German workers received a pound of coffee for Christmas; Dutch staff later received a rixdollar…
While one of the German girls employed at a textile factory in Aalten was recently the cause of a sensational incident (she defaced the Dutch flag with a swastika), German textile workers in Aalten have once again been the catalyst for an event that has caused quite a stir in the quiet village, as two textile factories were involved.
Sixteen German girls are employed at a textile factory in Dijkstraat. As Christmas approached, they began to ponder a surprise they could provide for their relatives across the border. It had to be coffee, was the general opinion!
Girls at work at the Driessen textile factory, Hofstraat. Photo for illustrative purposes.
The German girls enlisted the help of a staff member from Aalten, who knew just how to manage it. He, in turn, went to a businessman who proved able and willing to supply 16 pounds of coffee—one pound for each of the German girls. That evening, the girls cheerfully headed home by bus with their coffee. However, on that same bus were 19 female workers from a textile factory in Hofstraat.
Understandably, they were none too pleased that their friends could take coffee home for “Weihnachten” while they could not. The matter was promptly raised the following day with the management in Hofstraat. They felt they could do little else but promise each of their German workers a pound of coffee as well. And the 19 pounds of coffee indeed materialised.
But the difficulties did not end there! The Dutch staff had caught wind of the Christmas gift and now began to demand coffee too. After all, coffee is an item that has been very scarce in this country of late. The management of the Hofstraat factory restored industrial peace by giving every staff member a bonus of ƒ2.50. With that, the whole matter seemed to be settled.
However, with so many people involved, it was almost inevitable that the police and the C.C.D. (Central Investigation Service) would hear of the case. The latter has since launched an investigation, which has already led to an official report (proces-verbaal) being filed against the management of the textile factory in Hofstraat. A second report followed for the granting of a bonus without the permission of the Board of Government Mediators. An official report has also been filed against the shopkeeper involved.
We understand that the reason the German girls were able to export the coffee is that the Dutch customs, contrary to standing orders, allowed the coffee to pass; it was apparently assumed that it could be exported freely as long as its value was below ƒ15. The German customs had already promised the German girls that they would make an exception in view of the approaching Christmas holiday.
It was 1949 and the Scholten family, consisting of father Hendrik Willem Scholten, mother Grada Everdina Scholten-Kemink and their twelve (!) children, lived on “Lankhof” farm in Barlo. Of the twelve children, seven boys and five girls, the eldest was 22 and the youngest 7 years old.
Son Roelof, born in 1940, recalled in a 2015 interview the nervousness that prevailed in the family during World War II. It was a very dangerous time. They also hid people in the attic. The Germans often came to check if they could find anyone. When bombs fell at night, they all went to the air-raid shelter and protected themselves as best they could.
After the war, the Scholten couple felt the desire to seek their fortune in Canada, not primarily for their own future, but especially for that of their children. A major reason was the population growth in the Netherlands; the country was becoming full!
In the Achterhoek, too, almost all available land had already been brought into cultivation. While it was customary for the eldest son to take over his father’s farm, the other sons were unable to start their own businesses due to a lack of agricultural land. If they wanted to spread their wings, they had to seek their fortune elsewhere.
In 1949, the Scholten family decided to take the plunge and emigrate to Canada. Hendrik Willem leased out the business in Barlo, because you never knew. In case they became homesick, it was good not to burn all their bridges behind them.
Aaltensche Courant, 11 March 1949Lankhof farm in Barlo
The long journey
In the night from Sunday to Monday, March 7, 1949, the Scholten couple departed from Barlo with twelve children by train to Rotterdam. It was the first part of the long journey they still had ahead of them. For the move, they took an army truck and a trailer. On it were three wooden containers with their remaining possessions.
During the course of the morning, they embarked on the “Prinses Beatrix”, the ferry to Harwich. They were part of a group of 220 people from all parts of the country. They were mainly farmers with their families, who were going to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
RMS Aquitania
From Harwich, they traveled further by train to London, where the enterprising group stayed overnight. Then they went by ship to Southampton to transfer there to the “Aquitania”, a large passenger ship of the Cunard White Star Line.
The “Aquitania” was a 46,000-ton ship and was, after the “Queen ships”, also of the Cunard White Star Line, the largest ship in the world. It could carry 1,500 passengers and the crossing to Halifax in Canada took about six days. It was the only steamship in the world with four funnels. A minor detail? Certainly not! There was a time when emigrants insisted on sailing on ships with many funnels. Some travel agencies showed prospective travelers photos where an extra funnel had been added to a ship… The more funnels, the greater the safety, believed the inexperienced emigrants.
In any case, the 220 Dutch people in tourist class, with small dormitories for six to twelve people, would have a decent crossing. From Halifax, the Scholten family would then have to spend another five days on the train to reach their destination via Medicine Hat and Lethbridge: the town of Picture Butte in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Destination reached
The Scholten family arrived in Picture Butte by train on March 18. It was very cold. Upon arrival, it seemed as if all 500 residents of the town were present. Perhaps they thought World War III was starting when an army truck rolled out of the train car. They settled in two barracks just north of Picture Butte, on the farm of J.E. Lawlor.
The conditions in those barracks were not ideal. It was just as cold inside as it was outside. Father and mother slept in one of the barracks, which also contained the kitchen. The children all slept in the other barrack. Father placed double beds on top of each other with about 60 centimeters between them. The girls slept on one side and the boys on the other. There was a dressing area at the front.
Roelof & Diny Scholten, 2016
In the beginning, it was difficult. The wage was about $0.25 per hour. Father and mother worried a lot in those years about how they could buy enough food for the family. Although the local supermarkets, Woodruff and Stella-Lacey, were very helpful. They could buy on credit there and sometimes they even received something for free. But in the winter, there was very little work. The boys went to Burmis and worked there at the lumber yard. Even though they earned hardly any money, they at least had a place to stay, clothing, and food.
About three years after arriving in Canada, the Scholten family moved to another farm, just east of Picture Butte. They stayed there for a year and grew beets. Then, in 1953, Hendrik Willem bought a farm about seven kilometers from Picture Butte, with about 130 hectares of land. Roelof went to school in Picture Butte and also helped his father on the farm. Some of his brothers also became farmers, and some chose other professions. Two became teachers and moved to another part of Alberta. Roelof remained on his parents’ farm and helped his father with the farming work.
The Exodus of Dutch emigrants to Canada does not seem to be coming to an end for the time being. All these people are here squeezed out of their narrow boundaries and swallowed up by the great country on the other side of the ocean, with its enormous surface area, for whom this population growth is no more than a drop in a bucket.
