(Eibergen, 1915)

Member of the 3rd Company DNB

Gerard attached great importance to freedom, for himself and others

Gerardus Antonius Luttikholt (known as Gerrit or Gerard) was born on 30 May 1915 in Voor-Beltrum, municipality of Eibergen, the son of Gerardus Joannes Luttikholt and Johanna Hendrika Reuvekamp. Like many in his area, he had a nickname: ‘Gait van de Vèle’. Gerard was someone who loved nature dearly, but also his freedom. By profession, he was successively a farmer, gamekeeper, park maintenance worker, and parking attendant.

Resistance and the Dutch National Battalion

In 1944, he joined the combatant branch of the Netherlands Forces of the Interior (NBS), Beltrum section. He worked closely there with his resistance friends Jan Arink, Frans Freijer, Anton Geessink, and Jos Ribbers. Following the liberation of Eibergen, he joined the 3rd Company of the Dutch National Battalion (DNB) in mid-April 1945.

Guarding and Disarmament in Tiel

From May/June 1945, he was stationed with his company in Tiel, in the vicinity of the auction building. Here, they guarded captured German soldiers. For weeks, they had to throw rifles and goods onto a bonfire—items that had been looted by the Germans across the Netherlands during the war.

Life After the War

From 1947, Gerard lived in Enschede. On 26 May 1948, he married Aleida Antonia Klein Gunnewiek in Eibergen, who was also from Eibergen. Together they had five children, and the family continued to live in Enschede. Post-war documentation showed that he faithfully attended the DNB reunions. Gerard Luttikholt passed away on 26 December 1992 in Enschede. According to his family, he was a strong man both mentally and physically.

Gerard Luttikholt