Many people were involved in the construction and use of the Defence Line. This page lists a few short biographies of some of these people.

Queen Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria van Oranje Nassau (1880-1948) is mostly known for her reign in exile in London during the Second World War. She was heavily involved in the defence and foreign relations of her Kingdom which presented a policy of neutrality to a politically unstable Europe.

Engineer Krayenhoff

Cornelis Rudolphus Theodorus Krayenhoff (1758-1840) was of great influence on the Dutch defences during the French occupation. To his design a defence line was constructed north of Amsterdam in 1799, to counter a landing by English and Russian troops. Most of the defence line consisted of inundations, almost the same area as the later Defence Line of Amsterdam. From 1805-1810 he built the first circular defence line of Amsterdam, now called 'Posts of Krayenhoff'.

Labourer Verhoeven

Adrianus Verhoeven (1864-1949) was an illiterate labourer who worked with a shovel and wheelbarrow at the earthworks of several forts. This was somewhere between 1893 and 1897. According to oral history, his wife washed and cooked for a group of labourers who were housed close to the fort they were working on.

Fort watchman Alberts

Harm Alberts Sr. (1894-1977) is linked very closely to the Fort along Pampus: his father was involved during the construction and during the Great War, he himself served as a soldier at the fort island. After several posts in the army, he returned in 1929 to the fort island as the last fort watchman until 1933. He was then assigned to the army unit for the ammunition storage and distribution and stationed at the Central Defence Depot.

Engineer Dudok

Willem Dudok (1884-1974) graduated as officer in the Engineer Corps in 1905. Between 1910 and 1913 he was fort-constructor and probably involved with the construction of Fort along the Drecht, Fort near Uithoorn, Fort Waver-Amstel and Fort along Middenweg.
In 1913 he became an civilian architect and he played an important role in a new architectural style.

Minister of War Den Beer Poortugael

Jacobus Catharinus Cornelis den Beer Poortugael (1832-1913) held multiple positions at the Ministry of War and the General Staff after studying at the military academy. In 1879 he became Minister of War and had some influence on the finishing of the New Dutch Water Defence Line. He was also the Commander of the Defence Line between 1889 and 1891.
He was one of the first persons to understand the importance of international law and represented The Netherlands during the two Peace Conferences in The Hague in 1899 and 1907.

Defence Line Commander Fabius

Arnoldus Nicolaas Jacobus Fabius (1855-1921) started his military career in 1896 and was ultimately promoted major-general in 1911 when he was appointed Defence Line commander. He was still serving in this role when he retired in 1912. As a writer of historically based books and plays, he was well known by the general public. He was decorated three times by the Dutch Queen and once by the French president for his achievements.

Gunner Gaveel

Robert Hanry Gaveel (1894-1965) was drafted as gunner for the fortress artillery in early 1914 but first exercise was planned for early 1915. Because of the outbreak of the Great War he was enrolled in august 1914. Amongst other positions he served as gunner and gun-commander in Fort near Uithoorn.

Sergeant De Jong

Willem de Jong (1886-1978) was an office clerk who was first drafted for army conscription in 1906. Between 1914 and 1918, he served as a infantry sergeant at Fort North of Purmerend. As he told his family, he had several soldiers who later became writers, scientists and artists but who were as a soldier, "disorderly".

Group Commander De Grave

Jean Louis de Grave (1862-1945) served in the East-Indies Army between 1884 and 1910 when he retired. During the mobilisation of 1914 he enlisted as a volunteer. He was assigned the function of commander of the Group Westzaan of the Sector Zaandam until 1919.

Soldier Groennou

Henk Groennou (1885-1963) was first drafted for army conscription in 1905. The locations where he served, as an infantry soldier, during the Great War are unknown. From his it is only known he was at Fort Waver-Amstel in august 1915.

Soldier Kortenhorst

Louis Kortenhorst (1844-1966) was drafted for army conscription in 1908.. During the Great War he was infantry soldier at Fort South of Spaarndam. As an trained artist he drew portraits of his fellow soldiers and he also made 12 wall paintings which are still present.

Corporal Muller

Jan Muller (1893-1960) was first drafted for army conscription in 1913. Assigned to the fort artillery he was stationed in the Orange Nassau Barrack. Based on a few postcards he sent home, he was trained in Artillery Shooting School. Between 1914 and 1919 he served at Fort Waver-Amstel and was promoted to corporal.