It is a strong belief in a good future and an indestructible enthusiasm for Canada with its enormous opportunities that stimulates the departure of these Dutch farmers. But it is also the spirit of their forefathers, the pioneers of the East and the West, that lives on in these tough workers of polder land and field and in which the true tractor’s blood of the Dutchman does not deny itself.
Emigrant ship ‘Tabinta’
Saying goodbye
Every time a ship with emigrants leaves and we witness this departure, we are reminded of the well-known saying: “To say goodbye is to die a little.” Because for most of these emigrants, this departure means a forever farewell to the country where they once stood. And since it is not the worst part of our people that emirates, the departure is felt as a loss.
A lot of heart-touching scenes often take place here. Weeping mothers who can only tear themselves away from their sons with difficulty when they have to embark, but also fathers who say goodbye to their children with tears in their eyes, while the other family members usually have difficulty controlling themselves. This is not an exaggerated sentimentality. Rather, it is a demonstration of affection that leaves nothing to be desired in terms of authenticity.
This time it is the “Tabinta” of the Mij. The Netherlands, which will bring a large contingent of emigrants to Canada. It is the second departure in a month to Canada, proof that progress is starting to be made in the implementation of the emigration plans. This year they hope to bring 10,000 people to Canada with the “Kota Inten” and the “Tabinta” and next year they even want to double this number.
Today is a particularly beautiful day for sailing. The emigrants have come to Rotterdam from all parts of the country and the Achterhoek is also represented.
People
Hendrik Winkelhorst from Aalten wants to take the big step and look for a livelihood in Canada. His wife Grada goes with him, of course, as do the three children: Willemien, Arie and Wim. Their destination is Ontario and they arrive at a mixed farm of 50 hectares. Hendrik has abandoned his brother, where he has been working as a driver lately, and he hopes to exchange his car for a tractor there. Here in Holland it became too scary for him. Too much bureaucracy. Things will get better in Canada, he believes. He will write to his family members when things are going well for him, but also when things are going badly for him. However, he is in good spirits. What others succeed in, he will also succeed.
The 22-year-old Albert te Winkel from Barlo meets us with a cheerful smile. He is not the least impressed by this departure. The Oosterink farm in Barlo will now have to do without him. He worked there for no less than 41/2 years. So he knows how to get things done, by the way he is one of ten at home and then you learn that early on, he says. He does not yet know at which farmer he will be put to work there. He does know the destination and that is West Meath, in Ontario. He also tells us that he will look for a wife in Canada. He thinks there are enough of them there. We wish him every success with this.
De Graafschapper, 9 April 1948
Blacksmith Klein Nibbelink from Bredevoort abandoned his forge today – to escort his son Hendrik out. Hendrik is already on the ship, but his father tells us that Hendrik is 24 years old and had his own company in Bredevoort. Henry saw little future here, but hopes to find it in Duchess in Alberta. Hendrik is not married yet, so he only has to take care of himself. Father Nibbelink believes that he will succeed.
Jan Hendrik Geurkink of the Krosenbrink in Miste, is the Benjamin of the Achterhoekers. He is only 18 years old, has worked at home on the farm and attended agricultural school. It is getting too stuffy for him here and although he is still very young, he wants to try it in Canada. His sister is not so sure that this will work, but in this case he can always come back, she says. Moreover, Jan Geurkink comes to the same farm as Hendrik Klein Nibbelink. There is plenty of work for both of them, because it is a mixed farm of 285 hectares.
There is also a person in hiding from Aalten on the boat. It is Maarten Schinkelshoek from Rotterdam, who had been in hiding in Aalten for a long time on the farm of the Wed. Luiten, “‘t Olde Mulder“. He learned a lot there and wants to put that into practice in Canada. He has already made friends with the other boys from Aalten. The three of them get along quite well.
Farewell!!
Around 5 o’clock the “Tabinta” blows its steam whistle for the third time. This is the signal to leave. When the ship detaches itself from the quay, the Wilhelmus is played. As always, a solemn and moving moment, which the emigrants will not easily forget. Slowly the distance between the ship and the people left behind increases, until it disappears from sight forever. There they go, into the distances unknown to them. Our best wishes accompany them in this.
Our region has once again paid its toll on emigration. Several other Achterhoekers left for Canada with the Tabinta, but it was not possible for us to have a personal interview with all of them, nor did we have the names of all the Achterhoek emigrants at our disposal.
Do you have interesting stories about family members who emigrated from Aalten to Canada? Send us a message!
Young farming couple Ter Horst-Somsen saw no future in the Netherlands
On June 8, 1918, Johan Hendrik ter Horst was born on the Egelsmaat farm in the rural district of Lintelo, near Aalten. Everdina Geertruida (Dien) Somsen was born on 6 November 1918 on the Olde Kleuver farm in the district Haart, also near Aalten. On April 1, 1948, Johan and Dien married in Aalten.
The young couple wanted to farm, but there was no room for them on either family farm – the older brothers took over the farm, as usual. So they had to find another farm, but that turned out not to be easy. When they were selected for a farm in the polder, they saw only one choice: to emigrate.
Shortly after their marriage, the young couple left for Canada by ship on June 4, 1948. They settled in the area around Chatham and Wilkesport, in the province of Ontario. There they ran a dairy farm during their working lives. Their marriage remained childless.
Dien died in 2004 and was given her final resting place in the cemetery of Wallaceburg, Ontario. Johan followed her in 2013 and was buried with his wife.
Aaltensche Courant, 4 June 1948Photo: A. VrieselaarPhoto: A. VrieselaarPhoto: A. VrieselaarPhoto: Findagrave
Do you have interesting stories about family members who emigrated from Aalten to Canada? Send us a message!
A few months ago, Johan Hoftiezer from the Aaltense Heurne was still working in the Noordoostpolder, and around that time his cousin Jan Hoftiezer, also from the Heurne, was still quietly milking the cows of farmer Westerveld from IJzerlo. Now, these two Aalten boys are looking at the black and white lines of the “Nieuw Amsterdam,” the flagship of the Holland-America Line, which will take them to America. On the occasion of their departure, both Hoftiezer families from “Meirika” and “‘t Oude Hondorp” came from Aalten to Rotterdam by bus last Friday to see Johan and Jan off.
The ‘Nieuw Amsterdam’ of the Holland-America Line
They stand somewhat awkwardly on the Wilhelminakade, marveling at the immense dimensions of this proud sea castle that will soon carry their two relatives to the other side of the ocean, to America, the land of unlimited possibilities. With hands above their heads, they peer over the waters of the Maas, which cuts Rotterdam in two like a silver snake, and their eyes seek out the busy shipping traffic on Rotterdam’s great river. Meanwhile, embarkation is in full swing, and Jan and Johan also prepare to go on board. “It is not easy,” says mother Hoftiezer, “to give up your child, but it is for his future and there are many more opportunities there.”
