War Memorial Graveyard H. Clemens Nuenen

War memorial at the churchyard of St Clemens in Nuenen

The war memorial consists of a large standing bluestone cross with a recumbent bluestone plaque.
Location of the grave/monument: Section/row/number B/01/22
The following text is engraved on the plaque:

Killed by war
20-21 September 1944
MARTINA MERKS * 17-2-1907
THEA VAN DE LAAR * 24-6-1916
CORNELIA SMEULDERS * 29-11-1926
CORNELIS ROSET * 7-5-1919
WILHELMINA DRIESSEN * 29-11-1892
ANTOON SAELMANS * 25-12-1924

Notes:
1. Thea van de Laar, Thea is her call sign, Mathea is her baptismal name;
2. Wilhelmina Driessen, Wilhelmina Driessen her official name is: Maria van der Sterren-Driessen. Because that
was apparently too long, the parish priest chose her second baptismal name Wilhelmina and her maiden surname
Driessen. Maria's date of birth is incorrect, it should be 19-11-1891;
3. Antoon Saelmans' birth name is Antonius, Antoon's surname is Saelemans instead of Saelmans.

The monument has been placed on the spot where six Nuenen war victims were buried together on Sunday 24 September 1944 (see also the enclosed joint prayer card). The history of these war victims is described below.

Martina Maria Merks, born 17 February 1907 in Nuenen daughter of Hendrikus Merks, miller, and Johanna Maria Josephina Raassens.
Died during the liberation of Nuenen. Pastor Aldenhuijsen wrote: 'Was ’t quiet for a moment, then the phone rang (...) and then soon the news of dangerous injuries of parishioners. We were first notified about Martina Merkx. But we were not allowed outside and could not go to her. Later he writes about this event ... I paid a short visit to the Merkx family and saw that it had also been banging on Den Berg.

Mathea Antonetta van de Laar, born 24 June 1916 in Nuenen, daughter of Mathias Christianus van de Laar and Johanna Sanders. Thea van de Laar.
Was killed by combat operations on 20 September 1944 at eleven o'clock during the liberation of Nuenen
Bertus Adriaans' farm, which stood at the back in the Voirt, where the Voirt almost joins the Boordseweg, burned to the ground. Bertus and Hanne were in the back garden in an air-raid shelter, together with their adopted daughter Thea. Thea said: Shall I bake you an egg roll? But as she was about to leave the shelter, she fell backwards between her parents, hit by a rifle bullet. Who were eating with a dead daughter waiting for the fire to end. That is the story as the pastor heard it from the mouths of the people who told him their experiences. Pastor visited Aldenhuijsen visited father and mother Adriaans and found Thea's corpse still lying at the shelter.

Maria Wilhelmina Driessen, born on 19 September 1891, was the daughter of Bernard Driessen and Maria Hendrix. Maria was the widow of Leonard van der Sterren, carpenter, who died in Eindhoven on 1 January 1942. They were married on 19 April 1918 and lived in Vierlingsbeek until August 1921 and then in Nuenen on Berg F181. Leonard and Maria had four sons and six daughters.
Maria died on 20 September 1944 at 10pm on the Oude Dijk as a result of shelling during the liberation of Nuenen.

Cornelia Petronella Smeulders, factory worker, born 29 November 1926 in Nuenen, daughter of Wilhelmus Smeulders and Petronella van Reek.
Killed by war in Nuenen on 21 September 1944 at 19.00. She lived in ‘t café Het Hoekje (’t Huukske), corner Kerkstraat-Lindelaan (then Boterstraat) towards Park, next to the butter factory.

Antonius Cornelis Martinus Saelemans, farmer, born 25 December 1924 in Aarle-Rixtel, son of Wilhelmus Hendricus Saelemans and Elena van den Hurk.
According to Pastor Aldenhuijsen: Already a boy*, fleeing from the field to the rectory, had told us that three boys were bleeding to death under the trees of the old cemetery. We were not allowed to go there. I knew before evening that they had been taken to Refeling by cart and that a German military doctor had treated them. I served the one Henri van Lieshout of Refeling this morning; when it started getting light, I went out with Father Wijnands of the Jesuits, although the Germans had not all left yet. I had not served the second Toon Saelemans (Refeling). But he died on Thursday morning (07.00), after still receiving the Holy Sacr. Sacr. The third, Martien van Kessel is still lying with a gunshot wound in his chest. What a terrible evening that was.’
Henri van Lieshout remained alive. Martien van Kessel is mentioned further on.
*According to other sources, there were two boys, reporting the accident. One Noud Saris, living on the Heieind and the other Leo Oerlemans, who died in 1979.

Cornelis Petrus Maria Boset, tailor, born 17 May 1919 in Tilburg, son of Petrus Aloijsius Boset and Petronella Johanna Zebregs, He was married to Johanna Catharina Josepha Boset.
Died on 21 September 1944 at 7pm as a result of shelling during the liberation of Nuenen.
Pastor Aldenhuijsen: During the bombardment on Thursday Boset from ‘t Hoekje rang the bell in his air-raid shelter, a direct hit and probably 2 dead. After 45 minutes when the bombing stopped I went there. I was sent back by English soldiers - then I went again and was sent back - the third time: when I arrived there among two partisans, we could only conclude that they must have died immediately after the fatal incident. They were Cor Boset, the son-in-law of the Boset family living here, and Cornelia Smeulders.

This description comes from the article by Foppe de Lang called: Nuenen victims during the Second World War, appearing in the Cultural-historical magazine for Nuenen, Gerwen and Nederwetten of the heritage association De Drijehornick Nuenen-Gerwen-Nederwetten, Jaargang 21-Nummer 2- August 2012:

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Source

• Text: Tiny Luppens
• Photos: Maria Luppens (1, 2), Tiny Luppens (3)