The fallen resistance people in Limburg
pers.Valkenburg 1940-1945

Wilhelm Joseph Francotte (Joep)

Memorial stone for the resistance people Coenen and Francotte

Joep Francotte was a roofer/plumber from Vaals. His family website: He refused to work in Germany and was sentenced to months of forced labor in a camp for it. [1]
Cammaert: After the betrayal of Wittem [2.1], J.H. Coenen [2.2] from Simpelveld and his friend W.J. Francotte from Vaals, who had worked for the illegal magazine Je Maintiendrai in Amsterdam until the summer of 1944, joined the KP. They participated in the raid on the jail of Maastricht on September 2. [3]
During this raid on September 2, 1944, 80 political prisoners were liberated. [2.3]
They went into hiding in the Diver’s Inn in Geulhem where suspects and difficult people in hiding were detained and interrogated. Generally, Francotte took care of the surveillance of the “prisoners” because of his strongness. (Cammaert)
They were both arrested by the Germans on September 5th, 1944 (Mad Tuesday) during a resistance action. By order of Major Bernhardt, they were shot on the Cauberg (Valkenburg). There is a memorial stone and the monument for the fallen resistance people of Limburg on that spot. See photo.
He is buried in Vaals. [4.1]
The street of his parental home bears his name: Jos. Francotteweg [4]
This person is listed in the “Erelijst 1940-1945” (Honor Roll of the Dutch Parliament). [5]



Footnotes

1. joep.francotte.nl Verhaal
2. 1a. Wittem 21 jul. 1944
   1b. Wittem, verzetsmonument op de Eyserlinde
   2. J.H. Coenen
   3. Maastrcht 5 sept. 1944
3. Dr. F. Cammaert, Het Verborgen Front 7. De knokploegen en de geschiedenis van de stoottroepen tot de zomer van 1945
   p.780: II.7. De K.P.-Zuid-Limburg
4. 1. Oorlogsgravenstichting (@ Nat. arch.), Dossier W.J. Francotte #6
   2. OpenStreetMap Jos. Francotteweg
5. Erelijst 1940-1945
6. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl
7. More in our story Resistance in Valkenburg
8. Wikipedia NL: Joep Francotte