(Lichtenvoorde, 1925)

Member of the 3rd Company DNB

Youthful helper of Allied pilots in Lichtenvoorde

Bernard Theodoor (Ben) Geessink was born in Lichtenvoorde on 26 November 1925, the youngest son of Willem Geessink and Johanna Geessink-Hengeveld. After primary school, Ben attended the technical school (Ambachtsschool) and subsequently worked at the dairy factory in Lichtenvoorde. In June 1942, when Ben was only sixteen years old, his father passed away. A year later, he was forced to go into hiding, as he was adamant about not working in the German war industry. Ben became a member of the underground movement.

He was one of those who did everything possible to keep RAF pilots out of the hands of the German occupier. His mother assisted by providing temporary shelter for people in hiding at their home. Many of his resistance friends in Lichtenvoorde were arrested and did not survive the war. This left a profound mark on him and made him a man of few words after the war. He kept the memorial card of Antoon Slot throughout his entire life. In the autumn of 1944, Geessink joined the combat section of the Interior Forces (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten), Lichtenvoorde group.

In mid-April 1945, he joined the 3rd Company of the Dutch National Battalion. In the summer of 1945, he trained in mine clearance and subsequently worked for the Mine Clearance Service for a year. Upon leaving military service, he worked as a mechanic at the dairy factory in Sellingen. He married Annechiena Drent, who was born in Stadskanaal, in March 1948. They had two children. His mother passed away in Lichtenvoorde in 1961.

When Stan Hanson’s book about his experiences as an RAF pilot was published in Winterswijk in 1977, Ben Geessink received a letter stating that, as one of the helpers of the pilots, he would be gifted a copy. The book was titled “Sprong in het Duister” (Leap into the Dark). As a member of the resistance, Geessink had committed himself to the Allied cause with great personal risk, composure, and humanity. Shortly thereafter, Hanson personally sent a card to Ben Geessink, recalling that Geessink was the one who had taken him to the hiding place in Barlo-Aalten, the farm where Hanson remained hidden until the liberation. “Thank you for your help!” Hanson concluded.

Ben Geessink passed away on 2 April 2006 in Mussel, municipality of Stadskanaal.

Ben Geessink