The residence was home to the family of head teacher Piet van de Wetering. His daughter Fietje was involved in the organised resistance. In March 1945, several family members were arrested in connection with these activities and imprisoned at the Kruisberg in Doetinchem. The school itself was requisitioned several times by the German Wehrmacht to accommodate soldiers. Toward the end of the war, the building also served as an emergency hospital.
In October 1944, an emergency hospital was set up in the boys’ school. General practitioner Dr J. Auping, who had his practice on Schoolstraat, and nurse W. Stork, the daughter of a former minister, were in charge. The hospital was intended for Organisation Todt (OT) workers who had been brought in from outside Didam. Due to the appalling conditions under which they were forced to carry out excavation work, many of them fell seriously ill. Unfortunately, it is not known how long the hospital remained in operation.