Who has information about a certain Engelandvaarder Bob (or Robbert, Robert, Rob) Hummeling? According to two sources, Mr Hummeling left The Hague for England in February 1944, together with Hugo Wilmar.
Sources
Jan Woldijk told us in the interview that he helped Hugo Wilmar and a traveling companion on their way to Paris in February 1944. When asked, Mr. Woldijk mentions the name Bob Hummeling. Hugo Wilmar also mentions the name Bob Hummeling in his letter of 17 July 1945 from New York. In that letter he describes the fate of his traveling companion after the harsh journey from occupied territory to England:
(…) Huppelding (real name: Hummeling) followed me faithfully, although he came a little later. (He) sits at a small table in the mess hall at Camp Lejeune, collecting money from the officers who come to dinner. He also has to watch them closely to make sure they don't break, because a plate costs 15 cents and a mug costs a double. Now (he is as) fat as a toad (it looks like he has a toothache on both sides) so Bob is also doing his duty (...)

Hummeling's Timeline
Based on the two sources, it seems that Bob Hummeling stayed in the company of Hugo Wilmar during the period from February 1944 to (at least) April or May 1945. Somewhere between the departure from The Hague, the two temporarily lost touch.
Assumptions / Fact sheet Bob Hummeling
- Surname: Hummeling, also called Huppelding by his friends
- First name: Bob, or a variant thereof (Rob, Robbert, Robert, etc)
- stayed probably at the end of the war in the area of The Hague / Wassenaar
- Has probably completed the journey to England
- Has joined the Mariniersbrigade (Royal Netherlands Marine Corps)
- Is probably left for America in November 1944
- Has (part of) his training in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
- After Hugo left for Washington in February 1945, the roads separated between Hummeling and Wilmar
The stranger Engelandvaarder
The name Hummeling (or corruptions thereof) does not appear in the list with Engelandvaarders on Wikipedia. He is also unknown to the archives of the Museum Engelandvaarders. A cursory search in the archives of the NIOD and the NIMH have yielded no trace either.
Questions
We are very curious about the story of Bob Hummeling, and hope to learn more about the escape from occupied territory in 1944 and the training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, America in early 1945.
- How did Bob Hummeling come into contact with Jan Woldijk?
- How did Bob Hummeling get to England (October 1944) from Paris (June 1944)?
- What happened to Bob Hummeling after March 1945?
- Who can put us in touch with descendants of Bob Hummeling?
- Is there footage of Bob Hummeling?
All information is most welcome. If you know anything about Bob Hummeling, please do contact us via the form or send us an Email
All help questions:
Engelandvaarder Hummeling
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