Netty's Diaries

A suitcase full of stories.

This book tells the inspiring story of two young people from Haarlem who, independently of each other, were active in the resistance during the Second World War. Their diaries and notes, discovered years later, reveal their courage, how they found each other after the war, and their life together afterwards. Help share this unique piece of history and let the book be published in 2025, exactly 80 years after the liberation!A story that deserves to be written down.

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A story that deserves to be written down.

Netty was a courier for the Female Corps of the Dutch Resistance, while Herman joined the Dutch Resistance and was a weapons instructor. After the liberation, they met, fell in love and married in 1948, after which they had four children together and built two successful companies.

After their death, their children found a suitcase full of diaries, newspaper clippings and resistance memorabilia, which provided a unique insight into their lives during the war. Their daughter is now working on a book to preserve their story and is looking for donors to realize this special project, with the aim of publication in 2025, exactly 80 years after the liberation.

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Netty's dagboeken...

1.     Help us to capture this story forever.

This special project deserves to be published, so that the history of that time can be preserved for future generations. We need your support to realize this extensive book. We are looking for donors to raise the necessary money, so that the book can be produced and published.

Would you like to contribute to the creation of this book?

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Vraag maar raak

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I donate?

By donating, you help preserve an important piece of history. The book tells the inspiring story of Netty Offers and Herman Mulder, two resistance fighters from Haarlem, and provides a unique insight into daily life during the Second World War. Your support ensures that this story can be shared with future generations, exactly 80 years after the liberation.

What happens to my donation?

Your donation will be used to produce and publish the book. It covers costs such as editing, design, printing and distribution, so that this special project can become a reality.

Who was Netty Offers?

Netty Offers was a young woman who joined the resistance during the war as a courier for the “Vrouwelijk Korps Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Female Corps of the Interior Forces). 
She is part of exhibition De Vele Gezichten van Vrouwen in Verzet” (The Many Faces of Women in Resistance” in the Noord-Hollands Archief (North-Holland Archives) in Haarlem. She kept five diaries, filled with stories, newspaper clippings and resistance news, which provide a unique view of life under occupation.

Who was Herman Mulder?

Herman Mulder was a young man from Haarlem who became a weapons instructor in the Dutch Resistance. He hid weapons under his bed and actively participated in the resistance against the German occupier. Herman was later decorated with the “Verzetsherdenkingskruis” (Resistance Commemoration Cross).

Who is the author of the book?

The book is written by Netty and Herman's eldest daughter, Mirjam Vrees-Mulder. She uses the found material, including diaries, agendas and resistance memorabilia, to reconstruct their story.

Who is publishing the book?

The book is published independently with the help of donations. Your contribution makes it possible to realize this extensive work and to make the stories of Netty and Herman accessible to a wide audience.

When will the book be released?

The book is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2025, a fitting time to celebrate 80 years of Freedom.

When will I receive my copy of the book?

If you pre-order the book via a donation, you will receive it immediately after publication in the spring of 2025. Donors will be kept informed of the progress and the exact delivery date.

Antoinette (Netty) Offers

Netty Offers, 17 years old at the outbreak of the war, works as a ticket clerk at Haarlem station. She takes part in the Railway Strike in September 1944 and then joins the Female Corps of the Internal Armed Forces (V.K.B.S.). She is a courier.

Thanks to the documents she kept from her employer the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railway Company), she can travel freely and continue her work despite the occupier.

From May 1941 onwards, she keeps five diaries, filled with 800 pages of stories, newspaper clippings and resistance news, which provide a unique view of her life and the resistance during the war.

Herman Mulder

Herman worked for various jewelers and watch shops during the war years, but returned to Haarlem in 1943 and joined an Ordedienst (O.D.), later part of the Dutch Resistance.

His father, police officer Herman Sr., was also in the resistance, while Herman Jr., as a weapons instructor, kept stenguns, pistols and hand grenades hidden under his bed. 

In 1945 he kept a diary with concise notes, often corresponding to Netty's detailed diaries, with which he described the same events during the Hunger winter of 1944/1945.