The Winged Watchman

In 1962, less than two decades after the end of World War II, Hilda van Stockum published The Winged Watchman, a middle grade novel that realistically portrays the German occupation of Holland (now called the Netherlands). The story follows the Verhagen family as they live in and operate a windmill called the Watchman, where they hide those who are being pursued by the Nazis. The Verhagens’ young sons, Joris and Dirk Jan, also play a role in the resistance efforts. The novel employs a hopeful tone to explore themes such as The Importance of Making Ethical Choices, Creativity as a Survival Tactic, and Children’s Ability to Enact Change.

This guide refers to the 1995 Bethlehem Books print edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, graphic violence, animal cruelty, religious discrimination, and racism. Specifically, the text presents the Dutch tradition of a person appearing in blackface to represent St. Nicholas’s servant, Pieterbaas. The source text also makes use of the outdated term “Moor” to refer to this character.

Plot Summary

Using a third-person omniscient perspective, the novel depicts daily life in 1944 Holland, which is occupied by Nazi Germany during this time frame. The citizens of Holland must endure privations such as strict food rations, limited resources, and the constant threat of danger. The Verhagen family, who live in and operate a windmill called “the Watchman,” have two young boys: 10-year-old Joris and 14-year-old Dirk Jan. At the start of the summer, Joris rescues a puppy from the abusive de Wit boys, who are visiting the Schenderhanses’ farm. To ensure that the puppy remains safe, the family buys her from the Schenderhans family, and Joris names her Freya. While they are there, the Schenderhanses’ eldest son, Leendert, arrives and sneers at everyone, taunting his family and announcing that he is now a landwatcher who collaborates with and reports to the Germans.

One day, Leendert seizes a bicycle from a young girl named Reina, intending to give it to the Germans. Reina, who is secretly working as a courier to deliver illegal newspapers for the Dutch Underground (a resistance movement), throws her satchel of newspapers into the bushes to avoid discovery. She then attacks Leendert, who accidentally knocks her out and flees. Joris and Dirk Jan come to Reina’s aid and learn of her work for the Underground.

One day, Leendert’s younger brother, Hendrik, visits Joris because he wants to learn about the Watchman. After explaining how it works, Joris takes Hendrik on a boat ride down the canal, where they witness an aerial battle between German and British aviators. When a British bomber crashes, four parachutes trickle down as the pilots escape. The Germans unsuccessfully search for the pilots, and later, a nearby farmer named Mr. Poot is arrested along with his son for hiding three of the pilots. Joris remembers that there were four parachutes, and while he is out scavenging for mushrooms, he discovers the fourth aviator, Charles King, hiding in “the Giant,” an old, abandoned mill near the Schenderhans family’s property. Joris agrees to find food for the man.

In the past, Joris has heard his family tell stories of the famous Kees Kip, a leader of the Underground. He also recalls his own mother’s bravery when their neighbors the Groens were deported and chose to leave their infant daughter, Trixie, behind in her care so that the girl would survive. Reflecting on these role models, Joris decides not to tell anyone about Charles. However, when he sneaks out to deliver food to the pilot, Dirk Jan follows. Later, Joris learns that Leendert has been searching for the fourth aviator, so he reveals everything to his parents. When his uncle Cor, who works for the Underground, arrives and learns of Charles, he goes with the boys to bring the pilot to safety. That Sunday, Charles dresses as a woman and accompanies a disguised Cor, who helps him escape the area. 

Meanwhile, starvation is forcing many people into the countryside to beg for food. When the Germans demand that the residents turn over their dogs, Joris and Dirk Jan find a way to keep Freya safe. Two girls, Koba and Betsy, come to live with the Verhagens while their parents go into hiding elsewhere. 

One day, while assisting Uncle Cor with his resistance activities, Dirk Jan relays a coded message about the need to move the rendezvous for a planned weapons drop from the city of Leyden to the fields nearby. The resistance uses the windmills’ arms to relay coded messages across the countryside, and Dirk Jan uses his ingenuity to evade and outwit German soldiers in order to ensure that this latest coded message is delivered. On his way home, he hitches a ride in a truck. After a plane guns down a German lorry, the driver of the truck rescues an escaped prisoner named Hildebrand, whom Dirk Jan invites to stay with his family.

After a successful weapons drop, matters become more desperate across the countryside, but despite the hardship, the Verhagens enjoy their time together every evening. Meanwhile, rain pummels the region, and the newer windmills cannot pump the water out because of an electricity shortage. Farmers ask Mr. Verhagen for help because the Watchman is not based on electric power. A committee decides to pierce the dike so that the floods from the nearby polder (area of land) will flow toward the Watchman, allowing it to pump out the excess water.

Once the rain recedes and the polders are drained, the Verhagens learn that Uncle Cor has been captured and killed; they also learn that he was the legendary Kees Kip. 

When spring arrives, the Germans’ occupation of Holland comes to an end, and as Canadian troops arrive to liberate the locals, everyone rejoices. People return home, and Trixie’s mother, Mrs. Groen, survives the concentration camps and returns to reunite with her daughter. The Verhagens reflect on their gratitude for all that they have.