House (former) Jo ter Laak (P0011)

Jo ter Laak (23.05.1913 - 07.09.1944) was born in Tilburg. The family moved to Overdinkel, where father was a police officer. Jo became a professional soldier in the Police Corps. In March 1940 he married Johanna van Mierlo. They had a son in December 1940, who would never know his father. Jo was assigned as a sergeant to the guard forces of Queen Wilhelmina. Via France he escaped to England after the German invasion and the capitulation in May 1940.
From the Irene brigade he volunteered to carry out espionage assignments in occupied territory. He was among the first agents to work in occupied territory. On October 1, 1941, Jo was dropped over the Netherlands. On 13 February 1942 he was arrested during a robbery in The Hague. He was later imprisoned for some time in Haaren in Brabant. On September 5, 1944, Jo and 46 fellow prisoners ended up in camp Mauthausen in Austria. Although Jo ter Laak is not strictly speaking one of the agents captured as part of the so-called Engeland-Spiel, he received the same horrible treatment and died the same terrible death with them on 7 September 1944.
Jo ter Laak was posthumously honoured with the Bronze Lion, a high military decoration.

Stichting Historische Kring Losser