The front cover of the book was designed by the author using her watercolour painting of beach sand in which two outstanding footprints contain photos of Captain Koning and his ship in Amsterdam during winter together with the author, her mother and grandmother with the grandchildren during a visit to Holland prior to the war. The children, left to right, are: Marie (the author), Wim, Toni and Dina.  The heel contains a photo of Madrim, their faithful and long serving maid.

The footprints fade with time as depicted by the first poem in the book and the faded prints in the sand.

Related information dealing with Dutch maritime history during WWII and the controversial question of the acceptance of responsibilities by Japan of its actions during the 1940's, including some reference material, is available from the Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Womens Association.

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