(Appingedam, 1902)

Member of the 1st Company DNB

As a soldier and resistance member, always gentle and peace-loving

Geert Bos was born on a farm in Appingedam on 25 February 1902, the eldest son of Frederik Bos and Gertje Bos-de Vries. He became a professional soldier and married Jeltje Postma in 1931. His daughter Anneke and son Frederik were born in De Bilt during the Great Depression. Geert Bos fought against the German army at the Grebbeberg and subsequently experienced the major bombardment of Rotterdam. At one point, he was arrested and stood in a line with resistance comrades facing German soldiers with their rifles at the ready. An officer counted down: “Eins… zwei…” Suddenly, a high-ranking officer commanded: “Halt! Nicht schiessen” (Stop! Do not shoot). For the third time, Geert Bos escaped his fate.

In 1942 or 1943, Geert Bos went into hiding in Hardenberg, where he participated in the resistance under the name ‘Pietje Verschuur’. He was in contact with Reverend Fredrik Slomp, alias ‘Frits de Zwerver’. Following a betrayal, Geert alias Piet had to move. He ended up at the farm of Drikus and Grada ter Maat on Griesdijk in Aalten, where he remained indoors almost constantly. The Ebbers family, who lived across the road, knew him only by the name ‘Piet’ or ‘Piet van Ter Maat’. Even his own children had to call him Piet to ward off danger. After the war, he spoke of how painful this had been for him. His sleeping quarters consisted of a small, cramped space at the bottom of a wardrobe, which was closed every night with a hatch upon which shoes were placed.

Geert knew the men of the Aalten assault group (Knokploeg) and collaborated with them. Occasionally, there were raids in the neighbourhood. One day, he had to flee the house and lay in a ditch for hours, breathing underwater through a straw. He missed his wife and two young children dearly during the war years. Aalten was liberated on 31 March 1945. Despite having a family, Geert Bos joined the Dutch National Battalion. He believed others deserved their freedom too, and as a soldier, he could now fulfill his duty in the liberation of the rest of the Netherlands. On 7 May 1945, he drove a Canadian jeep through his street in De Bilt, stepped out, and embraced his wife Jeltje while the children watched in astonishment.

Geert Bos enlisted as a member of the Dutch National Battalion. He was a member of the 1st Company, commanded by Jan Ket. They knew each other from the underground movement in the local hamlet. Jan Ket later made an urgent appeal to Geert to join the Dutch army in the Dutch East Indies. However, he did not wish to do so and continued his military service within the Netherlands. The friendship with his host family in Aalten and with several resistance members from that time lasted a lifetime. His daughter and grandson characterised him as very gentle and peace-loving.

Geert Bos passed away on 21 February 1991.

Geert Bos