Jacob Leendert van Rij (1906 - 1945)

Jacob Leendert van Rij was born on October 5, 1906 in Ridderkerk and lived during World War II with his wife Alie (maiden name Boon) and son Jaap on Broekweg 15 (now J.L. van Rijweg) in Zoetermeer. Jacob was a constable in the military police and was active in the resistance as a member of the Internal Armed Forces (BS), where he worked with Cornelis van Eerden and Jan Hoorn, among others. His pseudonym was Heuf.

On April 29, 1945, Jacob Leendert van Rij was killed during a breakout from the Jachthuis in Zevenhuizen. He and the other deceased resistance fighters from Zoetermeer were later reburied in an honorary grave near the Oude Kerk.

Van Rij in the resistance

Although Jacob Leendert van Rij seemed an able leader of the Zoetermeer resistance, Joop Kentgens was chosen because of Van Rij's hot-tempered nature. Professor P. Heertjes, the regional commander, thought this inappropriate. Van Rij was vehemently opposed to the Germans and their supporters from the beginning of the war. He kept a list of pro-German individuals and NSB members so that they could be tried after the war. He also cooperated in fighting the black market in Zoetermeer. When farmers slaughtered meat illegally, Van Rij and other members of the resistance requisitioned it 'in the name of the queen and fatherland'. This meat went to butcher Vollebregt in Dorpsstraat, who used it to make products for people who helped people in hiding. The rest went to Toon Fraasen of café 'Ons Genoegen', where soup was made for people who came to get food. The peas and beans in the soup had also been confiscated by Van Rij and the resistance from black marketers or farmers who were asking too high prices.

The raid on the hunting lodge

In April 1945, 16 members of the resistance, including Joop Kentgens, Jacob Leendert van Rij and John McCormick, were in hiding in a hunting lodge in Zevenhuizen. On April 29, 1945, just before liberation, the hunting lodge was raided by German soldiers. Presumably through treachery, the Germans learned of this hiding place. A shootout ensued in which John McCormick was killed and resistance fighter Joop Kentgens received a bullet in his face. It was later revealed that Joop Kentgens had survived the attack. Van Rij took charge and decided on a breakout. During this attempt, his wife Alie was wounded in the leg, but their son Jaap managed to escape. Van Rij covered the retreat and managed to eliminate several German soldiers. Thanks to his bravery, the people in hiding at the hunting lodge were able to get to safety. During the battle, Van Rij was wounded. He still held his ground in the swamp on the Rotte River until he fell over, exhausted, and drowned. Jacob Leendert van Rij and McCormick were buried in Zevenhuizen on May 4, 1945.

Later, on Oct. 31, 1945, Jacob Leendert van Rij and McCormick were reburied with military honors at the Oude Kerk in Zoetermeer, along with Zoetermeerders Jan Hoorn and Cornelis van Eerden, who had died on May 5 during the liberation.

Posthumously, Van Rij was awarded the Bronze Lion by Royal Decree on April 10, 1953. On April 21, 1990, a monument was unveiled as a reminder at the hunting lodge in Zevenhuizen, at the junction of the Tweemanspolder and the Koornmolengat.

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Jacob Leendert van Rij