For many, VE Day is a joyful commemoration of peace’s return. However, for Coby Van Riel, a resident of Bracebridge Heath, it stirs a powerful and personal memory of survival. Now 92 years old, Coby recalls her terrifying childhood years spent in the Netherlands during the second World War. She took refuge in her uncle’s shop basement for three years and lived through the severe Hunger Winter of 1944 when food was severely limited. Once, a young Coby had no other choice but to confront a German soldier in a desperate attempt to procure food.
Salvation for Coby and many others came in the form of Operation Manna. This operation involved Lancaster Bombers from Lincolnshire dropping much-needed food supplies over the Netherlands. Coby, who now resides in Lincolnshire, holds a profound connection to those bombers. She frequently visits the International Bomber Command Centre – a place that beautifully encapsulates her past and present.
This story was originally reported by the BBC and subsequently adapted for the Lincoln Post.
