War Monument Terneuzen

The monument consists of pieces of granite in the shape of a column topped by a bronze statue of a fist with a sword. The monument is surrounded by a broken chain.

The text on the inset plaque in the pedestal reads:
To those who fell
for freedom

The stones at the base of the monument are from the destruction of the West Lock.

At the express wish of Queen Wilhelmina, this monument was erected after her visit on 14 March 1945 to the place where five members of the Rijkswaterstaat were executed.
These were: Hoolsema, Groenewegen, De Bert, Verbrugge and Nieuwenhuize.

They had attempted to remove explosives from the West Lock on Dolle Dinsdag (5 September 1944). In this attempt, five men were arrested by the occupying forces and shot.

On 8 September, amid great interest, they were buried in a collective grave in the General Cemetery. After the liberation, a memorial was placed on this grave, symbolising the actions of the five men by a male figure holding a shield over a lockwork.

The memorial was unveiled in 1950 and was moved from the New Lock to this location on 7 February 2024. The five elms planted symbolise the five men.

More information can be found in the publication: Five turbulent years by J.L. Platteeuw.

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Source

• Text: Mia van den Berg
• Photos: Pieter Mielen