A moment later, we also go on board, as we wish to ask Johan and Jan a few more questions. Through a labyrinth of corridors and stairs, we finally reach the boat deck and find our future emigrants there. Johan worked in the Noordoostpolder for 2½ years. “It was good there,” he says, “but it would have taken another 5 or 6 years before I would have been eligible to lease a farm, and in Aalten you certainly stand no chance.”
Jan has always been a farmhand but has never sought work as far away as his cousin. “During the war I had to go into hiding, and after the war I worked in IJzerlo. Of course, I have no chance here in Holland either. We are not married and not even engaged, so we are not leaving behind weeping wives or fiancées.”
They further tell us that they are going to Woodstock, in the state of Minnesota. They previously corresponded with the Kruisselbrink family, who used to live at “Groot Kappers” and who have acted as their guarantors. They will be employed on a mixed farm of 200 hectares. “That is at least a bit larger than back home, because we only have 7 hectares at home,” Johan says laconically.
When the bell rings, visitors must leave the ship, and we take our leave of the two cousins. “Give everyone in Aalten our regards via the newspaper,” Johan asks, and we confirm this. Slowly, two tugboats begin to pull the colossus toward the middle of the river. Those staying behind on the quay wave scarves and handkerchiefs, and the “Nieuw Amsterdam” disappears into a haze of smoke. For the two Aalten boys, the journey to America has begun. They will have to work hard there, but we are convinced that they will uphold the name of their village, Aalten, in Minnesota. Safe travels, a prosperous voyage, and much success is wished to them.
Passenger card ‘Nieuw Amsterdam’, Albert J. Hoftiezer
Passenger card ‘Nieuw Amsterdam’, Gerrit J. Hoftiezer
The memorial for people in hiding (Onderduikersmonument) on Stationsstraat is an expression of gratitude from those who were once in hiding to the people of Aalten for their hospitality, and to the members of the Resistance who were the driving force behind finding accommodation for them.
The monument consists of a brick memorial wall with a fountain. A bronze plaque and two sculpted fragments of natural stone are set into the memorial wall.
The monument was unveiled on 4 October 1947 by Mrs D.G. Wikkerink-Eppink, the wife of Resistance leader Hendrik Jan (Ome Jan) Wikkerink.
The text on the plaque reads (translated from Dutch):
PRESENTED TO THE MUNICIPALITY OF AALTEN BY PERSONS IN HIDING WHO DURING THE YEARS OF OCCUPATION 1940-1945 FOUND A SAFE HAVEN HERE.
The sculpted fragments bear the text of Psalm 91:5 and 6.
The text of the left fragment reads:
THOU SHALT NOT BE AFRAID FOR THE TERROR BY NIGHT, NOR FOR THE ARROW THAT FLIETH BY DAY; NOR FOR THE PESTILENCE THAT WALKETH IN DARKNESS, NOR FOR THE DESTRUCTION THAT WASTETH AT NOONDAY.
The text of the right fragment reads:
FOR HE SHALL COVER THEE WITH HIS FEATHERS, AND UNDER HIS WINGS SHALT THOU TRUST.
The sculpture on the left depicts three studded boots belonging to the barbarian horde, threatening to trample a young, sprouting fruit. This symbolises the overwhelming force and occupation, portraying the vulnerability of young life that continues to germinate despite the danger. The fragment on the right depicts a pelican with outspread wings, protecting its nest and young. The pelican is a Christian symbol of total self-sacrifice; according to legend, the bird feeds its young with its own blood. It symbolises the contribution of the resistance in the struggle against the occupier. The waning swastika in the background represents the transience of the threat.
Evert Jan van Schaik (1881–1947) was a doctor in Aalten from 1912 to 1946. He was renowned for his expertise, dedication and humility, always prioritising the welfare of his patients and the community. Van Schaik remained unmarried and passed away in 1947 at the age of 65.
Evert Jan van Schaik was born on 30 November 1881 in Wapenveld, in the municipality of Heerde, the son of Paul van Schaik, a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, and Maria van de Kamp. Due to his father’s profession, the family relocated several times during his early childhood: first to Hoofddorp (1882), then to Middelharnis (1884) and later to Nieuw-Lekkerland (1890).
After completing primary school, Evert Jan attended the Reformed Gymnasium in Amsterdam. He subsequently studied medicine at the Municipal University of Amsterdam, where he obtained his medical degree in 1912.
Doctor in Aalten
On 9 December of that same year, 1912, he settled in Aalten, taking over the general practice of Doctor Van Leuven, who had passed away shortly before. Initially, he resided at the De Roskam hotel on the Landstraat. A few years later, he moved to the former Roman Catholic presbytery on the Dijkstraat, where four of his unmarried sisters later came to live with him.
Much like his predecessor, Doctor Van Schaik quickly gained appreciation for his expertise and commitment. He enjoyed the deep trust of his patients and built a solid reputation. His approach to his work was characterised by thorough conscientiousness. He took almost no holidays, running his practice for years on end without even considering taking time off.
Although he dedicated himself almost entirely to his medical practice, he also took an interest in church and state affairs. This interest was backed by extensive knowledge, though he chose not to seek the spotlight.
Recognition and Final Years
In 1937, on the occasion of his silver jubilee as a general practitioner in Aalten, a committee formed by local residents organised a celebration in his honour. Van Schaik was praised for his faithful devotion and quiet strength, as someone who never sought prominence but always put his patients and the community first. His great humility made him a beloved figure to many.
However, the demanding practice took a heavy toll on his strength. A few years after his jubilee, he received assistance from Doctor D.N. Visser. As his health declined, Van Schaik gradually handed over more of his workload. In January 1946, he retired from his medical duties permanently, at which point Doctor Visser took over the practice entirely.
Evert Jan van Schaik passed away in Aalten on 18 June 1947 at the age of 65. He was laid to rest at the Berkenhove cemetery.
Dr. Evert Jan van Schaik (1881–1847)De Graafschapper, 11 December 1912Aaltensche Courant, 20 June 1947
The list below contains emigrants from the municipality of Aalten who emigrated to Canada , most of them after the Second World War. Some of them have since died. We try to find their grave on findagrave.com as much as possible. This list is far from complete. Work in progress, errors reserved, additions and corrections are welcome!
The Oosterkerk in Aalten houses a monumental stained-glass window dating from 1946. The window was gifted by a committee from the Reformed Church of Rotterdam-Kralingen, on behalf of the churches and the Jewish community, as a token of thanks for the assistance provided by the people of Aalten during World War II to those in hiding (onderduikers), Jewish fellow citizens, the starving, and hundreds of children from Rotterdam.
