Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

April 29th, 1985

Description:
"Cato Loonstijn was one of the few members of her large Amsterdam Jewish family who survived the war. She went into hiding in early 1943 and during the two years that followed was forced to flee from one place to another. Only in November 1944 did she find a permanent refuge with Hendrik and Sjoukje Martijn in Oosterwolde, Friesland. The local minister, Pastor Mollema, had asked Hendrik and Sjoukje to take Cato in for two weeks. They knew that she was Jewish and that she had been involved in helping British soldiers dropped behind enemy lines. They agreed, because they were people who preferred acting rather than casting doubts. Anyone who asked was told that Cato was one of the many evacuees from the battles in the Arnhem area. When Cato arrived she was in poor condition. She had faced the Germans numerous times in the course of her underground activities and had been on the run constantly. She had contracted lice, which exacerbated her fatigue. She was in no condition to continue running and places to hide were scarce, so the Martijns decided that she had to stay with them, their two teenage children, and a niece. Although life was not easy for any of them, Cato remained there until the liberation."

Combined awarding with his wife Sjoukje Martijn-van de Boer.