Herman Flim
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Berend Jan Flim | |
| Moeder: | Gerarda Wilhelmina van Leussen | |
| Geboren: | 1922 | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Flim First Name: Herman Date of Birth: 25/09/1922 Date of death: 01/01/2005 Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: CALVINIST Gender: Male Profession: BAKER Organization/ Religious order: The N.V.- LTD Group (en-va LTD.Group) LO - Landelijke Organisatie Place during the war: Nijverdal, Overijssel, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Nijverdal, Overijssel, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/2083) Throughout 1943, the number of Dutch men enlisted for forced labor in Germany increased greatly. As the numbers rose, so to did resistance to it. Records of birth and death in the population registration bureaus were falsified to show that, for example, Herman Flim had died four days after his birth in Nijverdal, Overijssel. In reality, Herman and his parents, Berend, born in Nijverdal, and Gerarda, born in Leeuwarden, ran a bakery in Nijverdal and worked conscientiously to undermine the German occupiers throughout the war. Among other things, Herman and a friend hid an allied pilot in the woods near their village, in a summerhouse looked after by Berend. In early November 1943, the NV* group active in the South Limburg mining district was warned that an extensive manhunt for the over 200 Jewish children and about one dozen adults hidden in the area was anticipated. The group sought to find a permanent address where fugitives could be sent in times of acute danger. Eventually, the summerhouse in Nijverdal was decided upon, and thus NV worker Piet Vermeer* visited the Flims. Herman promised Piet that he would look for other hiding places among his customers. In January 1944, Jaap Musch* moved into the summerhouse with five Jewish girls aged between 11 and 14, and thanks to Herman's efforts, another wave of Jewish children was brought to the area. Thenceforth, Herman provided food coupons, clothing, and shoes, and sometimes even covered maintenance costs for the young refugees. When the Jewish children arrived, they were first taken to the bakery, where Gerarda (Mien) Flim instructed them in local customs and manners, and a few days later they were taken to their hiding address. In April 1944, another NV network, in Hengelo, Overijssel, began to face difficulties after a contact, Jan Schipper*, was arrested. Herman took over his job, which involved taking care of the Jewish children hidden in the area. Since he had false identity papers provided by the NV, he was able to move around freely. In early September 1944, the Germans arrested Jaap Musch. He had instructed the four girls under his care to run to the woods and hide. Several Dutch policemen set up a trap to apprehend Resistance members trying to rescue people. Lea Winnik, one of the four Jewish girls, was caught in this trap. Herman rounded up the other three girls and took them to safety. He then mobilized enough people to attack and liberate the summerhouse. On his way, he met Rosie Colthof, who informed him that the 11-year-old Lea Winnik had so convincingly argued before the Germans that she was of Dutch East Indian descent, that the local police had released all the prisoners. After the military defeat near Arnhem, the NV in Limburg could no longer take care of the Jewish children hidden in Overijssel. Thus Herman approached local members of the LO and urged them to take care of the children. Herman's family afforded one of the children in the area, 12-year-old Greetje Kloots, permanent shelter in their home. Throughout the war Berend and Mien worked indefatigably for the fugitives. They themselves also suffered tragedy---their 17-year-old son was killed in a British air raid in October 1944. However, this did not keep them from sheltering Hans Kinsbergen, the renegade German member of the NV, in their home. On March 22, 1945, an intense bombardment of Nijverdal destroyed the bakery and the adjoining residence. The Flim family and those in their care managed to run to a nearby trench where they were protected. Exhausted and bereft of their possessions, the Flims were liberated from the occupation on April 8, 1945. On September 22, 1981, Yad Vashem recognized Berend Jan Flim, his wife Gerarda Wilhelmina Flim-van Leusen, and their son Herman Flim as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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