Peter Joseph Arnold (Pierre) Schunck (24 March 1906 in

Heerlen Heerlen (; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the f ...

– 2 February 1993 in

Kerkrade Kerkrade (; Kerkrade dialect, Ripuarian: ; ; or ''Kirchrath'') is a town and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, the southernmost province of the Netherlands. It forms part of the P ...

), also known as Paul Simons, was a member of the prosperous

Schunck Schunck () is the name of former fashion house and department store ''Firma Schunck'' in Heerlen, the Netherlands. It is also the name for the collection of buildings the firm has been housed in, one of which is known as the Glaspaleis (''Gla ...

family who owned a department store at Heerlen in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He is mainly remembered for his involvement in 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 ...

in the

Second World War 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 ...

when he hid a considerable number of Dutchmen from the Germans and assisted the Allies during the Dutch liberation. Pierre initially studied to become a priest but soon joined the family business, initially running a laundry in

Valkenburg Valkenburg means ''falcon castle'' in Dutch and can refer to: * Valkenburg aan de Geul, a town and municipality in the province of Limburg ** Valkenburg Castle, ruined castle near Valkenburg aan de Geul * Valkenburg, South Holland, a village in the ...

near

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

. From the beginning of the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

, he decided to stand up against the Germans and became a member of the LO or , a resistance group whose mandate was to assist persons in hiding. Under the pseudonym of Paul Simons, he headed the Valkenburg chapter. He helped Jews and resistance fighters to hide from the Germans in his laundry as well as in the nearby Valkenburg limestone caves. Furthermore, he assisted both Dutchmen and Allies to move on by issuing them with ration books and coupons and providing them with safe addresses where they could hide. At the approach of the US-American troops in September of 1944, as a member of intelligence group ID18, he provided the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

first with reports on the German defences and later he organised food for the evacuated population of Valkenburg, who hid in the vast lime caves during the days of the liberation.Peter Schunck in Valkenburg, Resistance and Liberation
Retrieved April 28, 2020. After the war, he returned to the family business and ultimately took up weaving for which he was considered to be an expert. Pierre Schunck was awarded the dutch

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 ...

or ''Verzetsherdenkingskruis'' for his bravery during the occupation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schunck, Pierre 1906 births 1993 deaths Dutch resistance members People from Heerlen