The fallen resistance people in Limburg

Hélène “Lèneke” Schoenmaeckers
(Marie Clotilde Hélène)

Photo: Amiepedia [4]

Hélène Schoenmaeckers came from a true resistance family. Her sister Adèle and her brother Paul with his sons were also closely involved in the resistance. She was unmarried and did volunteer work. Hélène’s mother, Pauline de Rosen, was friends with the couple De Liedekerke in Eijsden. Because they spoke French well, Hélène and her sister Adèle were asked by count de Liedekerke to help care for French-speaking escaped prisoners of war. They also helped other refugees. Among others, with the help of their brother Paul, who had been living in Belgium again since his marriage and was a member of the Comet escape line [1]. The fugitives were brought to Belgium, either in Eijsden or crossing the Meuse River from Borgharen (NL) to Smeermaas (B). Hélène and Adèle were arrested at their parents’ home, the Withuishof in Amby, on November 5, 1942. Adèle was released the next day. Lèneke was in the concentration camp of Ravensbrück, died shortly after her liberation in a sanatorium in Switzerland, because of the deprivation she had suffered.
See also: Ceremony of the Stumbling Stones or Stolpersteine in Amby [2] and her biography in Dutch at struikelsteentjes-maastricht.nl [3] and De vrije encyclopedie over Amby [4].

Footnotes

1. Réseau Comète / Komeetlijn • • Deutsch • English • Français
2. YouTube Stolpersteine in Amby
3. XXL Biografie Hélène & Paul Schoenmaeckers, verzetstrijders uit Amby (pdf)
4. De vrije encyclopedie over Amby: Ambysche dame in het verzet
5. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl
6. http://www.maastrichtsegevelstenen.nl/0.OORLOG/oorlog2c-verzet.htm