Johanna Maria "Joke" Folmer (9 July 1923 – 11 December 2022) was a Dutch resistance member during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Life

Shortly after her birth, Folmer moved with her parents to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

where she lived until the age of 16. At the time of the 1940

German invasion of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and Fran ...

she was seventeen years old and attended the lyceum in

Zeist Zeist () is the Capital city, capital and largest town of the Zeist (municipality), municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht (province), Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of " ...

. By delivering homework to a Jewish friend, she came into contact with the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

. She became a courier for the ''Fiat Libertas'' group. She smuggled over three hundred people across the border, including 120 Allied pilots. In September 1943 the group was betrayed. Folmer was sentenced to death and imprisoned in, among others, the

Oranjehotel The Hague Penitentiary Institution ( Dutch: ''Penitentiaire Inrichting Haaglanden'') is a Dutch prison that is part of the Judicial Institutions Department (''Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen'', DJI) of the Ministry of Justice. It can accommoda ...

, the prison in Utrecht and

Herzogenbusch concentration camp Herzogenbusch (; ) was a Nazi concentration camp located in Vught near the city of 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The camp was opened in 1943 and held 31,000 prisoners. 749 prisoners died in the camp, and the others were transferred to othe ...

. Her execution was prevented by the evacuation of the camp on

Dolle Dinsdag () took place in the Netherlands (at the time occupied by Nazi Germany) on 5 September 1944, when celebrations were prompted after broadcasts incorrectly reported that Breda had been liberated by Allied forces. Events On 4 September 1944, the ...

. As a

Nacht und Nebel ''Nacht und Nebel'' ( German: ), meaning Night and Fog, also known as the Night and Fog Decree, was a directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 targeting political activists and resistance "helpers" in the territories occupied by Na ...

prisoner, she went to multiple German prisons. Because she was moved so often, her death sentence papers were never at the prison she was in. She was liberated in Waldheim by the Russians on 6 May 1945. Her return journey to the Netherlands is described in the book '' The Walls Came Tumbling Down'' by Jet Roosenburg. After the war, she and Nel Lind organized reunions in which British and Canadian air force veterans traveled the escape routes from the Netherlands to the Swiss or Spanish borders. Folmer died in

Schiermonnikoog Schiermonnikoog (; ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland and Rot ...

on 11 December 2022, at the age of 99.

Awards

Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

with golden palm (1946) ::After the death of Peter van den Hurk in 2014 , Folmer was the only living Dutch bearer of the

with golden palm. *

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...

(1947) *

Bronze Lion The Bronze Lion () is a high Royal Dutch award, intended for servicemen who have shown extreme bravery and leadership in battle favouring The Netherlands; in some special cases it can be awarded to Dutch or foreign civilians. It was first created ...

(1951) *

Resistance Memorial Cross The Resistance Memorial Cross or Resistance Commemorative Cross () is a medal awarded in the Netherlands to members of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. The medal was instituted by Royal Decree (No. 104) on 29 December 1980, after ...

* Medal of honor

(2020)

Legacy

In 2020 Omrop Fryslan made a documentary of 2 episodes about her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folmer, Joke 1923 births 2022 deaths Dutch resistance members Female resistance members of World War II People from Haarlemmermeer Recipients of the Medal of Freedom Recipients of the George Medal Recipients of the Bronze Lion Recipients of the Resistance Memorial Cross