We are looking for relatives of resistance fighters from the municipality of Zoetermeer
In May 2025, 80 years after liberation, the municipality of Zoetermeer wants to honor 3 Zoetermeer resistance fighters with a stolpersteine. These are small memorial stones. We would therefore like to get in touch with relatives of these resistance fighters.
Who do we want to honor?
In early 1945, American airman John McCormick crashed his plane in the immediate vicinity of Zoetermeer. He was hidden in Zevenhuizen. There he and Zoetermeer resistance fighter Jacob (Jaap) Leendert van Rij were killed in a firefight in April 1945.
On Liberation Day, the Germans raided the Zoetermeer Domestic Forces. In that raid, the Zoetermeerders Cornelis van Eerden and Jan Hoorn were shot dead. The 4 men are buried in a grave of honor near the Oude Kerk in Zoetermeer.
Who knows their next of kin?
With the family of Jan Hoorn, we have already been able to make contact. But we are still looking for relatives of:
- Cornelis (Kees) van Eerden, 1913-1945. Home address in 1939: Molenstraat 147, Zoetermeer
- Jacob (Jaap) Leendert van Rij, 1906-1945. During the war residential address: Broekweg 15 (that part was renamed J.L. van Rijweg from 1946), Zoetermeer
Are you a survivor or do you know a survivor of these 2 resistance fighters? We would love to hear from you at kunstprojecten@zoetermeer.nl.
What are stolpersteine?
Stolpersteine (trip stones) were devised by the artist Gunter Demnig. They are little stones (10x10cm) with a brass plate that we use to commemorate the victims of National Socialism around and during World War II.
The brass stolpersteine are placed in the sidewalk in front of or near the last home of the victims. They are memorial stones and emphatically not tombstones. They help us reflect on the fate of victims. The stones have already been placed in 1,200 locations throughout Europe since 1992.