(Aalten, 1924)

Member of the 1st Company DNB

Member of the Dale and Barlo resistance with his own automatic weapon

Johannes van Eerden was born on 3 April 1924 at the ‘’t Ruwhof’ farm (Dale 85, Aalten – current address: Barloseweg 1), the third of eight children of Gerrit-Hendrik van Eerden and Frederika Sandrina Brusse. The family quickly became involved with the Landelijke Organisatie voor Hulp aan Onderduikers (LO), which originated in the Achterhoek border region. By November 1942, they were either taking in ‘duikelaars’ (people in hiding) or finding addresses for them. When Johan received a summons for the Arbeitseinsatz (forced labour) in 1943, his parents decided he should go into hiding elsewhere, particularly as his eldest brother Gerrit was already hidden at home while coordinating aid for others.

Johan moved in with the Te Lindert family at the ‘Den Bosch’ farm (Barlo 58 – current address: Vlasspreideweg 8). The farmer, known as ‘Boschmans-Hendrik’, was a kindred spirit who, like the Van Eerdens, aimed to thwart the Nazi regime wherever possible. However, he went further, not shunning the use of weapons to achieve his goals. This became evident when Te Lindert’s cousin was arrested during a raid in August 1943. Johan participated in the subsequent rescue attempt. Sadly, Boschmans-Hendrik’s brother was captured during this operation; he eventually died in the Neuengamme concentration camp. Shortly after, Boschmans-Hendrik himself was also arrested. Johan van Eerden and several others narrowly escaped.

In the autumn of 1944, Johan, like his fellow local resistance members, joined the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Interior Forces). During the Allied weapon air-drops in the ‘Daalse Veld’ area of Aalten in late October, Johan was part of the group that transported the large quantity of dropped weapons and concealed them on various farms. From that time on, he possessed his own automatic weapon. In mid-April 1945, he departed Aalten as a member of the 1st Company. The unit’s name was later changed to the DNB, and their overalls were replaced by proper uniforms. The photograph of Johan was taken in Spakenburg in May. From mid-July 1945, Johan worked for the Mine Clearance Service. He resigned in the spring of 1946 following a tragic accident in which Dick Fries was blinded and Jan van de Heuvel was killed (both men from Aalten).

During this period, he heard encouraging stories from his former Canadian brothers-in-arms. In 1948, he married Dien te Linde, the girl next door from his period in hiding. Full of hope, they emigrated to Alberta in northern Canada. Johan said: “If others can make it, so can we.” They started a farm in La Glace and had four children. He took great pleasure in his farm work and his family. He rarely spoke of the war in later life, finding it difficult to come to terms with certain events. Johan passed away at the age of 58.

Johan van Eerden