Henk Brinkgreve (P0007)

Henk Brinkgreve was a reserve officer in the artillery and was called up for active service during the mobilization in 1939. After the German invasion on May 10, 1940, he managed to escape to England. There he became an intelligence officer and was later assigned to No. 62 Commando, a secret Allied commando unit. In 1942, he was involved in a raid on the British Channel Islands. In 1944, he was assigned to the BBO (Bureau Bijzondere Opdrachten). The general mission of the BBO was to consolidate the resistance into a 'Secret Army'. The agents of the BBO received extensive general training. Henk Brinkgreve also received a specialization called 'Jedburgh' (named after a place in Scotland). On the night of September 11 to 12, 1944, the Jedburgh team, of which - the promoted to major - Brinkgreve was the commander, was dropped near Wierden. In a relatively short time, the team succeeded in connecting the local resistance groups into a cohesive unit: the BS (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten). Brinkgreve held the position of chief of staff of the Regional Command of the BS in Overijssel and the Noordoostpolder. Henk Brinkgreve had to change locations regularly for security reasons. On March 5, 1945, he was at a farm in Losser (current address: Deppenbroekweg 8) with an assistant and a female courier. On that day, the farm was visited by an SS patrol for unknown reasons. Brinkgreve managed to distract their attention, allowing his companions to escape. He himself was shot dead. He was buried on March 9, 1945, at the general cemetery in Losser, but in June 1945, he was reburied with military honors at the Oosterbegraafplaats on the Noord Esmarkerrondweg in Enschede. In 1946, he was posthumously appointed as a knight of the Military William Order 4th class. On March 5, 2013, this simple monument was unveiled at the farm where Henk Brinkgreve lost his life.

Stichting Historische Kring Losser