Tischbeinstraat 25

Alphonse Dresen, my grandfather, worked at the railway in Maastricht as chief cargo master. His father also worked for the railway as a signal box watchmaster. Alphonse Dresen was born in Liège from Dutch parents. In 1912 he married the widow Christina Lechner who had one son. From this marriage a daughter (my Mother) and three more sons were born.

In October 1926 Alphonse moved to Wijck in Maastricht. This was closer to his job. Close to the warehouses and unloading areas. My Grandfather could act as an ideal spy because during the war years he could count all incoming and outgoing trains filled with weapons. He worked on behalf of Graaf de Liedekerke Together with the resistance group Hannibalspiel, over which this Count was in charge.

Alphonse worked a lot outside of his duty hours. His colleagues started to notice that. Especially the block trains that arrived in Maastricht between 6 and 7 pm, with tanks and trucks that were transported from Maastricht to the West. Alphonse noted down the license plates and passed them on to Graaf de Liedekerke in a secret place.

The 5 children at home also started to notice that their Father was away so often. But their Father said to have a glass of beer at the De Lelie café nearby. There, however, he met the Count de Liedekerke to pass on the license plates. Texts from newspapers were also passed on by Alphonse to Graaf van Liedekerke. Due to the mutual exchange of letters in the resistance group, among other things, treason was committed, perhaps also by a railway employee. In any case, he was handcuffed on the way home. That was on November 11, 1942. Alphonse had prepared his wife Christina for this moment. Alphonse was transferred to the prison in Haaren, near Vught.

Grandma Christina, together with my oldest brother, who was seven years old at the time, brought a briefcase with clean clothes to the Deutsche Ortskommandant on the Wilhelminasingel in Maastricht. Grandma asked about her husband, she got no information. This event made an unforgettable impression on my brother. He continues to experience this event to this day.

Grandma Christina had a lot to endure. Her daughter, our Mother, died at the age of 27 in 1941 of dysentery. Her son received shrapnel through his body in Maastricht in 1943 and died on the spot. Her brother-in-law, Pierre Dresen, brother of Alphonse, who was in charge of the RAF group and collected wagons and explosives, was arrested in December 1941 and exiled to the concentration camp in Neuengamme and then executed on December 1, 1942.

Grandma had 3 grandchildren with her who did not have a mother, I was one of them. Two grandchildren had to go back to their father, but he worked. The oldest remained and has the painful memories of Grandma's grief and Grandfather's capture.

From prison a clandestine correspondence began through in the shirt and collar

tie w.c. stop paper with text written on it in pencil and put it in the laundry bag. . The Germans found out. Alphonse was moved to Utrecht, the Gansstraat. But Alphonse continued. Got hold of a pin and now poked lyrics to Christina with words like, “I love you… .or… I'll be back …… or…. Pray… .or…. Keep up the good spirits… .or ……. I hope for an early release, God willing. This last message came on February 10, 1943.

I've seen these ingenious lyrics, breathtaking.

On August 11, death sentences were passed on the 22 members of the Hannibalspiel or, if you prefer, the Erkens group.

The resistance fighters were given a German lawyer. You understand………

In November 1943 the entire group was executed, except for our Grandfather, who was re-sentenced. He sent a letter to his wife hoping that he might be released after all. The rebuilding took place on November 27. The death sentence was still pronounced on that date. The 22nd resistance fighter from the Erkens group was still shot. Twice he was picked up and they shot to bully with blanks. The third time on January 5, 1944 was a hit. Blindfolded at the age of 58, Alphonse Dresen went under.

After the war his ashes could not be found. In 1948 the ashes were found in Erfurt Germany and transferred to Maastricht.

In Maastricht Alphonse Dresen had a funeral with a black carriage led by 4 black horses. An official funeral. A copper plate with names of resistance fighters including Alphonse Dresen hangs in the Maastricht station hall.

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