Catalogue information
Catalog no: PL1401.4y Winterhulp was founded on October 22, 1940 by Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart. According to the parlance, the assistance was aimed at the winter. The Winterhulp took the form of a foundation headed by a director-general who was answerable only to the Reichskommissar. The first director-general was Carel Piek (until 1 June) 1942 and the second (and last) Frederik Willem van Vloten (until the collapse of the Winterhulp after Mad Tuesday). A national honors committee and a finance oversight committee would assume administrative responsibility. Several secretaries-general and all eleven commissioners of the provinces took part in the honorary committee, Meinoud Rost van Tonningen was also a member of the honorary committee. The audit of the finances was led by the Secretary General of Finance, LJA Trip. All Dutch mayors were appointed as local directors. Every province had an office, in addition there were offices in the major cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. There were also 'circles', including in the Gelderse Vallei, and local branches, including in Maassluis. The head office had a departmental structure: there were departments for propaganda and information, organization, statistics, purchasing and finance. As a benefit, Winterhulp Nederland issued vouchers with which the recipient could buy food, clothing, shoes and fuel. All stores were obliged to accept the vouchers. It was forbidden to exchange the vouchers for cash. After applying, the WHN first checked whether people were eligible for vouchers.
This text has been translated automatically from Dutch
Click here for the original text