Memorial Milk-strike 1943

On April 29, 1943, the occupier issued the order that the former Dutch soldiers would be taken prisoner of war. In response, strikes broke out all over the country. In the Frisian countryside, the actions took the form of a milk strike. The farmers stopped supplying milk to the factory or cans were thrown off the milk truck. However, resistance circles soon urged that the milk strike be ended, because Higher SS and Police Leader Hanns Albin Rauter had proclaimed police standing law for four provinces, including Friesland. Military courts could pass death sentences after a summary investigation, which were often carried out immediately. This standing right was an effective means for the occupier to intimidate the population. A curfew was also imposed.

On May 4, 1943, a German raid vehicle drove to Freerk Wijma's farm and the occupants surrounded the yard. Wijma was asked if he had delivered milk to the factory that morning. Wijma answered in the negative and stated that she would deliver the evening milk. When Wijma refused to go to Leeuwarden, the commander gave the order to shoot the young farmer. The next day the milk strike in Suameer was ended. In the early morning of May 6, Wijma was buried in silence in the village.

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