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23 May 1941 was one of the most remarkable days of Frits Philips’ life. The Philips group of companies had been in existence for fifty years, and in view of the circumstances the plan was to mark the anniversary in a simple and modest fashion. However, things turned out quite differently. That Monday, there was a spontaneous street parade in Eindhoven, notable both for its scale and the strength of emotion. Frits Philips was deeply moved. In his jubilee speech he, in turn, spoke words of encouragement to the head office personnel: ‘We need to show an interest in the lower office workers. Not in a condescending way, but genuine, heartfelt, man-to-man concern. I am not advocating sloppy, sentimental relationships – quite the reverse. The better I know someone, the better able I am to tell him the truth, and the more willing he will be to listen. A remark from a close friend goes far deeper than a remark from a just another colleague.’ On 6 December 1942 allied squadrons appeared for the first time
in the skies above Eindhoven. The ensuing air raid caused extensive
damage, to both the city center and the Philips factories. A bewildered
Frits Philips surveyed the damage. ‘It brought home to me the ruthlessness
of war. But I also realized that the battle against the Germans
had to be ruthless (…) That reconciled me to the infernal spectacle
of destruction.’ A second air raid followed on 30 March 1943. |
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