Press Photograph – Return of Flemish Children from Holiday Camps in Germany – Antwerp, September 1942

An original wartime press photograph depicting the return of hundreds of Flemish children to Antwerp after spending several months in German holiday camps during the Second World War.

The photograph captures a large gathering in front of a public building, with children and adults assembled while giving the contemporary German salute. A prominent banner reads:

“Wij begroeten onze verlofgangertjes die na 6 maanden gezond en levensblij terugkeeren.”
(“We welcome our holiday children who return healthy and full of life after six months.”)

The original Dutch press caption attached to the reverse states:

“Zaterdag 12 September zijn verschillende honderden Vlaamsche kinderen teruggekeerd te Antwerpen na een maandenlang verlof te hebben doorgebracht in de Germaansche kampen in Duitschland.”

The reverse bears the SADO Bruxelles press agency stamp and archive number, confirming its period press provenance. Such photographs document wartime youth exchanges and organized holiday programmes between occupied Belgium and Germany, making them valuable primary-source material for collectors and researchers of Belgian occupation history and WWII propaganda.

Condition: Good original condition with expected age-related wear, original press caption affixed to the reverse, archive punch holes, and agency markings. An excellent and historically significant original press photograph from occupied Belgium.