Jack van der Geest
Encyclopedia
Jack van der Geest was one of only eight people ever to escape from Buchenwald concentration camp
. He escaped on March 3, 1943. A copy of his own death certificate appears in his book, Was God on Vacation? He was a member of the Dutch resistance
movement and French resistance
, afterwards he became a translator for the 101st Airborne
during World War II
.
, Netherlands. He was a member of both the Dutch and French Resistance
. Van der Geest and his father, Jacobus van der Geest, were heavily involved in Dutch resistance activities, including hiding Jews. Van der Geest's father was president of Lensveld Nikola, a bread factory in The Hague. He had worked his way up from being an errand boy at the factory at age 14 to eventually become president. This was the only factory at the time that brought bread to the Dutch queen. Van der Geest's father (b. November 7, 1896) was sent to Kamp Vught and was killed there on February 19, 1943. It was previously thought that his father had died in Dachau, however, records recovered in spring 2009 indicate he was killed in Vught.
In May 1940, van der Geest and his friend, Fred de Koning, were in Rotterdam
during the bombing of the De Bijenkorf Department Store. De Konig's father, an accountant, died in the bombing of Rotterdam. Van der Geest was also a close friend of a Jewish family in The Hague, the Cohens, who owned a clothing store there. Van der Geest and Sam Cohen were close friends. The Cohen family were sent to death camps and presumably died in the Holocaust.
Van der Geest was educated at an Aviation Institute in Scheveningen. On his graduation date in 1942, he decided not to go the graduation and found out later the Nazis had forcibly enlisted the graduating class for Hitler's war machine.
In September 1942, the Gestapo
raided the van der Geest apartment in the Hague (Soestdijksekade 43 - 3rd floor). They were betrayed by a neighbor. Jack and his parents were taken first to the Oranje Hotel. Van der Geest's mother, Anna (née de Groot in 1894) was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp
in September 1942, where she was held for three and half months before being released. She survived the war and died in The Hague in 1961. Van der Geest's sister, Wilhelmina (Willie), was not home during the raid, so she was not arrested. She died in 1991 in The Hague.
Van der Geest was sent to Buchenwald and was incarcerated there from September 15, 1942 to March 3, 1943. His prisoner number was 512601. He stayed in Block 46 and survived brutal medical experiments at the hands of Dr. Erwin Ding-Schuler. He escaped on March 3, 1943 by pretending to be dead prior to the 5:00 a.m. roll call at Buchenwald. He was thrown into a pile of bodies approximately 50 yards long and four feet high. He lay there for 11 hours, and then, weighing about 80 pounds, killed an SS Guard, put on his uniform and rode a truck out of camp. He then traveled to Neufchâteau
, France where, with the assistance of Maquis
members Dr. Marvell, a dentist, and his wife Cherie, he became a member of the French Resistance.
Van der Geest later became attached to the 101st Airborne Division as an interpreter. He became a U.S. citizen in 1953 and later joined the U.S. Air Force. In 1995, he wrote a book titled Was God on Vacation?. The third edition of the book, published in 2002, includes a copy of his Buchenwald Death Certificate. He lived in Rapid City, South Dakota
for more than 55 years. He was a member of the USA 101st Airborne association (#3272).
September 17, 2008, van der Geest's 85th birthday, was commemorated by a tribute made in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Thune
.
March 3, 2009, was Jack van der Geest Day in Rapid City and the State of South Dakota in celebration of the 66th anniversary of his escape. He died unexpectedly two days later at Rapid City Regional Hospital of natural causes. He was declared dead by the hospital at 4:59 am.
He is buried in Calvary Cemetery on Sheridan Lake Road in Rapid City, South Dakota.
After his death, the South Dakota State Senate issued a resolution honoring Jack van der Geest.
