Dutch War Graves Cemetery North Leeuwarden

The Dutch War Graves
At the Cemetery North in Leeuwarden are Dutch War Graves from the Second World War.

A plot contains the graves of 15 resistance fighters. In some cases, their spouse were also buried here. Every grave has its own 2 meters high narrow column, crowned with a sculptured flame and the Dutch Heraldic Lion in bas relief. These columns have been designed by the Amsterdam architect Ir. M.F.Duintjer with the motto "Torches burn at the dwelling mounts".

The text on the columns is in the Frisian language and reads:
FALLEN YN 'E STRIID
TSJIN ÛNRJOCHT EN SLAVERNIJ
DAT WIJ YN FREDE FOAR
RJOCHT EN FRIJDOM WEITSJE'
This text is an awarded quote by J. de Vries uit Balk.

This can be approximately translated as: "Fallen in the battle against injustice and slavery, lest we remain alert in peace for right and freedom".

The text in front of the graves with the columns in the flagstone path reads:
Field of Honor resistance 1940 -1945

In front of the columns lies a plaque with the names and dates of birth and place of birth and death written on it. With in the back of your head the date of the liberation of Friesland being mid April, it is hard to understand that eight of the men buried here have been executed 11 April, 1945, just some days before the liberation. They were part of a group of 14 men that were shot dead on that day near Dronrijp by the Germans as a retaliatory measure for an act of sabotage on the railroad near that village.

Amongst them are also the three brothers Wierda:
Egbert, Mark Wierda
Klaas Jan Wijpcke Wierda
Hyltje Wierda

Hyltje Wierda had only just reached the age of 20. The three brothers have been buried next to each other, (photo 3) which groups the columns close together. All other columns are solitary. A number of the resistance heroes that have been buried here had been buried in Dronrijp before but were transferred later on to the Noorderbegraafplaats. In the first instance they had been buried in the third section, but finally their remains were transferred to this Honorary Cemetery.

Names of the fallen buried here:
Jan Visser, 14-4-1945
Sijbrandus Pietersma, 1-4-1945
Gerben Ypma, 16-8-1944
Johannes Nieuwland, 11-4-1945
Egbert Mark Wierda, 11-4-1945
Hijltje Wierda, 11-4-1945
Klaas Jan Wijpcke Wierda, 11-4-1945
Hendrik Jan de Jong, 11-4-1945
Douwe Tuinstra, 11-4-1945
Heinrich Harder, 27-4-1945
Hinne Krolis, 22-1-1945
Ruurd Kooistra, 11-4-1945
Krijn van den Helm, 25-8-1944
Aris Heijdenrijk, 22-1-1945
Folkert Wierda, 10-4-1945

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Source

• Text: Mia van den Berg & Leon Bok
• Photos: Nico Nienhuis