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Limburg 1940-1945,
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Godert van Rennes / Renesse
∗ ? Heteren † 16-02-1903
- NSB - Valkenburg - Police - Survivors -
- More in our story Resistance in Valkenburg
On the genealogy page of the Van Rennes family we read that both forms of the surname occur. Renesse however is the old version.
Before the war the Netherlands was very heavily pillared (divided into mutually encapsulated religious / political worlds). As a typical child of his time, the reformed Godert van Renesse was a catholics hater. However, when he met a Catholic girl where he lived at that time, in Arcen in North Limburg, he felt forced to become a Catholic in order to get married. Then he landed in Oss, where he was involved in the solution of a very violent gang war, which was also directed against the Marechaussee. The local brigade received an award from Queen Wilhelmina, who was also a catholics hater. This led to offended members of local police units, which were predominantly Catholic. We read on the site of the Politieacademie the story of the resulting Oss affair. This led to a countrywide outbreak of mutual hatred between “the” Catholics and “the” Protestants. In the end it says: “A number of members of the Brigade Oss felt so disregarded that they decided for the National Socialist movement at the beginning of the war. After the war, they paid for this with forced release. The price for their membership in a treasonous organization.” Did they need a movement that claimed to be above all differences and knew only “comrades”? Maybe Godert van Rennes thought like that too.
He was stationed in Valkenburg during the war and was responsible, among other things, for the raid in Pierre Schunck’s laundry and for sending away Jewish children who were not allowed to go sledding on the Cauberg.
Source of the latter point: 42 Joodse Valkenburgers opgepakt en vermoord (42 Jews from Valkenburg arrested and killed)
Interned for a few months after the war.