(Uithuizermeeden, 1924)

Member of the 1st Company DNB

Two brothers from Groningen in Aalten who thwarted the Germans

Siert Allersma was born in Uithuizermeeden (Groningen) on 10 October 1924, the son of Willem Allersma (a farm labourer) and Stientje Knol. His eldest brother was Jaap (1917), and their life paths were closely intertwined in their younger years. Both became tax officials, worked for the customs service, and built successful careers. As a soldier, brother Jaap experienced the German invasion and decided after the capitulation to thwart the Germans as much as possible. In 1940, he secured a government job with the customs in Aalten; his group consisted of former military personnel. In July 1942, he married Trijn; they lived at Koopmanstraat 66, where their son Henk was born in early February 1943.

In Groningen, Siert receives a summons for the German labor service. He decides to go into hiding in Aalten and moves in with the Oldenhave family on Lichtenvoordsestraatweg. The Jewish De Haas family is also in hiding here. On several occasions, he manages to escape during a raid. Siert naturally becomes involved in the resistance. When he is asked to join the Home Forces and the DNB, he accepts. A major factor for him is that his brother Jaap—who belongs to the core of the Aalten combat group—is imprisoned in Camp Mühlheim at the time.

Together with resistance fighter (and pharmacist) Herman Ligtenberg from Aalten, Jaap had been arrested in Groningen by the Sicherheitsdienst in March 1944. In April 1945, Jaap was liberated by the Russians, after which he travelled back to Aalten. At that same moment, Siert was advancing with the DNB and the Canadian Army to liberate the Netherlands. Shortly thereafter, he signed on for further duty and served with the Mine Disposal Service.

From July 1946, Siert worked as a customs officer in Aalten, where brother Jaap also worked (having recently become the office manager at the Heurne office). Jaap later moved with his family to Rotterdam, while Siert met Dien Ebbers from the Heurne area of Aalten (1928–2006). They married in 1952 and moved to Lobith-Tolkamer. He described his work to his sisters-in-law as ‘mainly clearing ships’. The couple had five children and moved to Zutphen. Here, Siert worked until June 1985 as a customs inspector, specifically regarding the import and export of alcoholic beverages. In his spare time, he helped others renovate their homes and assisted in building a football clubhouse in Zutphen.

Siert passed away in Zutphen on 5 August 2016. He and his wife are buried in Aalten.

Siert Allersma