(Overveen, 1922)

Platoon Commander, 1st Company DNB

Henk van ’t Lam, alias ‘Lange Henk’, a natural leader with charisma

Hendricus Theodorus Ignatius (Henk) van ’t Lam was born in Overveen on 22 January 1922. His father was a gymnastics teacher at the Kennemer Lyceum and was appointed inspector for physical education by the ministry in April 1941. Henk attended the Maritime School in Den Helder. At the start of the war, he tried to sail to England, but this failed. Via the National Organisation for People in Hiding, he went into hiding in mid-1943 with the Duthler family in Varsseveld and subsequently at addresses on the Heelweg and in Zieuwent. Henk was part of the underground, which was active in Varsseveld, Aalten, and Zieuwent. He was friends with two resistance leaders from Varsseveld, Riep Knottnerus (son of the vicar) and the administrative official Maarten van Prooijen. These three men operated independently and cautiously to attract as little attention as possible. Henk had charisma; he was a natural leader who committed himself fully to his mission.

In September 1944, Henk van ’t Lam, alias ‘Lange Henk’, became a member of the Interior Forces (BS) and formed his own armed platoon of six people in hiding and farmers’ sons. Jan Ket of the Aalten Assault Group asked him to merge this armed group with his own, plus a group in Zieuwent. Thus, a storm platoon was created. The groups were stationed close to each other in farms around the Somsenhuis in IJzerlo. Lange Henk, together with Wim van der Veen and the Allied pilots Frank Dell and Joe Davis, practiced with weapons for three weeks while in hiding. The farmers found this to be getting too dangerous. The group moved to a farm declared unfit for habitation, De Bark in IJzerlo, and at a certain point numbered 35 people. Jan Ket, alias ‘Zwarte Jan’, was in command with Lange Henk as his deputy. The military training of the ‘Barkianen’ group was very strict. Zwarte Jan and he warned the Barkianen: if you are taken prisoner, you will end up in a situation where you will betray others. Remember, the last bullet is for yourself! The group consisted of former military personnel, seven Allied airmen, two Poles, one Frenchman, and two Alsatians (deserted Germans). When the first Allied weapons dropping took place in the Aaltense Goor at the end of October, Lange Henk received instructions about the dropped weapons from the pilots in hiding. Lange Henk helped with the recovery of these weapons at various addresses.

At the end of February 1945, the drama of De Bark occurred. Three German officers and their driver were taken prisoner and asked to desert. They refused this, after which they were hanged. Three Barkianen drove the German staff car with the lifeless bodies to the border of Aalten and Varsseveld. An explosive charge was applied, matches were added, and then there was one minute to get away. The intention was for everything to char, but this failed. The retaliation of the occupier was terrible: 46 resistance fighters from De Kruisberg prison were executed by firing squad at the Rademakersbroek on 2 March 1945. De Bark had already been evacuated. The sections then dispersed to various locations. Lange Henk left with his section for the Te Lindert farm on the Heelweg. Weapons were still located there and the training of the Varsseveld resistance took place there. When German assault guns were billeted nearby, he asked GP Brinkman for a declaration of infectious disease around the farm. In this way, the group could continue training. On 29 March, Zwarte Jan’s female courier came to him with the order to return to IJzerlo. The Allied army was approaching. On the eve of the liberation, Lange Henk fought with ten warriors in the vicinity of the Slingebeek. During that action, he was wounded in an arm and a knee. For six weeks, he was nursed in the emergency hospital in Aalten. On 4 May 1945, he reported to the Dutch National Battalion, more or less recovered from his injuries. The news of the capitulation arrived at the army that evening.

He married Antoinette van der Zijden. They went to live in Overveen, where three daughters were born. Henk van ’t Lam became director of a sports company that was part of De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. Together with resistance friends, Van ’t Lam joined the ‘RAF Escaping Society’ in England. This led to a dedicated escape department in the Netherlands, which was also in contact with Prince Bernhard.

When Henk van ’t Lam reviewed the situation during an interview in the 1980s, he wondered if the drama of De Bark had been necessary. He regretted it enormously. Victims had fallen, chaos had arisen, but also the lives of Allied pilots and the lives of many people in the Achterhoek were spared.

Van ’t Lam maintained contact with his comrades, particularly Jan Ket and Frank Dell. Around 1990, he visited Vera Lynn’s show in London together with Frank Dell.

Vera Lynn, Frank Dell, Henk van ‘t Lam (1990)