Johannes Wilhelmus Kuypers<!-- Kuijpers --> <i>(Jan)</i>
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Johannes Wilhelmus Kuypers is listed in the Resistance Memorial on the
left wall, row 17 #02

Limburg 1940-1945,
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Johannes Wilhelmus Kuypers (Jan)


 08-07-1924 Heerlerheide      26-01-1945 Hauptlager Neuengamme (20)
- People in hiding - Forced Labor - Heerlen -

    Kuypers or Kuijpers? The population department of his hometown Heerlen writes on November 29, 1051: Kuypers. [1#4]
    So that’s how his name appears on the wall of the resistance monument of the province of Limburg, see photo at right.
    But as often happens with this kind of Dutch names, someone changes the y into ij and others pick it up. For example oorlogsgravenstichting.nl [5], vriendenkringneuengamme.nl [2] and the Erelijst 1940-1945 [4] do that on their websites. Who started that?
    And then on February 11, 1957, the Heerlen population department also suddenly writes Kuijpers. [1#1]
    The OGS (OorlogsGravenStichting, dutch war graves foundation) writes about the profession of Jan Kuijpers: : waiter / member of the resistance.  [5]
    But their file on Jan Kuypers says miner. [1#1]
    The website vriendenkringneuengamme.nl writes: Cause of arrest: resistance / evading labor deployment. Arrested on 03 July 1944  [2]
    The municipality: In July 1944 arrested by the Germans and transferred first to Arnhem and later to Neuengamme where he died. [1#2]
    His father, who incidentally spelled his surname Kuipers or Kuypers, wrote or dictated about what followed his arrest somewhat anomalously: We were already liberated, then my son was taken to Amersfoort and then to Ommen (Overijssel) furthermore to Germany. [1#3]
    The word Ommen is difficult to read in it, but it is the only camp that comes into question. In addition, the Erika camp in Ommen was used as an Arbeitseinsatzlager (labor deployment camp) for people who had tried to evade forced labor in Germany.
    The cause of his death is stated as sepsis (blood poisoning) after phlegmon left foot. [2]
    There is no mention of a grave. This was the usual practice in the German camps, especially towards the end of the war. Crematoria were set up everywhere. When these were no longer sufficient, mass graves were dug. As the Allies drew ever closer, many prisoners from Neuengamme were taken onto ships that were sunk by RAF pilots on the assumption that they were troop transports. But Jan Kuypers was already dead by then.

    In Het verborgen front, chap.X, Annex VIII. Arrestatie communisten en radicale socialisten 1940-1945 (Arrest of communists and radical socialists 1940-1945) we read: Arrested on March 1, 1941 in Nieuwenhagen and probably released on March 28, 1941. So that was someone else.
    He is listed in the “Erelijst 1940-1945” (Honor Roll of the Dutch Parliament). [4]

    Footnotes

    1. Archief Oorlogsgravenstichting (@ Nationaal archief), Dossier Jan Kuypers • #1#2#3#4
    2. Digitaal Monument Neuengamme, vriendenkringneuengamme.nl Johannes Wilhelmus Kuijpers
    3. Cap Arcona 1945
      1. Vriendenkring Neuengamme
      2. Wikipedia • NederlandsDeutschEnglishFrançaisPortuguês
    4. Erelijst 1940-1945
    5. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl