In the auditorium at the Essenhof cemetery in Dordrecht there is a small box in which the remains of Captain Jan Koolhaas. On top of that is a pillow with the war memorial cross and a bronze cross. He received the latter for courage shown in the fight against the Germans in the May days of 1940.
“Of course I never met him. But if you hear the stories, my brother has done research into him, then you will scribble behind your ears. That was all pretty sturdy,” says grandson Jan-Mathijs Koolhaas.
Firefight with the Germans
Captain Koolhaas and his men had hit a firefight with the Germans on 12 May 1940 at the Krispijnseweg in Dordrecht. When he crossed the road, he was hit by machine gun fire. The next day he died of his injuries.
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