The fallen resistance people in Limburg

Petrus Span (Piet)

Oorlogsdoden Nijmegen

Piet Span was a carpenter. Distributor of De Waarheid (The Truth), had gone into hiding in the Waterkwartier. He was betrayed, the identity of the traitor is unclear. Arrested on June 17, 1944 at 1:05 a.m. by constable C.L. Geerts. At 11:00 he was taken with three others by Wiebe and Hidskes to the SD/SiPo in Arnhem. On July 21, 1944, he was executed together with other men from Nijmegen on the heath of Leusden, after he had dug his own grave. [1] Span’s body could only be buried in the Groenestraat Cemetery (N-16-8) in October 1945. In the fall of 1969, he was reburied on the field of honor of the Vredehof Cemetery in Nijmegen. [2]
One of the stories about the assassination attempt three weeks later on German soldier Otto Geschefsky says that this was an act of revenge for the arrest of four communist resistance fighters from Nijmegen (Arp Wagter, Jan van Eldert, Piet Treijtel and Piet Span mentioned here).
Another story says that two inexperienced boys, aged 17 and 18, were assigned to take away a list of names of resistance fighters from Nijmegen from this Geschefsky. A girl friend lured him to Kronenburgerpark and they ambushed him. Geschefsky drew his pistol, but was shot himself with it. [3]
Perhaps both stories are true?
On his funeral card [2b] the date of birth is given as October 14, 1914 (incorrect, changed to 1908 in ballpoint pen on his daughter’s copy of the funeral card). Listed in the Roll of Honor 1940-1945 of the Dutch Parliament [4].

Footnotes

1. Eleven imprisoned resistance fighters from Nijmegen killed
2. a.) Begraafplaats Vredehof te Nijmegen.
   b.) G.Thuring, Ereveld Vredehof, Groesbeek 2010, p. 24-25:bidprentje en foto
3. Otto Geschefsky
4. Erelijst 1940-1945
5. J.Rosendaal, "Theo Dobbe en de Nijmeegse Knokploeg", in: Jaarboek Numaga 2008, p. 69-77
6. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl
7. https://www.oorlogsdodennijmegen.nl/persoon/span/40892157-11d5-48d6-85c1-ebc731ba325f