‘Uncle Jan’ Wikkerink

Hendrik Jan Wikkerink (30 June 1896 – 18 January 1981), known by his alias ‘Uncle Jan’ (‘Ome Jan’), was a key resistance leader in Aalten during World War II. In 1942, in his home on the Patrimoniumstraat in Aalten, he helped found the Landelijke Organisatie voor Hulp aan Onderduikers (LO – National Organisation for Aid to People in Hiding), working alongside figures such as ‘Aunt Riek’ (‘Tante Riek’) from Winterswijk.

Resistance Work

Throughout the war, ‘Uncle Jan’ was actively involved in the resistance. He helped escaped prisoners of war and downed Allied airmen flee via Belgium to England. He also arranged hiding places for Jewish citizens and Dutch nationals who refused to work for the German occupying forces.

With the courage and support of many farmers, he provided shelter for those in hiding. The LO coordinated safe houses and the distribution of food ration coupons. A well-known story is that of the Jewish baby, Willem Herfstink. The newborn was the son of the Aalten rabbi, Jedwab. The couple was in hiding in Lintelo, but the baby could not remain at that location. With ‘Uncle Jan’s’ knowledge, the child was left on his doorstep as a ‘foundling’. This staged discovery meant that the child—subsequently named Willem—was given shelter with the Wikkerink family.

‘Uncle Jan’ narrowly survived the war. On 15 October 1944, he and two people in hiding were arrested by the Germans at his own home and imprisoned in the marechaussee (military police) barracks on the Ringweg. That same afternoon, he was liberated by resistance ‘action squads’ (knokploegen) and went into hiding on a farm in Vragender. Two days later, the occupiers took out their anger on the ‘terrorist’s’ home. They threw hand grenades inside, which set the house on fire. However, the local fire brigade managed to limit the damage.

Awards and Recognition

Because of his respectful demeanour and deep-rooted values, he remained an undisputed leading figure even after the war. Following the liberation, Queen Wilhelmina visited the Wikkerink couple to personally thank them for their brave courage and loyalty. He was knighted in the Netherlands and also received medals of honour from both French President De Gaulle and American President Eisenhower. In 1978, Hendrik Jan Wikkerink and his wife, Dela Gesina, were recognised by Yad Vashem as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’. It is fitting that his bust stands in the hall of the Nationaal Onderduikmuseum in Aalten.

‘Uncle Jan’ Wikkerink is buried at Berkenhove Cemetery.