Streets in Roden that are named after resistance heroes have been given new name plates. The last time they were replaced, the caption disappeared. Thanks to a daughter of one of those resistance heroes, the captions are back.
“We must never forget his courage and sacrifice,” said Ella Postema, visibly emotional. She was less than two years old when her father Jan was arrested by the Germans and taken to Groningen via Assen. She would never see her father again.
Even before the war, Jan Postema tried to convince Roner villagers that the NSB was the wrong choice. He saw it as his duty, because there were relatively many NSB members in Roden, says daughter Ella.
In 1943, the April-May strikes took place throughout the Netherlands. Also in Roden, where Jan Postema took the lead in the large dairy on the Kanaalstraat. On May 3, 1943, Postema was betrayed and arrested. He ended up in the dreaded Scholtenhuis in Groningen via Assen.
There Jan was told that he was going to be killed. Trying to avoid his fate, he shook off two guards and ran onto the Grote Markt. A Dutch police officer shot him.
Daughter Ella still had to turn 1 year old, but she will always carry the war with her. Just like her mother did. She saw the fact that a street in Roden was named after her father as a nice tribute. But the sudden disappearance of the caption stung her. With the help of amateur historian Cees van der Kooij and the Noordenveld Memorial Foundation, the municipality was asked to bring back the caption.
That request was granted. “The streets have their story back,” said mayor Klaas Smid today during the official unveiling of the sign for Postemastraat. He thanked Ella Postema for her tenacity.
She, in turn, was pleased with the municipality and, as a token of appreciation, gave Smid a book about the April-May strikes in the Netherlands. “This means a lot to me,” said Postema. “We must never forget this and in this way my father lives on.”