#Audiospot
A village of widows
On the 2nd of October 1944, in reprisal for a resistance group attack, 659 men are arrested. That same evening, about 110 homes go up in flames. The men are deported to Camp Amersfoort. On the 11th of October, 601 of them are transported to the Neuengamme concentration camp. Thirteen men jump off the train and escape. The total death toll from the round-up and the deportation therefore amounts to 552. The Putten women are totally horrified. The Second World War will leave a deep and indelible mark in the community of Putten.
On the 2nd of October 1944, in reprisal for a resistance group attack, 659 men are arrested and taken to Camp Amersfoort. 601 of them are transported to the Neuengamme concentration camp. The women and children have to leave Putten that same day before five o'clock. Not long after, part of Putten is ablaze and about a hundred houses are in ashes. Many families cannot go home.
The brave and steadfast people of Putten help each other through tough times. From the Netherlands and even abroad, aid is given. Collections are held everywhere. On the 18th of April 1945, the Canadians liberate Putten. Eventually only 48 men return, of whom five still die. On the 1st of October 1949, Queen Juliana unveils a monument commemorating the victims of the round-up. "The Woman of Putten", the widow with handkerchief, looks off in the direction of the Oude Kerk from where the men were taken away.