(Arnemuiden, 1924)

Member of 2nd Company, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Section DNB

“I lived through the war, but I hope never to have to experience such a thing again. The times are frightening.”

Blaas-Jacob van Belzen was born on 9 February 1924 in Arnemuiden, Zeeland, and passed away there on 25 November 1991. He was known as BJ and Blaas. In Gelderland, he was also called Jaap. Blaas was the eldest of seven children of Jan van Belzen and Dina de Nooijer. His father ran a fish business (from home). They were members of the Reformed Church, like many in the town.

May 1940 and a French Soldier

When the Netherlands capitulated, the French continued to fight in Zeeland. Among them was French soldier Roger Houssin (224th R.I., 7th Company). However, he was captured by the Germans near the Sloedam on 17 May. But he escaped the following day and hid without food or drink in and around the fields near Arnemuiden. On 22 May, Roger spoke to a group of labourers working in a nearby field, among them Daniel, a brother of Blaas. Daniel immediately warned him of Germans in the area and gave him his own food and drink. Subsequently, Roger, still hiding outdoors, was provided with food by the brothers Blaas, Daniel, and Lieven, aged 16, 15, and 13.

On 25 May, Blaas and Daniel moved Roger to a shed further away in a field, where he remained until 22 June. He was then moved to an uncle and aunt of Blaas in Appelstraat (now Spoorstraat) in Arnemuiden. Roger finally moved in with the family of Jan van Belzen and Dina de Nooijer on 28 June 1940 (further down the same street), where he was given the name ‘Kees’. However, Kees left in 1943 or 1944 as it became too dangerous. By then, Blaas had also gone into hiding to evade the Arbeitseinsatz (forced labour). Furthermore, the Van Belzen family had a member of the Dutch Nazi Party (NSB) as their back neighbours. Kees, or Roger, eventually returned to his home country after the liberation, having stayed at other hiding places on Walcheren.

Going into Hiding

It is likely that Blaas went into hiding in or before 1943 (aged 19). His youngest sister (aged six at the time) remembers clearly waving him off at the station with her mother. When bystanders asked if he was also going to work in Germany, the answer was ‘yes’. But the plan was to go into hiding. Exact details of the journey are missing, but it is clear that he departed alone.

He likely travelled via Reverend Lugtigheid in Zeist, and then possibly through one or more other addresses, before arriving at the farm of Jan Hendrik Luimes and Grada Willemina Weenink on Stadsheidelaan in Halle-Nijman, near Doetinchem. Blaas worked on the farm there. The farm was equipped with a secret hiding place, just in case. A story is told in the family that Blaas once had to hide in a field because of an (imminent) raid. It is unknown if, and if so, what resistance activities Blaas may have carried out.

The Luimes family apparently frequently took in people in hiding, and weapons were also hidden on the property (under the manure pile). There was also a direct connection to the LO (National Organisation for Help to People in Hiding). Cary Stomp from Zeist (Provincial Leader for Utrecht) was married to Johanna (known as Hanna), a daughter of the Luimes family. This perhaps explains why Blaas ended up there from his first stop in Zeist. The butcher of Arnemuiden (Mr La Soe) was also active in helping people in hiding (and knew about the French soldier). So perhaps the contact was made through him to help Blaas go into hiding.

DNB Period

After the liberation, Blaas joined the DNB (Dutch National Battalion) as a soldier in the combat section, 2nd Company, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Section. He was paid from April to June 1945. His honourable discharge was granted on 25 June 1945. It is unknown what kind of activities Blaas carried out. It is known, however, that the 2nd Platoon moved from Aalten towards Apeldoorn, De Glind, Hoevelaken, and Amersfoort, and subsequently manned posts on the Eem–Zuiderzee line.

After the war, little or no talk was made about the experiences. However, in April 1990, Blaas did reflect in an interview with the Reformatorisch Dagblad, pointing to a photo of veterans of the Dutch National Battalion: “I lived through the war, but I hope never to have to experience such a thing again. The times are frightening.” .

After the war

In 1952, Blaas married Hendrika Johanna (Riek) Luijmes (note the ‘j’). She was a daughter of the Luijmes family who lived on a farm on Rietveldweg, which lay behind the farm of the Luimes family. The marriage between Blaas and Riek resulted in four children and seven grandchildren.

After the war, Blaas worked in the fish trade, first as a commission agent and later for himself. He was the founder of the import and export business in shrimp and fish, Fa. J. van Belzen en Zn. In 1970, Blaas joined the council of the municipality of Arnemuiden as a member of the ARP. In 1978, he returned as an RPF member after having not been seated for four years. He said goodbye to the council on 1 May 1990 at the age of 66. As part of his public duties, he also served as treasurer on the board of the Social Workshops Walcheren. He also dedicated himself to the Reformed Church.

The French Soldier’s Diary

After the war, Blaas went to Paris to search for the French soldier Roger. He found an uncle and aunt, but they were reluctant to acknowledge or speak about the matter – it remains unclear why. The search was therefore unsuccessful. A nice detail is that Roger’s diary is available at the Arnemuiden Museum, handed over in 2022 in the presence of Blaas’s youngest sister. Also, Jan van Belzen and his wife Dina received a certificate and a medal from the Souvenirs Français association in 1948 for their assistance to Roger.

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