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
. He escaped on March 3, 1943. A copy of his own death certificate appears in his book, Was God on Vacation? He was a member of the Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
movement and French resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
, afterwards he became a translator for the 101st Airborne
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
Jacobus Petrus Cornelis van der Geest, known as "Jack", was born at Teijlerstraat 58 in The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands. He was a member of both the Dutch and French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. Van der Geest and his father, Jacobus van der Geest, were heavily involved in Dutch resistance activities, including hiding Jews. Van der Geest's father was president of Lensveld Nikola, a bread factory in The Hague. He had worked his way up from being an errand boy at the factory at age 14 to eventually become president. This was the only factory at the time that brought bread to the Dutch queen. Van der Geest's father (b. November 7, 1896) was sent to Kamp Vught and was killed there on February 19, 1943. It was previously thought that his father had died in Dachau, however, records recovered in spring 2009 indicate he was killed in Vught.
In May 1940, van der Geest and his friend, Fred de Koning, were in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
during the bombing of the De Bijenkorf Department Store. De Konig's father, an accountant, died in the bombing of Rotterdam. Van der Geest was also a close friend of a Jewish family in The Hague, the Cohens, who owned a clothing store there. Van der Geest and Sam Cohen were close friends. The Cohen family were sent to death camps and presumably died in the Holocaust.
Van der Geest was educated at an Aviation Institute in Scheveningen. On his graduation date in 1942, he decided not to go the graduation and found out later the Nazis had forcibly enlisted the graduating class for Hitler's war machine.
In September 1942, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
raided the van der Geest apartment in the Hague (Soestdijksekade 43 - 3rd floor). They were betrayed by a neighbor. Jack and his parents were taken first to the Oranje Hotel. Van der Geest's mother, Anna (née de Groot in 1894) was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
in September 1942, where she was held for three and half months before being released. She survived the war and died in The Hague in 1961. Van der Geest's sister, Wilhelmina (Willie), was not home during the raid, so she was not arrested. She died in 1991 in The Hague.
Van der Geest was sent to Buchenwald and was incarcerated there from September 15, 1942 to March 3, 1943. His prisoner number was 512601. He stayed in Block 46 and survived brutal medical experiments at the hands of Dr. Erwin Ding-Schuler. He escaped on March 3, 1943 by pretending to be dead prior to the 5:00 a.m. roll call at Buchenwald. He was thrown into a pile of bodies approximately 50 yards long and four feet high. He lay there for 11 hours, and then, weighing about 80 pounds, killed an SS Guard, put on his uniform and rode a truck out of camp. He then traveled to Neufchâteau
Neufchâteau
Neufchâteau is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 113.79 km², had 6,652 inhabitants, giving a population density of 58.5 inhabitants per km².It includes the former municipalities of Grandvoir, Grapfontaine,...
, France where, with the assistance of Maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
members Dr. Marvell, a dentist, and his wife Cherie, he became a member of the French Resistance.
Van der Geest later became attached to the 101st Airborne Division as an interpreter. He became a U.S. citizen in 1953 and later joined the U.S. Air Force. In 1995, he wrote a book titled Was God on Vacation?. The third edition of the book, published in 2002, includes a copy of his Buchenwald Death Certificate. He lived in Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
for more than 55 years. He was a member of the USA 101st Airborne association (#3272).
September 17, 2008, van der Geest's 85th birthday, was commemorated by a tribute made in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Thune
John Thune
John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...
.
March 3, 2009, was Jack van der Geest Day in Rapid City and the State of South Dakota in celebration of the 66th anniversary of his escape. He died unexpectedly two days later at Rapid City Regional Hospital of natural causes. He was declared dead by the hospital at 4:59 am.
He is buried in Calvary Cemetery on Sheridan Lake Road in Rapid City, South Dakota.
After his death, the South Dakota State Senate issued a resolution honoring Jack van der Geest.
External links
- www.jackvandergeest.com
- South Dakota Public Broadcasting, 5/22/2009
- Jim Kent's article (Memorial Day 2009) in the Rapid City Journal
- Story on SD Public Broadcasting about Jack van der Geest
- Rapid City Journal's article on the proclamations
- Sept 17, 2008 was Jack's 85th birthday, which was commemorated by a proclamation by US Senator John Thune of South Dakota
- Jack's last public speech at the Rapid City Council meeting, March 2, 2009