Veteran Bill Pendell was overwhelmed when a huge mailbag full of birthday cards was delivered Sunday afternoon. A delegation of Eindhoven’s “18 September” Foundation went to London to deliver the bag personally.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” was the only thing Bill Pendell managed to say
This birthday card campaign was a surprise, organized by the Foundation. The Foundation organized this campaign specifically to celebrate the 97th birthday of one of the men who helped liberate Eindhoven.
As Eindhoven News mentioned before: Bill Pendell still travels to celebrate and commemorate September 18th in Eindhoven. In Eindhoven, he still shares his story with secondary school children.
The idea of Stichting 18 September was, to send Bill Pendell as many birthday cards as possible. In the end, over seven hundred people from Eindhoven took the trouble to write a card. Some even made a special personalized one.
Mayor Jorritsma wrote Mr. Pendell a personal letter and so did the Inspector General of the Armed Forces. Moreover, the mailbag included cards not just from Eindhoven. There are cards from all over the Netherlands; even from Germany and France.
With tears in his eyes and full of disbelief, Bill Pendell received all these cards and letters. “I’m just a bricklayer,” he said, finding it difficult to comprehend why he gets so much attention, “I wish I could’ve done more.”
Frank van Dijk of the Foundation considers the special mail-delivery nothing extraordinary: “When you see how much these men have done for us and still do, by continuing to tell their story, then it is a special treat to do something in return.”
Source: Studio 040
Translator: Kate