Rev. Thomas Delleman (1898–1977)
Thomas Delleman (1898–1977) served as a minister in Aalten from 1930 to 1938 before moving to Rotterdam-Kralingen. Following the Bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940, he took the initiative to arrange for children from his new parish to stay in Aalten for a holiday. During the war years, a total of approximately 800 children from Rotterdam were taken in by host families in Aalten.
Delleman contributed in other ways as well. He ensured that young men wishing to evade the Arbeitseinsatz (forced labour) could go into hiding in Aalten. Furthermore, in 1943, around 500 evacuees from Scheveningen were accommodated in Aalten. During the ‘Hunger Winter’, trains carrying food regularly departed from Aalten for the west of the country.
This dedication made a profound impression in Rotterdam and led to the formation of a committee after the liberation to thank the people of Aalten.
Origin of the Commemorative Window
Initially, the intention was to place the window in the Westerkerk, as more than forty young men had been arrested there during a roundup (razzia) in 1944. However, all the windows in the Oosterkerk had been shattered after a V1 rocket landed nearby in January 1945. Consequently, it was decided to install the window in the Oosterkerk instead.
The window was designed by the Rotterdam artist Marius Richters (1878–1955) and executed by glazier Henri van Lamoen (1900–1949). With a height of eight metres and a width of over three metres, it is one of the largest stained-glass windows in the Achterhoek. Richters utilised bold colours and clear, almost narrative scenes that express both the threat of war and the warmth of the relief efforts.
The window was installed in the front facade of the Oosterkerk and officially unveiled by Rev. Delleman on 13 July 1946. The ceremony was broadcast live on the radio by the NCRV.
Design
The window is over eight metres high and three metres wide, set within a trifora.
Commemorative Window in the Oosterkerk, Aalten
At the top: The coat of arms of the Netherlands with the motto “Je maintiendrai”. Below this is the Dutch Maiden, holding the flag in her right hand and a burning torch in her left. On either side stand a farmer and a bricklayer, referring to the post-war reconstruction.
Central: A farmer and his wife, symbolising the people of Aalten, surrounded by children and a person in hiding. From both sides, German soldiers with bayonets march into the scene.
Bottom left: Emaciated women and children pleading for help.
Bottom right: A group of people who have been helped, returning home supplied with foodstuffs.
Bottom centre: The coat of arms of Aalten featuring the linden tree and the coat of arms of the House of Orange, with a scroll reading: “Uit dankbaarheid voor hulp in oorlogstijd, soli Deo gloria” (In gratitude for help in wartime, to God alone the glory). Biblical texts are incorporated elsewhere in the window.
In 1947, two side windows were added to either side of the main window. These feature the symbols of the four Evangelists, images of Moses and Isaiah, and at the bottom, the coats of arms of Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Kralingen, and a Star of David.
At the base of the side windows are lines of verse by Muus Jacobse (pseudonym of the poet Klaas Heeroma):
Maar als ik leven mag tot de bevrijding en juichen op het overwinningsfeest, God, doe mij dan dit weten, wat voorbijging aan nood en leed is niet vergeefs geweest.
(But if I may live until the liberation and rejoice at the victory feast, God, then let me know this: that the hardship and suffering which passed was not in vain.)
Current Status
The commemorative window can still be seen in the Oosterkerk. When the church was repurposed as a residential care location in 2021, it was formally agreed that the window would be preserved. This ensures the window remains not only an artwork of exceptional scale but also a lasting war monument and a tangible reminder of the aid and hospitality offered by Aalten during World War II.
Now that the emergency hospital in Aalten is closing its doors, it is fitting for us to pause for a few moments to reflect on the origin and work of this institution, which served as a blessed outcome for countless Dutch forced labourers and prisoners from concentration camps. As is known, the initiative for its founding was taken under the auspices of the Red Cross, by Dr J. der Weduwen and Mr Cl. Driessen.
Staff of the Aalten Emergency Hospital
The necessity for its establishment became acutely apparent at the end of November, when some of the victims of the train bombardment near Bocholt had to be admitted in Aalten. When Dr J. der Weduwen arrived at the Avondvrede retirement home on 5 December 1944 with 22 liberated prisoners from Rees, the situation presented nearly insurmountable difficulties. Beds, food, and trained staff—everything was lacking.
The residents of the home, on that memorable St. Nicholas Eve for the ex-prisoners, brotherly shared their pancakes, oliebollen (doughnuts), and chocolate (!) with the newcomers. By exerting every effort, they succeeded in providing the battered patients with proper care. Mr and Mrs Ditmarsch, deeply moved by the fate of these people, did everything possible.
With emotion, many will remember Sister A. Bol, who died of diphtheria and performed true miracles for her patients during this time. After her death, it proved necessary, given the danger of contagion, to attach expert personnel to the emergency hospital. Sister Schaafsma and Sister Doesburg were entrusted with the management under the supervision of Dr P. Hogenkamp, who took over the medical work of Dr der Weduwen following the tragic passing of this beloved doctor.
Avondvrede Retirement Home, Hogestraat, Aalten
Although more space was made available at Avondvrede, the capacity of the hospital proved too small, as one also had to take into account war victims from the local area; therefore, the hospital was relocated to the Patrimonium building. In cooperation with the U.V.V., I.K.O., and the Red Cross, the material side of the work was taken care of. After the final bombardment, the Patrimonium building became unusable, and it was decided to liquidate the hospital, as the majority of the patients, under the leadership of Sister Schaafsma, preferred to leave for the North.
Sister Doesburg remained at her post with a few patients, and the hospital was moved back to Avondvrede. From there, they departed once more—joined by a number of victims from the bombardment in Bocholt—to the building on the Lichtenvoordsestraat, which still serves as an emergency hospital today. About twenty patients were housed in the cellars there. Enormous support was received from the surrounding hamlets.
De Graafschapper, 14 July 1945
In the beginning, the conditions were extremely primitive. Later, everything improved. Special praise is due to the girls of Aalten, who performed nursing work without any prior training. Just before the liberation, some victims of the liberation battles were admitted. An unforgettable moment was, of course, the arrival of the first ‘Tommy’ (British soldier) who was brought into the hospital.
And now the work has come to an end. The large stream of repatriates, for whom they had prepared as their final task, did not arrive, and the now well-equipped emergency hospital is disappearing in these coming days. (Why not make it a permanent hospital?) A piece of Aalten’s war history is hereby concluded, but many will continue to remember this work with gratitude.
