When: Saturday November 9, 2019
Where: Stratford-Perth Archives, 4275 Huron Rd. (Highway 8)
Time: 2 – 4 pm
Admission: Free
Special Guest Speakers: Marianne Brandis and Bill Donaldson
Marianne Brandis – A well-known author of over fourteen books, Marianne Brandis will talk about This Faithful Book: A Diary for World War Two in the Netherlands. At its core is the diary that was kept by her mother, Madzy Brender à Brandis, during the last difficult and dangerous half of the war from 1942 to 1945.
Marianne has translated and edited the diary and provided background information for the reader. Marianne will be pleased to answer questions and will have copies of the book for anyone who wishes to purchase one.
Bill Donaldson – Bill is an expert on The Perth Regiment and an avid collector of military memorabilia concerning the local area which he will have at the archive for people to investigate.
Bill will outline the history of The Perth Regiment and delve into the stories of several local heroes and share their mementos.
This Faithful Book: A Diary from World War Two in the Netherlands
by Madzy Brender à Brandis
Translated and edited by Marianne Brandis
“This faithful book” was Madzy’s own phrase to refer to the diary that she wrote from 1942 to 1945, the last dreadful half of the Second World War. Madzy was a young mother with two small children, whose husband, Wim, was in a prisoner-of-war camp. Almost daily, for more than three years, she wrote a detailed and vivid chronicle of what it was like to be a civilian in the German-occupied Netherlands.
The diary has been translated and edited by Marianne Brandis, Madzy’s daughter, a Canadian author of many books, most of which have a strong historical element. For this book she wrote framing material – introduction, headnotes, footnotes, conclusion – to provide background and explanation.