Lugtmeier Lambertus & Trijntje (Wiersma)

Lugtmeier, Lambertus & Trijntje (Wiersma) Michel Leo Hes and his wife, Ilse, were hiding in Sneek, Friesland, until July 1944, when they were forced to relocate. After they contacted the Resistance, Lambertus Lugtmeier came to Sneek and took the Hesses back to his small house in nearby Loënga. The Lugtmeiers were originally from Arnhem. There, they had witnessed the persecution and deportation of Jews, and Bertus had decided to join the illegal underground and help rescue Jews. In 1942, Bertus and Trijntje took six Jewish children from their parents into their home, where they already had four children of their own. With a small contribution of 100 florins a month from the Resistance, they managed to feed their whole household, often buying food on the black market. In March 1943, Bertus was forced to flee from his home when he discovered that he had become known to the Germans after they had arrested and tortured a fellow Resistance member. Bertus initially fled to Steenwijk, Overijssel, and three weeks later, in disguise, he moved to Sneek. Once in Sneek, he contacted the local Resistance and continued his illegal activities with them. He helped by accompanying Jews from Amsterdam, Nijmegen, and Arnhem to hiding places in Friesland. When, after some time, Bertus considered his home unsafe for fugitives, he moved them to a neighboring farm. On January 19, 1945, the Germans found Bertus, raided his house, and arrested his pregnant wife. In an ensuing shootout, Bertus wounded a Dutch soldier and he was himself hit by several bullets and taken to a prison hospital. Both Bertus and Trijntje were maltreated in prison but survived. They were reunited after the liberation in April 1945. In all, Bertus rescued about 30 Jews, among them Abraham Locker and his wife, who were brought to the Lugtmeyers on June 2, 1944, from Beverwijk, and stayed until the year’s end. On October 17, 1974, Yad Vashem recognized Lambertus Lugtmeier and his wife, Trijntje Lugtmeier-Wiersma,as Righteous Among the Nations.