I can imagine that as a former Achterhoeker, born and raised in our beautiful region, you are very curious about news from our region and how we are all doing here. It will be a pleasure for me to inform you from time to time of what has happened here and what is going to happen. Let me start by telling you that we have generally come off well here in our Achterhoek. The Tommies who came in here from the direction of Bocholt just before Easter were amazed by the friendly, apparently still prosperous country. into which, after the debris fields of Germany, they were suddenly transferred.
Liberation parade Stationsstraat, 1945
“You see here again an undamaged house,” said one to me, “and you see friendly people again, who laugh and wave at you! We have experienced that differently in recent months” Still, it was not given to us as a gift, don’t think so. The last six months in particular have been quite haunted here. Also in the political field. It was raid after raid. Greens, blacks, land guards, Gestapo, S.S., we have experienced all that beauty in its different variations here. Anyway, you have experienced that yourself in the city. so you know all about it. Let me rather tell you how we celebrated the liberation here, when it became known that our entire people was freed from slavery.
I can tell you best about Aalten, where I happened to experience it myself, but I am sure that the same enthusiasm prevailed throughout the Achterhoek. You should come to Winterwijk today, which was worn out for a hotbed of the party, right? It only now becomes clear what a “thin” layer of the population there actually kept the terror going, because there is no municipality in the Achterhoek, where you see flags as exuberantly as right there.
‘Uncle’ Jan Wikkerink
The music was immediately on his feet, you get that. In the afternoon a whole procession with children and the elderly followed through the decorated streets and it was a joy to hear a Dutch march again. The case stopped for a moment in front of Jan Wikkerink’s house. You may remember them from school in the past. And otherwise I just say “Uncle Jan”, then at least every person in hiding in the Achterhoek knows who it is. Well, that musical tribute at his doorstep was, in my opinion, exactly right. Because that’s just an ordinary contractor, isn’t it? but what a lot that man has achieved during the war years, so secretly gone.
He was quietly district head of the National Organization for People in Hiding and made sure that all those boys stayed alive and, if possible, out of the hands of the slave hunters. He and his men housed countless people there, (you know that there in Aalten they have the name hadden. dat there were as many people in hiding as inhabitants?) and where it was necessary to provide all those people with ration cards, not only city people, but also a lot of Jews and everything else, with the Gestapo on their heels, den Achterhoek came fleeing in. In cooperation with the Knock teams, many distribution offices in our area have been honored with a fruitful visit and Oome Jan always had the quiet, cautious leadership of them.
Dela Wikkerink-Eppink with Aron Jedwab alias Willem Herfstink
It was therefore no surprise when one night a child was abandoned on his doorstep. After all, he knew what to do with everything and everyone and he was simply the big placement agency, apparently also for babies. Anyway, the little one didn’t have to go far, he stayed at the same address, i.e. on the other side of the front door, where he was lovingly welcomed. It was exactly on the 21st of September and so the foundling was officially registered at the town hall the next morning with a straight face under the name Willem Herfstink . (After all, the suffix “ink” means “the son of” in Achterhoeksch). But on the first day of the liberation, the “Son of Autumn” returned to his own address, namely to the Jew master, who was very happy with his wife that they had kept their little one safe in such a dangerous time. You understand that that card was again pierced with real Achterhoek cleverness. The doctor had taken the child of the parents in hiding straight to Uncle Jan, who was already waiting for it behind the door.
It was a shock to the whole region when they finally got hold of Uncle Jan. If the whole region heard about it as soon as possible, because the captivity lasted only a few hours. The knock team could have put it right sooner, but they had to wait a while for the doctor for the chloroform and the sergeant on duty of the military police also had to rehearse how he should be intoxicated as really as possible. But then it was done, only the doctor was still busy for an hour and a half to call the good sergeant back to life, because the boys had worked him a bit too enthusiastically with the chloroform-dot.
Dr. der Weduwen
The quiet figure of Uncle Jan had since disappeared from sight, but he now had so much more time for his illegal work. The Germans were furious as usual and knew nothing better to do than to throw a few hand grenades into his house in impotent rage, which of course burned down in the end. But better the house than Uncle Jan, everyone said comforted, and so the music of the week was a spontaneous tribute from the whole population. And it was certainly also with the approval of the whole village, when later a few songs were played in front of the house of the late Dr. of the Widows, who gave so much clandestine help and in particular was a lifesaver for many boys in the camps of Bocholt and Rees. The Achterhoek knows how to celebrate, but also to sympathize with those for whom the party is impossible due to harrowing memories.
At the end of my letter, I will tell you one more example of this, which will do you good. It was in one of the rural districts that the music association went around the farms with blaring festivities. But there was a shadow over this rural district. On the last day before the liberation, a direct hit in an air-raid shelter had snatched five children from one family, with two older evacuees, from their lives. The site of that disaster was on the main road, where the procession passed. But a hundred yards from that place the music fell silent, and they went on in silence. And there at that burned-out shelter that chorale of the 103rd Psalm was played in the moving silence of all neighbors: Like the grass is our ephemeral life… Then they quietly moved on and only at a great distance from that place the festive music was resumed.
I am writing this to you because I know it will do you good. The war has not hardened us and made us numb. There is still room in the heart of the Achterhoek for compassion and quiet piety.
List of war victims from the municipality of Aalten, according to official data from the Municipal Secretariat. (supplemented with full first names and explanation by the editors of Old Aalten)
Immediately after the liberation, there was a need among the population of Aalten to honour the war victims with a monument. In 1956, the monument was unveiled on the Wheme, in memory of all Aalten civilians who died during the occupation years as a result of acts of war. The statue was made by artist Bé Thoden van Velzen.
The monument consists of a statue of a male figure with a woman and child. The sculpture of French limestone is placed on a terrace. The pedestal consists of masonry, concrete and natural stone. The memorial is 1 meter 31 high, 1 meter 43 wide and 90 centimeters deep.
During the liberation of the Achterhoek, the Dutch National Battalion was established in Aalten on 15 April 1945. A unit that consisted of members of former Achterhoek assault groups, at that time officially called Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Domestic Forces), and people in hiding who had found a safe haven in Aalten and the surrounding area. The men had volunteered after a call from the Canadians. In no time they had about 400 war volunteers at their disposal, good for three companies.
Everyone knows the Princess Irene Brigade. Founded in 1941 and consisting of Dutch soldiers who had escaped to England, Dutch volunteers who were already abroad and so-called Engelandvaarders; men who made the crossing to England on their own to fight against the Germans from there. The Irene Brigade moved north from the invasion beaches, fought in France, Belgium and Zeeland and fought its last battles in the Bommelerwaard near Hedel shortly before the liberation. Less well known is the ‘Achterhoek’ unit that fought with the Canadians during their advance to the north.
Photo: Foto Garretsen, J. Bloemendal
Photo: A.Ph. de Keijzer
Canadians ask for and get help
The Dutch National Battalion (DNB) had its home base in the Julianaschool in Aalten, renamed ‘Prins Bernhard Kazerne’ for the occasion. With their knowledge of the area, the members of the DNB provided valuable services to the Canadians. Equipped and armed by the Canadians, the soldiers of the DNB advanced up the IJssel, via Doesburg, Steenderen and Gorssel.
The men guarded the bridges over the IJssel and moved on to Apeldoorn. “Fierce fighting and fierce resistance,” says Arnold Somsen, member of the DNB, from Aalte in the book ‘The Forgotten Battalion’, published by the Staring Institute. “After that, it was now the end of April, the liberation army moved in the direction of Harderwijk, Bunschoten and Spakenburg. We were housed in a school. Standing guard in the evening. The Germans were still in Eemnes. So close by. Gunfights and hand grenades back and forth…”
After the liberation, the DNB was assigned to the Infantry Regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army. With that, the ‘Aalten’ battalion officially ceased to exist.
On the Piepersweg in the Aaltense Heurne there is a memorial in memory of a tragic accident that took place shortly after the liberation of Aalten. The monument was erected in memory of three young boys who died in the accident.
On the afternoon of 4 April 1945, just a few days after the liberation, the boys Wim Schenk (8 years old), his brother Henk Schenk (6 years old) and their friend Wim Wisselink (5 years old) were playing outside.
In a dry ditch along the Bocholtsestraatweg they found a projectile. Unaware of the danger, they threw it at each other. At one point, one of the boys threw the projectile against the wall of a nearby house, after which it exploded.
The consequences were horrible. Wim Schenk died on the spot. His brother Henk and Wim Wisselink were seriously injured and were taken to a military emergency hospital in Barlo, where they died shortly after each other.
Booklet and monument
In 2011 a booklet about this dramatic event was published entitled ‘Spelend de dood in’, written by Louis Veldhuis.
Seventy years after the accident, in 2015, relatives of the Schenk family unveiled a monument at the site of the tragedy. It consists of a pedestal with images of the three boys and was designed by artist Ans Braamskamp.
At the end of the Second World War, on Good Friday, March 30, 1945 , Aalten was liberated by British troops. This liberation was part of the large-scale Allied advance through the eastern Netherlands, immediately after crossing the Rhine during Operation Plunder. The liberators belonged to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and the 3rd Battalion Irish Guards, both part of the 32nd Guards Brigade within the Guards Armoured Division of the British Army. 1
Advance to Aalten
At the end of March 1945, the Guards entered the Achterhoek from Germany. The Grenadier Guards formed the vanguard and advanced along the Bocholtsestraatweg towards Aalten and then on to Enschede, with the Irish Guards as mechanized infantry in their wake. 2 The advance was hampered by destroyed bridges, minefields and fierce resistance from retreating German units.
The King’s Company of the Grenadier Guards was ordered to advance towards the centre of Aalten via the so-called ‘centre line’. However, important bridges turned out to have been blown up by the Germans. The bridge on the Bodendijk was partly still intact and Major Baker, commander of the King’s Company, led his men over it. 3
When they arrived at the railway, the men encountered fierce resistance and were bombarded with mortar fire and grenades. The fight with the enemy had disastrous consequences for the liberators: several soldiers were killed, including platoon commander Andrew Duncan. 4
Around midnight, another two soldiers of the Irish Guards were killed because their vehicle hit a mine in the then Dijkstraat (now Plein Zuid). The explosion led to a fierce fire in which the old café Vultink burned down completely. The next day, March 31, 1945, two engineers of the Royal Engineers were killed while clearing mines. 5
Losses and cemetery
Of the total of 13 British soldiers who died, 12 are buried in the Berkenhove general cemetery in Aalten. Platoon commander Andrew Duncan is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery near Kleve. Thanks to historical research, photos of twelve of these soldiers have now also been found. This literally gave the liberators a face. 6
After the liberation
Immediately after the liberation, the Aaltensche Courant appeared again. Shortly after the liberation on April 4, three boys, eight-year-old Wim Schenk, his six-year-old brother Henk and five-year-old Wim Wisselink found a projectile in a dry ditch on the Bocholtsestraatweg. They decided to test the projectile and threw it against the wall of a house. The three children were killed. 7
In honour of the efforts of the King’s Company, the bridge over the Keizersbeek was named the King’s Company Bridge. The ceremony took place on May 5, 2008 and was attended by, among others, veteran Walter Price, who actually served in this unit in 1945. 8
On 24 March 1945, a bombing raid took place in the Dijkstraat in Aalten. The factories on the Dijkstraat were the target. There were at least 18 to 19 fatalities. However, the exact number isnot known to date.
The Dijkstraat in Aalten, before the bombing of 24 March 1945
Shortly before the end of the Second World War, on Saturday 24 March 1945, planes suddenly screeched down over Aalten. Almost immediately the whistling sound of the falling bombs was heard. Part of the textile factory and Driessen’s office was bombed flat. The factory of the Aalten Tricotage Factory (ATF) also turned into a mess. From the bridge on the Dijkstraat to the railway, houses were completely destroyed, others had suffered very serious damage. The consequences were terrible.
Victims
At blacksmith Umbach’s, the cellar, where father Umbach (43 yrs.) and three of his children (13 yrs. 10 yrs and 5 yrs.) were hiding, was hit by a direct hit. All perished. The mother of the family and another son barely survived by crawling under a table in the kitchen. A little further on, the Te Linde-Wechelaar couple (both 68 years old) and their 40-year-old son were killed. At Koelman’s house, father Henricus Wilhelmus (55 yrs.) and daughter (20 yrs.) were killed. Johannes Henricus Antonius Tepe (50 yrs.), Maria Johanna Christina Leemhorst (34 yrs.), Anton Lamers (73 yrs.), Annie Kamphuis (15 yrs.), Henk van Mechelen (15 yrs.) are also among the victims. Furthermore, three evacuees, namely Catharina van Ingen (79 yrs.), Catharina Hendrika Stokking (25 yrs.) and an unknown 15-year-old girl from Haarlem.
In the Aaltensche Courant of May 4, 1945 and in the book “Er op of er onder” (by W.P. Nederkoorn and G.J.B. Stork) two more victims are mentioned: M.J. Praster-Polman (28 yrs.) and a certain G.A. van der Meulen (44 yrs.).
On March 30, 1945, the Aalten rural district of Barlo was liberated by the Allies. During the relief of Barlo and the surrounding area, an air-raid shelter at the Nijhof farm was hit by an Allied bomb aimed at the retreating Germans.
