Willem Schurer, a soldier from Makkinga

Willem Schurer was born on 16 July 1918 in Makkinga. His family included his father, Jan W. Schurer, his mother, Geesje Brouwer, and his sister Johanna. 

In May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, Willem was a conscript soldier with the 1st Staff Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the Dutch army. On 10 May 1940, Valkenburg airfield was attacked by German paratroopers and airborne troops (soldiers landing by plane). The airfield was strategically important for the German advance towards The Hague. The German forces aimed to capture the city quickly and disable the Dutch government centre. 

On 10 May 1940,  a clearance operation was carried out by Dutch troops in the area known as the Wassenaarse Slag. This attempt to drive away the enemy failed miserably. Soldier Jan Schurer’s battalion was exhausted from the day’s efforts and spent the night in the dunes near the Wassenaarse Slag. In the early morning of 11 May, at about 04:15, the 5th Company of the German Infantry Regiment 47 (airborne troops) launched a surprise attack. The Dutch were surrounded and had not taken sufficient precautions. In a short period of time, more than twenty Dutch soldiers were killed and many more were wounded. About 300 Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner of war. 

Willem Schurer was seriously wounded during this confrontation. Five days later, on 16 May 1940, he died of his injuries in the Catholic Johan de Deo hospital in The Hague (today the HMC Westeinde hospital). He was 21 years old at the time. 

Willem Schurer is buried in the public cemetery of Makkinga.