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Dam, Roelof Jan

Date of birth:
November 18th, 1896 (Barneveld, the Netherlands)
Date of death:
April 10th, 1945 (Assen, the Netherlands)
Buried on:
Dutch War Graves IJsselmuiden
Plot: A. Grave: 135.
Nationality:
Dutch

Biography

Roelof Jan was Rector of the Ger. Gymnasium in Kampen and was married to Maartje Kruijswijk. During the Second World War, he became active in 1941 for the underground Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), often also called the Political Organization (PO). He regularly led political meetings in Overijssel. He worked for the National Organization for Assistance to People in Hiding and the National Resistance Groups. His alias was Dr. Maas. In 1943, he collaborated on a Trouw manifesto The enemy has now completely thrown off the mask. He was also appointed editor of Trouw in October 1944 for their regional editions in the North and East of the country. He was also involved in the establishment of the local resistance newspaper in Kampen under the name Strijdend Nederland. In March 1945, he was arrested by chance on the street. During his interrogation, he obtained a revolver from an SD officer. He was wounded, the bullet was removed in the Academic Hospital in Groningen, after which the SD brought him back to Assen. On 10 April 1945, just before the liberation of the city, he was shot together with ten others in the Asserbos near Assen. One of the SD'ers who were present, was Klaas Carel Faber.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
May 9th, 1946
Verzetskruis 1940-1945 (VKN)

Sources