--- title: "Civilians" description: "From all over Europe, a collection of stories about the violence of war, hunger, despair as well as hope and determination during the Second World War" url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/civilians" date: "2026-07-27T17:54:05+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/frontpageslideshow/d-day-normandy-beyond-civilians-ww2.jpg) # Civilians during WW2 ## Staying alive through the course of the war Stories about the human side of war [](#) [](#) - [Civilians during WW2](#) #### WW2 through the eyes of the general public What was WW2 like for civilians? What did such a conflict do to people living in the occupied countries? What did they went trough? What was it like for them? On this page you will find a growing list of stories and memories of regular people living through WW2 who will give you the answer. I hope this page will become a valuable educational collection of stories about what kind of effect ww2 had on the men, women and children living through it. The stories are unedited and it is in the words of the men and women who have contributed to my project. We are now at 3 stories. Add your story too The list is layed out up in such a way that the stories that are on top are the new or updated stories. Add your story too If you have a story about WW2 experiences to share, please contact me. Any story about WW2 is welcome. Not just the military personnel but also the civilian stories must be remembered. --- [ Get in touch with me ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact#contact) - All - British - Dutch - French [ ![Raymond Paris](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/2a/raymond_paris-2a64b6c0.jpg?src=images/civilians/french/raymond_paris/raymond_paris.jpg&thumbnail=380,275,&hash=c668c056) ### Raymond Paris Nationality: French My name is Raymond Paris I was born January 17th 1924, in Saint-Lo France. I came to Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the… Read their story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/civilians/raymond-paris) [ ![Ben Kerkhoff](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/a2/ben_kerkhoff001-a2273404.jpg?src=images/civilians/dutch/ben_kerkhoff/ben_kerkhoff001.jpg&thumbnail=380,275,&hash=ab3b712b) ### Ben Kerkhoff Nationality: Dutch I was born in 1928, and at the beginning of the war I was 12 years old. I lived, as an only child, with my pa… Read their story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/civilians/ben-kerkhoff) [ ![Margaret Hofman](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/c5/margaret_001-c5ecf96d.jpg?src=images/civilians/british/margaret_hofman/margaret_001.jpg&thumbnail=380,275,&hash=13cd1e97) ### Margaret Hofman Nationality: British My war started when I was about three months old. My Dad had been called up into the army and my mother had b… Read their story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/civilians/margaret-hofman) #### Cite this historical page I aim to provide accurate, open-access accurate historical records. If you are using this content for academic research, articles or educational projects, please use the citation below to credit this source. Click the button below to copy the direct URL for your research or citations. ![ Cite this historical page ](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/ea/d-day-normandy-beyond-location-eae699e4.png?src=images/misc/d-day-normandy-beyond-location.png&thumbnail=250,250,&hash=0288886f) #### Help to share this page on social media The stories on my website are meant to educate people about WW2. You can help by sharing them with your family and friends on your social platforms. Thank you so much for your assistance. - [](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.normandy1944.info%2Fstories%2Fcivilians.md&text=) - [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.normandy1944.info%2Fstories%2Fcivilians.md) - [](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.normandy1944.info%2Fstories%2Fcivilians.md) - [](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.normandy1944.info%2Fstories%2Fcivilians.md)