The gravestone of Willem Emmens – one of the finders of the Girl of Yde – will be restored over the next two months. Today the tombstone was dug out of the ground of the cemetery in Vries, to be taken care of by artist Arie Fonk and De Lange Natuursteen from Beilen in the near future.
The intention is that the tombstone will be restored and processed into a work of art. This is done together with the tombstone of fellow finder Hendrik Barkhof. The grave of Willem Emmens would be cleared by the municipality of Tynaarlo, because the family had renounced the burial rights. “When the press and politicians got involved, things started to roll,” says great-grandson Jan Emmens.
Shelter in the war
Arie Fonk, artist in Rolde, is now the right man to make a monument for the finders. For Fonk, there is a personal story behind it, as his mother found shelter during the Second World War thanks to Willem Emmens. “She was pregnant with my sister in 1943. Willem Emmens helped my family out of the fire. When I later saw an article with his broken tombstone, I thought: I’m going to repair it to give something back to the family.”
As a ‘gesture for 1943’ Fonk does this completely selflessly. Descendant Jan Emmens is very happy with that. “We did not know that Arie’s family was being offered accommodation by Willem, we only learned that later. But it gives a good feeling that he is now working on a monument.”
‘Didn’t feel right’
It bothered Jan that the tombstones of Willem Emmens and Hendrik Barkhof were in danger of being lost. “Those men have written history. Everyone knows who the Girl of Yde is, but the finders would be cleared in no time. That didn’t feel right.”
So for Fonk it feels like a thank you for what Emmens did for his parents during the war. “I often have the idea that my father is looking over my shoulder with me,” says Fonk. “And if he had seen this, he would undoubtedly have said: ah Arie, just do that.”
May 12th
Together with De Lange Natuursteen, Fonk will therefore be working in the near future. The goal is to unveil the monument on May 12. “That is the date on which Willem and Hendrik found the Girl of Yde,” explains Fonk. “We’re going to do our very best to make that happen.”
The intention is that the tombstone will not look completely new. “Because then you have lost the history a bit,” says Fonk. “I try to find the middle ground.”