Balk Plaque on the outer wall of the Town Hall
Balk
This memorial plaque was donated to the municipality on May 4, 1953 by members of the former illegality. This contains the names of the five fallen from the municipality of Gaasterland.
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This memorial plaque was donated to the municipality on May 4, 1953 by members of the former illegality. This contains the names of the five fallen from the municipality of Gaasterland.
Teeuwes de Boer was born on May 27, 1903 in Bakhuizen. He joined the Colonial Reserve in 1924 as a volunteer. After the capitulation of the former Dutch East Indies, he was taken prisoner of war. On September 21, 1944, the Japanese ship Fuji Maru was torpedoed in Manila Bay. Teeuwes was killed in this.
Jacobus Johannes Boomsma was born on July 6, 1910 in Sondel. In the autumn of 1943 he had to go into hiding for treason. Under the pseudonym 'Karel I' he was able to accommodate many people in hiding and Jews at hiding addresses in Gaasterland. On 6 November 1944 Boomsma was shot while trying to escape.
Jeen Hornstra was born on May 22, 1900 in Koudum. He was arrested while transferring weapons for the resistance. As a reprisal, he was shot in Dunegea on March 17, 1945.
Johannes Nagelhout was born on March 14, 1915 in Bakhuizen. The submarine on which Johannes served as a 2nd class sailor probably ran into a mine in 1940 and sank with the entire crew.
Johannes Doedenias Schweitzer was born on June 12, 1921 in Maassluis. During the occupation he went into hiding in Nijega (now Elahuizen) to avoid being put to work. During a raid he was shot while trying to escape.
Here you will find Balk Plaque on the outer wall of the Town Hall
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The liberation of Friesland
The liberation of Friesland
By 18 April, the whole province of Friesland had been liberated, except for the Wadden Islands. Compared to other provinces, there was little fighting in Friesland. Overall, the few thousand German troops who had been unable to escape from Friesland were defeated by the Canadians relatively quickly.
The commander of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lieutenant Colonel Landell, praised the actions of the resistance by stating that "Friesland liberated herself". While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, the actions of the Frisian resistance undoubtedly accelerated the liberation. And reduced the number of casualties on the Allied side.
At least 31 resistance fighters lost their lives in confrontations with German troops and their Dutch accomplices. At least eleven Canadians and one Frenchman were killed on the Allied side. Dozens of civilian victims were also killed in the fighting and shelling. The number of casualties on the German side is not known, but it is believed that the number ran into hundreds. With 320 destroyed and 4000 damaged homes and 80 destroyed bridges, Friesland was materially the least damaged province of the Netherlands.
Many German soldiers fled towards the western part of the country. The retreating German troops gathered mostly in Harlingen, Makkum and Lemmer. From there, they tried to get away by boat across the IJsselmeer or via the Afsluitdijk to North Holland. The Wadden Islands also became a refuge for collaborators and German soldiers. Here, liberation was longer in coming.
On the island of Terschelling, the last German troops were disarmed by a British artillery regiment on 29 May. Two days later, the British crossed from Terschelling to Vlieland, and the liberation of that island was also a fact. Ameland was liberated on 3 June.
Personnel from the infamous Scholtenhuis, the SD headquarters in Groningen, had entrenched themselves on Schiermonnikoog. After their departure on 31 May, there was a celebration on the island, in spite of the six hundred members of the occupying troops who still were there. Only on 11 June did the last German soldiers leave Schiermonnikoog, and then the whole province of Friesland was free.
Most Canadian units that had liberated Friesland continued the battle in Groningen and North Germany after 18 April. Their war ended on 8 May 1945, when the surrender of all German armed forces became effective.