Defence Line Commander Ophorst

Adrianus Rutger Ophorst (1857-1928) started his military career in 1885. After climbing the ranks he was Defence Line commander from 1912 to 1918. Which means he was the commander with the largest number of troops because of the mobilisation of 1914-1918.
For his achievements he was decorated two times by the Dutch Queen.

Corporal Thijssen

Theo Thijssen (1879-1943) was a teacher and first drafted for army conscription in 1899. From the start of the mobilisation in August 1914 until June 1915 he was a gunner at Fort near Uithoorn.
Before the war he published his first novels and became a successful writer and had a great influence on the educational system also.

Soldier Schutte

Bernhard Schutte (1885-1951) was first drafted for army conscription in 1905. Between 1914 and 1918, he served as a infantry soldier at Fort near Marken-Binnen.

Gunner Tilburgs

Cor Tilburgs (1890-1977) was drafted as gunner for the pantserfort artillery in early 1910. During the Great War he was stationed from 1914-1915 at Fort along Pampus. Until may 1917 he was stationed at other locations in the Defence Line.

Gunner De Vries

Jan de Vries (1893-1987) was drafted for the fortress artillery in 1913. During the Great War he served as gunner at Fort near Penningsveer for three years.

Prisoner De Man

Salomon Herman Hamburger (1898-1946) supported the socialist and anarchistic movement and was a pacifist. Therefore he refused military service and was imprisoned from february 1918 until january 1919. From july until november 1918 he was prisoner at Fort near Spijkerboor. Later on he became a famous Dutch writer under the pseudonym Herman de Man which became his official name.

Engineer Kamstra

Nicolaas Hendrikus Josef Kamstra sr. (1907-1947) studied to become an military engineer and worked probably on building casemates elsewhere in the 1920's en 1930's. His war-destination was Spaarndam were he was stationed during the mobilisation in august 1939.

Prisoner Beers

Jan Beers (1888-1956) was an inmate of the prison in Fort near Spijkerboor in 1943. As a bargeman transporting vegetables to the auction, he was caught with food for the black market. He was sentenced three weeks in a open prison. Upon return his wife burned his cloths to get rid of the flees and lice.

Fort watchman Reinderts

Fred Reinderts (1900-1969) worked briefly in the merchant shipping. At least in 1924 he worked as cook with the Royal Navy. After the German invasion in May 1940 he was unemployed and became the keeper of Fort in the Botshol in 1942. As a member of the resistance he was involved in unknown local operations and hiding wanted people. In June 1945 the family returned to Amsterdam and Fred returned working for the Navy.

Soldier Vonk

Klaas Vonk (born 1928) was drafted for army conscription in 1948. He was trained for fighting in de Dutch East-Indies colony (now Indonesia) where an independence war had started.
But he refused to be shipped to the Indies and was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, of which he spent 5 months in Fort near Spijkerboor.

Official Berkhof

Jan Berkhof (born 1927) was a civil official attached to the Dutch Royal Navy. Between 1950 and 1970, he was one of the guards patrolling five forts which were used as ammunition storage depots by the Navy. Later he was a guard at the Naval Station Kattenburg in Amsterdam.

Soldier Van Dam

Gerrit van Dam (born 1938) was a conscripted soldier who had his first military training for four months in Camp Zeeburg on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

Soldier Heijkoop

Wim Heijkoop (1926) started his military duty in november 1946. After a basic training near Arnhem he was assigned to a unit to provide food to the troops in the province of North-Holland. Initially in a factory building near Haarlem, the depot moved to Fort near the Liebrug where the personnel also stayed. He left the army in december 1948.

Fort watchman Van den Hoven

Frans van den Hoven (1903-1992) was the keeper of Fort near De Kwakel from 1946 until 1968. The fort was used for the storage of ammunition and related materials. Having organized a conveyor belt to move the materials he had enough time to earn some money illegally with his previous profession of cattle keeper.

Corporal Kuiper

Gerard Kuiper (1938-1993) served his military duty with the Royal Netherlands Airforce in 1959-1960. After training as a radio-operator he manned the beam-antenna at Fort near Spijkerboor from june 1959 untill june 1960. He started the training as pilot but didn't fully qualify.