Luc De Geyter (1921-1994) and his brother Etienne from Palingstraat in Puurs joined the resistance group De Zwarte Hand (The Black Hand) at the start of the Second World War. The group limited itself to minor acts of sabotage, distributing pamphlets and attempting to establish contact with England. The German occupiers mercilessly crushed the group. In October 1941, 109 of the 111 members were arrested and taken to Breendonk. Only 37 members of De Zwarte Hand survived the concentration camps. Etienne did not survive the war and died in Bergen Belsen.
