Liberation 1955: feelings of joy (preliminary draft) Graphic designer Co Westerik (1924 – 2018) created a design in 1955 for the 10th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In the cheerful and lively image, beneath a radiant sun, stands a joyfully happy mother (with raised hands) with a child on her shoulder holding up a small flag. This overly sentimental design of liberation joy was rejected. Westerik was unwilling to modify the design, a reasonably emotionally charged conceptual sketch. Dynamic and lively preliminary designs In the first design, the mythical creature from Greek mythology, the phoenix, rises from the ashes, while in the other design, a man with raised hands literally holds a flagpole with a fluttering flag (large-format version) with one hand and figuratively welcomes freedom with the other. In both preliminary designs, crosses appear in the background, symbolizing joy and sorrow in a metaphorical sense. These two sketches are narrative in character yet express feeling and vivid emotion too emphatically. Static and calming design In the post-war period of the 'Cold War' (1947–1991 between America and Russia), the choice of a weapon was self-evident. Hence, a symmetrical flaming sword ended up on the final Liberation stamp of 1955 (NVPH 660). The typography of the country name and title is designed in both horizontal and vertical directions on the three designs. The indication of the face value on the first two designs is lively and dynamic due to the slanted position. The face value of the approved stamp, on the other hand, was created in a soothing, static design, entirely in accordance with the balanced symmetrical arrangement of the sword. Liberation stamp 1985 On the 1985 65-cent Liberation stamp (NVPH 1331), exuberance and sadness are depicted in somber, dark, and lighter shades of gray. The photo on the left (by photographer Cas Oorthuys) shows a girl with two Canadian soldiers beside her on Liberation Day in Amsterdam. The three individuals are barely visible or recognizable in the particularly dark photograph. It is impossible to determine from the black silhouettes whether they possess a happy, cheerful, or elated expression. The middle photo shows the first legally published edition of the daily newspaper Parool. The photo on the right by Oorthuys shows gravestones from the American War Cemetery in Margraten, Limburg. Highlight of the 20th century: liberation On May 8, 1945, Canadian soldier William Roberts (part of the Seafort Highlanders of Canada) was riding a motorcycle through Diemen, driving liberation celebrants. Three wildly enthusiastic ladies managed to secure a seat on the back of the motorcycle in slow motion as the procession passed. Roberts: “I am very honored to have ended up on a Dutch stamp. I can still clearly remember being stationed in the Vondelpark.” After an intensive and laborious search, the name of the 84-year-old former soldier and liberator has emerged from anonymity. The Liberation of the Netherlands 1945 (Caribbean Netherlands Saba) The stamp sheet 'Kingdom of the Netherlands at War 1940 – 1945' with the subtitle 'The Liberation of the Netherlands 1945' (most likely a private Personal Stamp) contains 24 different stamps (in black and white or color versions). Each stamp depicts cheerful liberation celebrants in our country. The image on the ninth stamp corresponds to a stamp from the 'Highlight of the 20th Century' issue (nvph 1849). The stamps feature the numbers 40-45. The outlines of the numbers are orange, red, white, and blue. Which of the readers possesses this stamp sheet and additional background information? * Source: Newsletter Motor Philatelists Netherlands.