(Aalten, 1921)

Member of the 1st Company DNB

A short life of courage and music

Hendrik Willem (Wim) Obbink was born on 2 August 1921 in Aalten. He worked as a bookkeeper and was musically talented; he played the organ during illegal church services. From September 1944, he kept a diary in which he vividly described how the war affected Aalten.

Despite the danger, he remained optimistic and constantly sought ways to outsmart the occupier. In the final months of the war, he hid the Canadian pilot Bill Harvey in the barn, and after the liberation, he brought Harvey safely to the Canadian army.

In April 1945, Wim joined the Dutch National Battalion (DNB) as an interpreter and staff member. There, too, he brought people together—he even managed to track down an accordion to entertain his comrades. On May 10, he wrote enthusiastically in his final letter home that he had signed on for another six months. Three days later, on May 13, tragedy struck.

Wim died in an accident in Amersfoort following a collision with a Canadian convoy. On 17 May 1945, he was buried with military honours in Aalten. His diary and his actions left an indelible impression – a story of courage, humanity, and music in a dark time.

Wim Obbink