Werven, Johan van, born 30-11-1918 te Hattem, 
Netherlands. At home, they were affiliated with the Salvation Army, 
and in his youth, he was also with the Salvation Army Scouts. His parents, Tinus van Werven and Wilhelmina van Werven, born Siebelink, moved to Apeldoorn-Wenum. Johan learned the trade of bread and pastry baker here when World War II broke out on 10-05-1940. With the German attack on the Netherlands in 1940, World War II began for the Netherlands on May 10. Germany simultaneously invaded Luxembourg and Belgium as part of Fall Gelb. At the Peel-Raam Line and on the Grebbeberg, 
the Dutch army could not hold its ground. A German attack on The Hague by paratroopers was repelled. As an additional pressure tactic, the German high command therefore decided to bomb Rotterdam on 14-05-1940. 
Partly due to the German threat of further bombings on the cities of Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Hague, and Haarlem, the Dutch army and air force capitulated on the nite of Wednesday, May 15.
Joop van Werven joined the army and would spend more than 40 stay for a year. He married Aaltje de Vries on 05-09-1940, in Apeldoorn. Johan van Werven fought at the beginning of World War II as a Dutch soldier in the Battle of the Grebbeberg, where also the nephew of the webmaster Florentius Johannes Maria “Jan” Ackermans 
was killed in battle. The situation at the Grebbeberg got even worse when they no longer knew who to shoot at. German soldiers wore Dutch uniforms and many Dutch soldiers were on the run. Van Werven was injured here.
After the capitulation, he joined the resistance. In Apeldoorn-Wenum, Wiesel, and North Apeldoorn, the resistance was very active. There was a lot of fighting in this area and attacks were carried out. From the German side, many retaliatory actions followed. After the war, he was stationed in Ermelo. Here, the first army was formed: 1-8 R.I. (First Regiment, Eighth Battalion Infantry) 
which was directly under the command of the Dutch Prince Bernhard von Lippe Biesterfeld. 
With an eye on a military career, he enlisted as a war volunteer to fight against the Japanese and the Japanese-loyal Javanese in the Dutch East Indies. During his service in the Dutch East Indies, he became the manager of Hotel Centraal. a hotel for soldiers and visitors from Europe. He was also an instructor for the military band De Haantjes, 
with whom he regularly performed. He experienced many horrific things in North Sumatra. At his farewell from military service, he was Adjutant of the General Staff of the 1st Army Corps of the Netherlands above the rivers. Johan passed away on 20-02-1989, age 70 and was buried at the Wenum-Wiesel cemetery.
Message(s), tips or interesting graves for the webmaster: robhopmans@outlook.com
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