Peter Molthoff, one of the first prisoners of Camp Vught, died on Tuesday at the age of 101. He was 19 years old when he arrived in the concentration camp where he had to construct the barbed wire of his own prison. “In Kamp Vught I experienced that a person can be a beast,” he said a few years ago during commemoration of the dead.
Molthoff ended up in Camp Vught in January 1943. A few months earlier he was arrested for involvement in a large personal certificate. He was in the resistance and worked as a civil servant at the municipality of Lichtenvoorde.
In June of that year, he was sentenced to years of disciplinary post. He had to do heavy work in Vught. The circumstances were not tender, but Peter managed to survive the war.
After the war, Molthoff became mayor. And he worked as a mainstay for National Monument Camp Vught. “Peter was a man you could always count on and who co -formed the center to the place it is today. He radiated primary and authority without losing friendliness and approachability,” writes the National Monument Camp Vught in a reminder report.
In 2018, when he was 94 years old, Peter told his story during the commemoration of the war victims in Vught. “In this way you get adult very quickly. My childhood is taken away from me. You will never lose the war again,” he said. “By passing on the story, we hope to let young people realize how important it is to make the right choice at crucial moments in their lives.”
A few years later, as a 99-year-old prisoner, he was again behind the microphone on 4 May in National Monument Camp Vught. He shared his experiences and life lessons with around 30,000 young people. “In this camp I really experienced what freedom actually means. And I learned that you only realize freedom together.”
In 2018, Peter Molthoff spoke during the commemoration on 4 May at Camp Vught:
Molthoff died this week at the age of 101 in his hometown of Waalre. He remained involved with National Monument Camp Vught until the end. He also got the pin of merit for his merits.
“Peter was a man you could always count on and who co -formed the remembrance center to the place it is today. He radiated primary and authority, without losing friendliness and approachability,” can be read in the memory message.
National Monument Camp Vught wishes his wife Koos, children and grandchildren a lot of strength. “His eternal optimism and involvement was an inspiring example for all of us, and will continue to be.”
