Authors / Selma van de Perre

Selma van de Perre

Selma van de Perre

© Chris van Houts

Selma van de Perre (b. 1922) was a member of the Dutch resistance organization TD Group during WWII. Shortly after the war she moved to London, where she worked for the BBC and met her future husband, the Belgian journalist Hugo van de Perre. For a number of years she also worked as foreign correspondent for a Dutch television station. In 1983 Selma van de Perre received the Dutch Resistance Commemoration Cross. She lives in London and has a son.

 

Recent title – English material will be available soon

Mijn naam is Selma – (My name is Selma), 2020

Excerpt:

‘While I was still half visible the Aufseherin came over and she said I had to hurry up. She pulled me along outside by my arm and ordered me to follow the others to the train station. This slight delay nevertheless worked in my favour because I was pushed into the last wagon, where there still weren’t that many women seated. The other wagons were bursting and the poor women inside, including my friends from the camp, Wil, Thea and Gusta, travelled for two days in terrible conditions. In my wagon there were twelve, fourteen or so women, none of whom I knew. Many of them turned out to be prostitutes who had been imprisoned so that they could be treated for venereal diseases. They had been working in the kitchen and had managed to haul a large suitcase with bread and sausage and a drum of thick soup on board. To me that seemed a great stroke of luck; I knew the other wagons wouldn’t have these provisions. But these women didn’t seem to appreciate how fortunate they were, they began bickering about the food.’