Family tree Steinmeier/De Vries » Jacob Sake Groendijk (1905-1972)

Personal data Jacob Sake Groendijk 

• He was born on August 2, 1905 in Gemeente Zevenaar, Gelderland, Nederland.
• Occupations:
• Officer - Dutch Navy.
• Accountant - did many people's taxes according to Ria.
• Director - Customs & Taxation, after leaving Navy.
• He died on July 2, 1972 in Den Helder, Nederland, he was 66 years old.
• A child of Pieter Jacobs Groendijk and Margaretha Sakes de Vries

Household of Jacob Sake Groendijk

Notes about Jacob Sake Groendijk

May 5, 1940 - Living in Ittervoort, Limburg near the Belgium border at age 11. The evening before, Opa got word that the German army was about to invade Holland, and Ria clearly remembers watching him go out to the garden where Oma was planting little white flowers, and them talking quietly, and how Oma turned as white as a ghost. As Opa was in the Navy at one time, he was obliged to report to the Navy yard in Den Helder ASAP. They packed as much as possible that night, preparing to leave early in the AM. It was decided that the best route would be through Roosteren, Limburg and across the bridge over the Maas River to Maaseik, Belgium. Unfortunately, the bridge, which was on the Netherlands-Belgium border, was blown up as the three of them were making their way across, with the Dutch half blowing up first. As they ran onto the Belgium side Ria had to leave her bicycle, and the Belgium side of the Bridge blew up next, destroying her bike and leaving her with a leg wound. Ria suspects that the bridge was blown to try to arrest the German army's advance into Belgium. The Groendijk's stayed in Maaseik with the family of a brother of their neighbours back in Ittervoort called Beckers. Three others who made it across the bridge were Dutch Army soldiers, who immediately proceeded to burn their uniforms in the Becker's pot-bellied stove. It was too late to try to get up to Den Helder so they remained in Maaseik. After about 12 days they made it back across to Roosteren, and eventually back to their house. Unfortunately the Germans had taken it over and all the contents had already been stolen. Ittervoort was a small town and it was soon apparent that people in the town had already determined that Mr. Groendijk had been killed, and that his family were shipped off to Germany. The German occupiers allowed the three to have one room in the house (the cellar).
 
Opa was very active in the Dutch Resistance, and assisted many Jews to escape the Germans. He was often offered diamonds, gold and other valuables which he always turned down. About two years into the war, Opa was caught or at least suspected of operating his radio. The Germans often went around with specially-equipped trucks at night, using detection equipment in an effort to triagulate the location of radio operators. He was one of 5 Dutch men lined up outside, while their family was forced to watch, as a German officer shot the men at either end of the line-up. Oma fainted. One was the school principal. After the death of the two, the German let the remaining three go, figuring that the lesson was learned.

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Timeline Jacob Sake Groendijk

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