The stark black and white image of a sad little boy sitting on a pile of sacks in front of sign indicating the direction of Luxembourg and Echternach haunted Dutch researcher, Joey van Meesen. The photo was part of a collection of Lee Miller, an American female war correspondent who documented many aspects of World War II. In researching the photograph, van Meesen found out that the child’s name was Raymond Melchers and the image was taken just behind the front line in the village of Bech, Luxembourg.
For several years, van Meesen has been producing WW2 mini-documentaries and videos featuring “Then and Now” shots from Europe on his YouTube channel SNAFU DOCS. Captivated by the idea that the little boy in the photo could still be alive, he set out on a quest to film his search. Raymond Melchers was around the age of seven, 77 years ago in war-torn Luxembourg. This meant that van Meesen would be searching for an older man nearly 84 years old.
The film is captivating as the young researcher starts out with very little clues searching for the old man.
Watch “The Quest to Find this Little Boy – WWII Then & Now” mini-documentary below: