Old Aalten

Category: Doctors

  • Servaas van Leuven

    Servaas van Leuven

    Servaas van Leuven was a medical doctor in Aalten from 1836 to 1896. He was born on 12 March 1811 in Kampen, the son of Jan Adrianus van Leuven, a tailor, and Johanna Maria Huijzer. Van Leuven passed away in 1898 at the age of 87.

    On 1 May 1836, Van Leuven arrived in Aalten to succeed the surgeon Adolph Wechgelaar, who had died shortly before. Initially, he established himself at Wechgelaar’s residential address on Dijkstraat.

    On 18 May 1838, he married Henriette Wilhelmina Christina Theodora Rost in Aalten, the daughter of the retired captain Johann Christian Rost. In 1839, the couple moved to Peperstraat. Not long after, they settled permanently on Bredevoortsestraatweg. Opposite their home, on the corner with Peperstraat, was the livery stable where Doctor Van Leuven’s horse and carriage were kept.

    The couple had no fewer than ten children. Two of them passed away at a very young age and were buried in the burial mound at ’t Smees.

    Work as a doctor

    Servaas van Leuven was a valued and respected doctor who for decades played a vital role in local healthcare.

    For sixty years, he carried out his often demanding and exhausting work with great dedication. He particularly excelled in the field of obstetrics through his diligence and devotion to duty. At all hours of the night, in winter cold and storms, his assistance was never sought in vain, even in his advanced years.

    In an era when medical assistance in the Achterhoek was scarce, he was regarded by many as a saving grace. He delivered thousands of babies and offered pro bono care and advice to many of the less fortunate.

    Final years and passing

    After more than sixty years in practice, Van Leuven ended his medical work in 1896 at the age of 85.

    Servaas van Leuven passed away on 24 November 1898 in Aalten and was buried at the Old Cemetery on Varsseveldsestraatweg.

    Servaas van Leuven (1811–1898)
    Bredevoortsestraatweg 4, Aalten
    On the left, the building that formerly stood on the corner of Bredevoortsestraatweg and Peperstraat (where Pepper 8 is located today). This was the livery stable where Doctor Servaas van Leuven kept his horse and carriage in the late 19th century.
    S. van Leuven and J.S. Schaars Prins - Zutphensche Courant, 1886-04-17
    Zutphensche Courant, April 17, 1886

    Sources

  • Evert Jan van Schaik

    Evert Jan van Schaik

    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)
    Dr. Evert Jan van Schaik (1881–1847)
    Established in Aalten at the residence of Mrs the Widow of Dr A.J. VAN LEUVEN, E.J. VAN SCHAIK, Med. Doct. Physician, who will continue the practice on the same footing. Consultation hours at the usual times: all weekdays from 9–10 in the morning and from 7–8 in the evening.
    De Graafschapper, 11 December 1912
    E.J. van Schaik, doctor in Aalten passed away – Aaltensche Courant, 20 June 1947
    Aaltensche Courant, 20 June 1947

    Sources

  • Johannes der Weduwen

    Johannes der Weduwen

    ‘Doctor of the resistance’

    Johannes (Joop) der Weduwen was a popular general practitioner in Aalten. On January 23, 1945, he came near Apeldoorn to die after being shot at by an Allied plane, at least according to the German authorities.

    Joop der Weduwen was born on May 17, 1902 in Aalten. He studied at the Gymnasium in Doetinchem, later at the University of Utrecht, where he took his medical exam and then obtained his doctorate in medicine. He showed himself to be a worthy successor to his father and established himself here as a doctor.

    From the beginning of the war, Joop der Weduwen became involved in the resistance in the Achterhoek. He actively offered help to people who were wanted by the Germans. His family included two young men who refused to do labor service. If English planes were shot down and the crew was injured, he offered them medical assistance. For a robbery at the distribution office in Borculo , his car was ‘stolen’. He helped Jewish people in hiding on various farms in the area. He also played a role in the abandonment of the Jewish baby ‘Wíllem Herfstink’ at the house of resistance leader ‘Uncle Jan’ Wikkerink.

    Assistance to forced labourers

    In the last winter of the war, Joop der Weduwen felt closely involved with the forced labourers who had to do their slave work under inhumane conditions, especially in Camp Rees . That camp was just across the border in Germany. As a representative of the Dutch Red Cross, he negotiated with Peter Röhrig, the commander known as the executioner of Rees to remove the sick and wounded.

    He tried to transfer as many people as possible to Aalten, where ‘Huize Avondvrede‘ on the Hogestraat had been set up as an emergency hospital. Many were also transported by car from the GP to the Emergency Hospital in Harreveld. Some sick people stayed at his home temporarily and then went into hiding.

    Johannes (Joop) der Weduwen
    Joop der Weduwen are convertible

    On 19 January 1945, Doctor Der Weduwen, accompanied by two SS men from the Rees camp, left for The Hague for an official meeting with high-ranking German officers and the mayor there. On behalf of the Red Cross, he pleaded for better conditions for the forced labourers, many of whom came from The Hague and Rotterdam. The men had to spend the nights on the bare floors in draughty and damp wooden sheds, had meager clothes and hardly got anything to eat. To improve their inhuman existence somewhat, he asked for straw bags, among other things.

    Fateful return journey

    During the return trip to Aalten, on January 23, 1945, the car he was in was fired upon by an Allied fighter plane near Apeldoorn around five o’clock in the afternoon, at least according to the German authorities.

    His lifeless body was found badly mutilated in a dry ditch, where he had tried to take cover. He had lost a lot of blood and had died on the spot. The car was undamaged. There were strong rumors that the Germans deliberately attacked him because he had become too troublesome. Joop der Weduwen was 43 years old.

    Willem van Houtum, Apeldoorn’s war chronicler, wrote about it in his diary on 23 January:

    “A doctor from Aalten, who interfered a lot with the condition of the deportees in Rees, died of German indifference. The doctor left for The Hague last Friday with two Germans in a car. He wanted to plead with high authorities for the improvement of the treatment of our compatriots in Rees and so on. It was to no avail. As a result, they returned on Tuesday. They were shot at by an English plane on the concrete road near Hoog Soeren. The doctor got out of the car in a hurry to take cover but collapsed badly injured. The two Germans took away the wallet, wallet and so on and drove on to the Ortskommandant in Apeldoorn. He refused to transport the doctor because it was a civilian. So the two Krauts drove on to Aalten and handed over the wallet and so on to the doctor’s wife. This in turn could not provide transport either. She called in the help of a family member in Apeldoorn. With the help of the police, he succeeded in having the body (the doctor had died of excessive blood loss) transferred to Aalten. Due to the many shelling, the concrete section of the Amersfoortseweg near Hoog Soeren is already popularly called ‘Dodenweg’.”

    Police report

    Tuesday 23 January 1945, 17.00 hours, report no. 23.
    Informs Zegers in Nieuw Millingen that a man has just been shot dead by guns. A car is also on fire. Criminal Investigation Department, Feldgendarmerie, Pol. Officer and L.B.D. notified. The body is picked up by the L.B.D. (= Air Protection Service) and transferred to the hospital on the Sprengenweg.

    Wednesday 24 January 1945, 5.45 p.m., report no. 24.
    With regard to the mutation of the report of the order police of 23-01-1945 at 17.00 hours, detective Adema reports that the body of the said person was picked up by the L.B.D. and laid out in the morgue of the hospital on the Sprengenweg. It has been identified as Dr. Johan der Weduwen, living at Landstraat 4, in Aalten. His brother-in-law Wissink, living at Stationsstraat 25 here, has been informed of this, who takes care of warning the family and the funeral.

    Funeral

    On Saturday, January 27, Joop der Weduwen was buried with great interest to Berkenhove cemetery in Aalten. The procession counted at least 1000 people. Previously, a funeral service had been held in the Old Helena Church under the leadership of Rev. J.D. Stegeman, emeritus pastor in Aalten. On behalf of the forced labourers, Mr Dijkgraaf from The Hague spoke a word of thanks and farewell.

    Friends, patients and villagers had a special memorial stone made in front of his grave in gratitude and to honor him. The text on the monument reads: “His conviction made him offer help to the oppressed – resistance – deportees.”

    His name is also mentioned on the memorial stone for the fallen in the organized resistance on the Markt in Aalten, next to the Old Helena Church.

    On March 31, 2023, a Stolperstein was laid in front of the house where Joop der Weduwen lived, Landstraat 41 in Aalten.

    Grave Joop der Weduwen

    Sources