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funeral oration, held by a comrade in arms “Harry” (Theo Goossen), at the farewell celebration of “Paul”, p. 1

Theo Goossen (Harry van Benthum) was subdistrict chief of the LO in Kerkrade and headed the L.O.’s intelligence service in the coalmine district, which soon included large parts of Limburg after the liberation. Pierre Schunck was his informant for the subdistrict of Valkenburg.
The scan of p. 1 is missing.

On one of the first days of september 1943, the L.O.- district of Heerlen (Netherlands), was founded. One of the persons present was a man with the resistance name "Paul Simons". This happened in in the flat of rector Prompens in the St.-Jozef hospital.
L.O. meant: "Landelijke Organisatie" (National Organisation for help to hidden people like Jews, allied pilots etc.. The L.O. district, in the beginning known as L18, later as Z18, covered, in addition to Maastricht and environs, about ¾ of the southern part of the province of Limburg (Netherlands).
Curate Giel Berix from Heerlen, a friend of „Paul“’s and fellow-founder of the L.O. in Heerlen, became after the retirement of Rector Prompers by some good reasons and according to his own wishes, the leader of the district Z18 (He was arrested 21.6.1944 in Weert and died in the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen). The district of Heerlen was divided into 9 rayons.
The present Mr. „Paul“ became the leader of the subdistrict Valkenburg. The activities of this group stretched away to and reached Gulpen and Maastricht. Also Klimmen and environs were incorporated with the subdistrict Valkenburg.

During several secret meetings and the necessary cooperation they got better acquainted with each others and some learned a little about each others familiar situations and even surnames.
„Paul“’s family name was Schunck, he lived in Valkenburg, where he had a laundry. There his wife Gerda was playing an important part too. At set times you could find „Paul“ in Heerlen in a clothing factory at the corner Kruisstraat-Geleenstraat.

„Paul“ Schunck’s resistance was directed against

  • the perfidious invasion and occupation of our country
  • the dictatorial display of power, exclusive of any kind of liberty
  • the inhuman way of acting
  • the elimination and massacration of dissidents and others.

But:

His acting mainly was aimed at assistance to people in trouble:

  • To destitute families, whose husband and father had to flee, had gone into hiding, or was confined in jail or in one of the atrocious concentration camps.
  • Organising accommodation and hiding places for refugees, for Jews, for crashed allied pilots, for Resistance people wanted by the police, etc.
    Those people all standed in need of nourishment, clothing, ration-books, identity cards, ration-coupons etc.
  • The realisation of this help demanded organisation, consulting together, intensive cooperation etc., and all this inconspicuously and in secret!

P. 2


Pierre Schunck

Album : Resistance

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