Fons van der Heijden , member of the Resistance

Fons van der Heijden was an active member of the Resistance who, during the Second World War, provided shelter to many people in hiding at his farm in Netersel . He was also a key figure in the so-called ‘Pilotenlijn’ (Pilots’ Route): a route for downed Allied pilots, those attempting to reach England by sea, and prisoners of war who were trying to reach England via Belgium, France and Spain. He forged registration cards, enabling people in hiding in the region to obtain food ration vouchers. To supply prisoners at Camp Haaren near Tilburg and Camp Vught with food, 150 loaves of bread were baked each week on his farm during the final years of the war. These were smuggled into the camps via a business associate. He was also a member of the resistance organisation Partizanen Actie Nederland (PAN) and the National Organisation for Aid to People in Hiding (LO). In this capacity, he took part in weapons airdrops. As a farmer, he owned horses and carts, so he was responsible for transporting the weapons from the airdrop zones to their final destination. On the morning of 20 September 1944, a few days before the North Brabant Kempen region was to be definitively liberated, he was shot by German soldiers. This followed the discovery of an American pilot’s uniform by those same soldiers during a house search. However, the seriously wounded pilot who had been nursed back to health at the farm was not found. In his memory, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady was erected in 1947 in honour of Fons van der Heijden , close to the spot where he was shot. The land and the chapel were formerly owned by the family, but were later transferred to the municipality of Bladel to ensure their preservation for future generations. The chapel was built on the initiative of residents of Netersel and former people in hiding.
After the Second World War, a street in Netersel was also named after Fons van der Heijden (formerly Zandstraat). He was posthumously awarded the American Medal of Freedom, which was presented to his wife on 18 January 1947.