Wooning, Elisa Adriana Petronella

Date of birth:: November 18th, 1897 (Amsterdam)
Date of death:: March 26th, 1945 (Hirzenhain, Hessen (Dld.))
Buried on:: German War Cemetery Kloster Arnsburg
Nationality:: Dutch

Biography

Lived in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Daughter of Henricus Johannes Leonardus Wooning (30 March 1864 ‘s-Hertogenbosch - 6 December 1935 “s-Hertogenbosch) and Petronella Adriana Coers (15 June 1863 ”s-Hertogenbosch - 9 July 1928 ’s-Hertogenbosch). Married Theodorus van der Klijn (27 January 1883 Tilburg - 24 July 1957 ‘s-Hertogenbosch) on 23 April 1930. (1*). Housewife. Member of the resistance. She provided help to people in hiding and secret agents. She was also involved in sending intelligence to the Allies and distributing illegal pamphlets. She struggled with poor health. When she was arrested by the Germans, she was recovering from her 14th operation, which she had undergone in August 1944. Initially, she was detained in the House of Detention in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Via the Wehrmacht prison, Anrath and Düsseldorf, she ended up in the Arbeitererziehungslager in Heddernheim in Hirzenheim, Germany. This had been a women's camp since 1944. As the Allies penetrated deeper and deeper into Nazi Germany, the guards made preparations to evacuate the camp. Some of the inmates were evacuated, However, in addition, in the early morning of 26 March 1945, 81 women, including Lies van der Klijn-Wooning, were led into the forest together with six male inmates a kilometre away from the camp. There, the prisoners were shot dead by an SS commando with machine guns.The six men had had to dig a large pit the previous day, which was supposedly to contain a petrol depot. A second Dutch victim was 23-year-old Leentje van Elst from Arnhem. Hirzenheim was liberated a few days later.
(1*) Van der Klijn was previously married to Adriana van Zijl (6 January 1886 Oss - 15 February 1917 Tilburg) and Elisabeth Venrooij (14 September 1883 ‘s-Hertogenbosch - 31 July 1925 ’s-Hertogenbosch).

The Americans found the mass grave on the instructions of locals. The identities of only one inmate were established. Since 1959, the victims have been buried nameless in the war cemetery of Arnsburg monastery near the city of Lich.

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

Sources

Site Brabantse Gesneuvelden; Oorlogsgravenstichting; Erelijst van Gevallenen 1940-1945; site wiewaswie.nl (waaronder overlijdensakte 759/1951 gemeente 's-Hertogenbosch).