Date of birth:

April 1st, 1887 (Bleskensgraaf/Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)

Date of death:

April 14th, 1944 (Giessendam, gemeente Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)

Buried on:

Dutch War Graves Hardinxveld-Giessendam
Row: S. Grave: 059.

Nationality:

Dutch

Lived in Giessendam ( Emmastraat 9). Son of Hendrik Smit and Niesje de Jong. Married to Wilhelmina Breur. Baker's mate at Gerrit van der Hof bakery. Dutch Reformed. After finishing a meeting of the Green Cross, Smit was shot at the railway crossing at about 10pm for no reason by the young and ambitious land guard Johannes Pieter Westdijk from Sliedrecht. Badly wounded, he was brought into the coffee house of W. A. van den Heuvel and laid there on the billiard table. A short time later he died of blood loss. A large wound was noted in his back. According to Westdijk, the victim allegedly did not respond to his order to stop. Smit's funeral was conducted by pastors Van der Poel and Dorsman from Schelluinen. Westdijk was sentenced to six years in prison after the war.

Wouter Smit's murder triggered a series of events. The resistance decided to take revenge and lured a group of Landwachters into an ambush at the Helsluis. In the ensuing shootout, two Landwachters were killed, including Joop Westdijk's father. For the Germans, this prompted a large-scale raid in the area around the Merwede river. More than 600 young men were rounded up in Sliedrecht, Hardinxveld, Giessendam and Werkendam on 16 May 1944 and taken to Camp Amersfoort. About 260 men were released mainly because they were working in places of interest to the Germans. The rest were deported to camps in Germany. 26 of them did not return. This raid has gone down in history as the Merwederazzia.

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• Photo 1: Merwedegijzelaars.nl
• - https://merwedegijzelaars.nl/doc/6/het-verhaal-van-bakker-wouter-smit

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