The boy who saved the community by sticking his finger in a dyke

In the Dutch town of Haarlem is a statue dedicated to the boy who stuck his finger in a dyke to save the community from the ravages of the encroaching sea.

Statue of the boy with his finger in the dyke.

The story goes that a young boy noticed a leak in a dyke (a dyke is a man-made wall that functions as a water control structure – they are vital in the Netherlands which lies largely below sea level, see The Dutch Sea Land (Zeeland) post ).  The boy stuck his finger in the hole which stopped the leak and spent all night alone in the cold waiting for help.  It was only the next day that the boy was found by the grateful townsfolk who repaired the dyke and averted tragedy.

It is but a story,  but the statue is dedicated to the Dutch youth to honor the boy who symbolizes the perpetual struggle of Holland against the water.