During the skirmishes between the warring parties, the seven children of the Weenink family, the Elfers couple who had fled from The Hague and the Nijhof couple and daughter Wanda hid in the shelter of the Nijhof farm, which was considered a reliable hiding place.
Headmaster Weenink, who had fourteen children, lived next door to the school that had been taken over by German soldiers. When the alarm went off, he sent his children to the shelters outside the center of Barlo, because he thought it was too dangerous there. Seven children fled to the shelter at the Nijhof farm on the Nijhofsweg. The other children went to the shelter of farm ‘t Markerink. The shelter at Nijhof was not under, but next to the house. The house remained unscathed.
The last bomb dropped from an Allied plane fell on the shelter. The people in it were buried under earth and tree trunks. The Nijhof family was just at the entrance of the cellar to see if the bombing had ended and was spared by this. But five of the seven children and the couple from The Hague died. The liberation of Barlo would become a day of mourning because of this tragedy.
The seven victims were Thomas Elfers (74 yrs.), Helen Elfers-Reisenleitner (74 yrs.), André Weenink (6 yrs.), Co Weenink (17 yrs.), Jan Weenink (3 yrs.), Mien Weenink (20 yrs.) and Rudolf Weenink (6 yrs.).
Listed
On the initiative of the Dwars door Barlo Foundation and the relatives of the victims, a monument has been erected in memory. The monument was placed at the Nijhof farm and was unveiled on March 30, 2009. The monument consists of two boulders, one standing upright on top of the other. In the top stone is a round hole with a piece of broken glass in it, as a symbol of the irreparable damage. Below are the names and ages of the victims. On the bottom stone, which serves as a pedestal, is a quote from the Bible. An information board has also been placed at the monument.
The text on the monument reads:
‘GOOD FRIDAY MARCH 30TH, 1945
MIEN WEENINK 20 YEARS CO WEENINK 17 YEARS ANDRÉ WEENINK 6 YEARS RUDOLF WEENINK 6 YEARS JAN WEENINK 3 YEARS OLD T.H. ELFERS 74 YEARS H.C.M. ELFERS-REISENLEITNER 75 YEARS’.
On the pedestal is the quote:
‘INNOCENT LIVES DESTROYED BY RELENTLESS WAR VIOLENCE
PSALM 73, VERSES 12 AND 14 (OLD RHYMING)’.
The text on the information board reads:
‘MONUMENT IN MEMORY
ON GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1945, THE LAST BOMB FELL THIS PLACE WHERE AN AIR-RAID SHELTER ONCE STOOD. THIS WAS THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE HAMLET OF BARLO. THE STRONG HIDING PLACE OF THE NIJHOF FAMILY TURNED OUT NOT TO BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND SUCH NOTHING RUTHLESS VIOLENCE OF WAR.
THE NIJHOF COUPLE AND THEIR DAUGHTER SURVIVED THE WOOF; THE ELFERS COUPLE AND FIVE WEENINK CHILDREN DIED.
THE FIELD BOULDERS SYMBOLIZE THE LEADEN AND MASSIVE SADNESS. THE HOLE WITH THE – BROKEN – GLASS IN ONE OF THE ERRATIC STONES SHOWS US A GLIMPSE OF A NEW FUTURE, ALTHOUGH IT WILL NEVER BE UNSCATHED.
WE HOPE THAT THIS PLACE OF REMEMBRANCE WILL MAKE YOU QUIET STAND BY THE GREAT GIFT OF FREEDOM THAT WE NOW WE CAN LIVE. LET US BE CAREFUL WITH THAT AND TO WORK TO HELP OTHERS IN THIS WAY AS WELL. TO GIVE THE WORLD THAT FREEDOM.
FOUNDATION DWARS DOOR BARLO.’
War Memorial Nijhofsweg, Barlo (photo: Francien Wiersma-Luimes)
In the summer of 1944, De Bark, an uninhabited farm between Aalten and Dinxperlo, became a hiding place for a growing number of mostly young people in hiding, who wanted to avoid the Arbeitseinsatz, as well as a few Allied pilots who had been shot down.
On Sunday morning, February 25, 1945, the guard sounded the alarm when three German soldiers from a surveying unit made an unexpected visit to the front house, where they had found no fighters but possibly suspicious objects.
After leaving the house, the Germans were arrested, disarmed and imprisoned by the ‘Lange Henk’ and comrades, armed with a sten gun. The same happened to their colleague who was waiting for them in an army truck. The command was then faced with a complex problem: how to keep it out of the knowledge of the German occupier and what to do with the four prisoners?
Death penalty
An improvised court-martial of De Bark pronounced the death penalty. Shooting them and then burying them was too cumbersome and risky. The final conclusion was: hang up. And so it happened.
The four corpses were driven into a tree by Jan Ket in a car, undermined with two explosive charges, in a recent bomb crater near Varsseveld. They were placed in the vehicle in the best possible position, after which the explosives were ignited. Only one went off, but the explosion was heavy. Ket and his men, who had to get away, were sure of their case.
That same evening, a German patrol found the partially burned-out car with the corpses of two Wehrmacht soldiers next to it with cords around their legs and welts around their necks. The two other bodies were unrecognizable. Later research showed that the rear explosive charge did not go off due to the force of the front one.
Reprisal
The reprisal measure of the German occupying forces was merciless. Forty-six political prisoners were taken from the camp De Kruisberg (Doetinchem) and executed on the border of Aalten and Wisch, near the Aalten toll.
In the meantime, the resistance group had left De Bark according to plan and moved to an old agricultural shed on the Dinxperlosestraatweg between Aalten and Dinxperlo. The news that the ruse with the staged ‘car accident’ had failed and the German reprisal by liquidating 46 Dutch political prisoners did not reach them until many days later. It first aroused disbelief in them and then a deep impression.
They were not given much time for reflection and processing, because in the meantime four Allied divisions had crossed the Rhine and were approaching the Achterhoek. On March 30, they made contact for the first time with two Canadian combat vehicles, which turned up at the ‘Somsenhuus‘. The liberation was a fact.
On Saturday , February 24, 1945, bombs fell on and around the intersection of Kruisstraat (now Prinsenstraat) and Bredevoortsestraatweg, in the center of Aalten. The consequences of the bombing were disastrous: eight people died, including three children, some were injured and the devastation was enormous.
Addie Steenbergen, daughter of baker Steenbergen, lived almost on the corner of Kruisstraat and Prinsenstraat. A couple had just left the store when the air raid siren went off. The couple did not want to go into the shelter, but continued to take shelter in the porch. Addie had to go to the other side of the street from her mother to pick up her sister Netty, who was playing there. Mother Helmink was still outside and shouted that Netty was already in the shelter at her home. Addie went back home into the bomb shelter. Mother, grandma Meijnen and sister Bea, were already there.
