Cycling route Death Valley De Peel - Martien van der Lijnden (#12)

Martien van der Lijnden

A few hundred meters further along the Griendtsveenseweg is 'De Crisihoeve', the house of Martien van der Eijnden: butcher, helper of Allied pilots and people in hiding and resistance fighter. Tinus, better known in the resistance as 'Watje', was part of the Council of Resistance group Deurne and the resistance group De Zwarte Plak. The van der Eijnden family provided a safe shelter on their farm for several pilots and people in hiding.

Only weeks before the liberation, disaster struck for Martien. On Tuesday, September 5, 'Mad Tuesday', he was out with Frits de Bruijn from Asten, known in the resistance as 'Alphons'. The two resistance fighters were sabotaging the railway line and at that moment a German train stopped. Martien and Frits were caught red-handed and executed. It is unknown how that happened. Judging from their injuries, it later turned out that they had probably been beaten to death.

Martien was buried in the cemetery in Zeilberg and was posthumously awarded the American Medal of Freedom.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Martin Damen