Father and Toon Lammers, the servant, were still outside at the entrance to the shelter when the bomb hit. The bomb landed on the Steenbergen bakery. When they see a huge blowtorch, Addie’s mother tells them to sit close to her: “If we burn, at least they will see that we were sitting together.”
There was a huge cloud of dust and then a total silence…
Victims and havoc
When Addie, her mother and sister came out again, there was nothing left of the house, only rubble. Toon Lammers, the 18-year-old baker’s assistant, got a ladder on his neck and died instantly. Father Steenbergen had fallen headfirst into the cellar of the bakery due to the air pressure displacement. He had a skull base fracture and was in a coma. The couple (van den Berg-Jacobs) who took shelter in the porch also died. Netty died in the shelter of the Helmink family, as did Hansje Houwers and a daughter of Helmink, her playmates. These three children died due to overpressure on the lungs. Two Germans were also killed. Addie later found a piece of leg from one of them among the rubble.
Gerrit and Bernard Buesink were busy outside that Saturday afternoon, just after noon. They lived on the corner of the intersection Prinsenstraat/Kruisstraat. Father Beusink had a forge there. The house received a direct hit, but miraculously they survived.
Eyewitness report
Eyewitness account of Cindy Weeber’s father about the tragedy on February 24, 1945, written down in 2006:
“My brother had to get bread from the Wikkerink bakery, on Bredevoortsestraat, and I wanted to get a toll from the Cooperative. We went with my father’s bicycle, my brother Henk cycled and I sat on the back of the ‘pakkiesdrager’, and so we went to Aalten. First we went to get bread from Albert Wikkerink and then we cycled on to the Cooperative to get a toll for me.
Suddenly the siren sounded, a warning for air raid sirens. My brother Henk threw the bicycle with bread against the façade of the Buesink forge and hid from the bombs there and I went to shelter at bakery Steenbergen. What followed was a deafening noise of bombs whizzing down. All this took about 10 minutes. After about fifteen minutes I dared to get up. My hands, arms and head were full of wounds but I had nothing else. Afterwards I realized that I could have been dead, but when you lie there like that, you don’t think about it. When I got up and went outside, everything was one big mess and I was full of dust from top to bottom.
As I was scurrying over the rubble, I heard my brother shouting, “Jan, Jan, here I am.” I recognized his voice and shouted, “Where are you?” “Here”, it sounded and I saw a gray figure coming towards me. It was my brother Henk who was also covered in small wounds, but otherwise he was fine. The bike and the bag of bread were totally crushed.
My brother said to me , “Go home quickly, and tell them that everything is all right,” and I ran home and told father and mother what had happened. They both panicked and thought the worst, but I said that Henk was also fine. Father then went with me to pick up the bicycle and the bread, but everything was covered in rubble.
Later I heard that there were seven deaths. We did have a guardian angel then because we were both practically unharmed.
What I have noticed now, after all these years, is that my brother never talked to me about this incident again. This is becoming more and more apparent in me. I don’t know why, but every now and then I wake up at night, wet with sweat, and I see the weather in front of me. Maybe it can be explained as you get older, but it comes back more and more often.
Unfortunately, my brother passed away. How I would have liked to have talked to him about it, but alas. After a good 60 years, there comes a time when you start thinking about why we were spared and those seven others were not.”
On 8 February 1945, a mistake bombing took place in the Aalten rural district of Dale, in which eleven people were killed. In memory of these victims, a monument was unveiled in 1988 on the corner of Aladnaweg and Grevinkweg.
Less than three months before the end of the war, on February 8, 1945, American B-26 Marauder bombers took off from their base in Cambrai in northern France. Their primary target was the area around Kleve, and if that was not possible, they had an alternative target at Groenlo. At Kleve it was too cloudy and so they flew on, but also in the Achterhoek the visibility was poor. Just after 11:00 a.m., they dropped 528 fragmentation bombs.
Two hours later, the aircraft returned safely to Cambrai. Their mission report stated: “Impossible to determine further damage or to locate pattern accurately due to 80% cloud cover”.
Death and destruction
The deadly cargo ended up in the vicinity of the Elshoek and the Grevink in Dale, with terrible consequences. The hundreds of splinter bombs caused death and destruction. The shards flew horizontally across the ground and affected both people and animals. Everywhere lay dismembered horses, cows, sheep, chickens and geese. Some farms suffered direct hits.
All doctors, nurses and emergency services were sent to the crash site. In the mud and among the rubble, they provided first aid to the wounded. These were transported on stretchers and ladders to Huize Avondvrede on the Hogestraat. From there, the seriously injured were transferred to the emergency hospital in Harreveld.
The bombing eventually claimed eleven lives and left several people permanently disabled.
Thes laughter offerings
In the kitchen of the Neerhof family’s farm ‘t Olde Nooitgedacht , Joop de Roon from Rotterdam was found dead. At the Glieuwe farm, where the Hogenkamp family lived, daughter Anna and sons Herman and Jozef were killed. The Bekerhuis farm of the Te Grotenhuis family was completely destroyed. There were four victims here: the children Arie and Teun te Grotenhuis and the brothers Hendrik and Gerrit Stronks, who were in hiding there.
In addition, bombs also fell in the Haartsestraat. Clarel Smit, who had just left Van Lente’s house, was so injured in his feet and legs that he died four months later in the emergency hospital in Harreveld.
The monument
The monument in memory of the victims consists of four stones, from the remains of the house of the Te Grotenhuis family. Mr. Te Grotenhuis piled up these stones at the place in question after the bombing. For years, the stones functioned as an unofficial memorial. In 1988, at the insistence of the local population, they were recognized as an official monument.
The monument for the victims of the mistake bombing in Dale
The names of the victims are inscribed on the memorial stone:
G.J. BRUS 62 YEARS OLD
G.A. BRUS-STRONKS 63 YEARS OLD
A.J. TE GROOTENHUIS 12 YEARS OLD
A. TE GROOTENHUIS 10 YEARS
M. VAN DER HARST 25 YEARS OLD
J.M. HOGENKAMP 22 YEARS OLD
H.J. HOGENKAMP 15 YEARS OLD
J.B.A. HOGENKAMP 6 YEARS OLD
J. DE ROON 18 YEARS OLD
H.W. STRONKS 33 YEARS OLD
G.W. STRONKS 26 YEARS OLD
Sources
Aalten in wartime, J.G. ter Horst
If only I could see them again, the bombing of Dale 8 February 1945, H. de Beukelaer
On or under, Aalten, the land of the people in hiding and of illegality, G.W. Vaags
Interview with Karel Aversteeg (Louis Veldhuis and Gerrit Nijman)
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