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Captain Jacobus Groenewoud
Unit : Jedburgh Team Claude
Awards : Militaire Willemsorde
Jacob Groenewoud was born in Amsterdam on the 8th November 1916. He suffered from poor eye-sight and upon being called up for conscription in 1935 he was discharged after failing the medical test, and two years later was declared to be forever unfit for military service. Groenewoud emigrated to South Africa shortly before the invasion of Holland in May 1940, and after which he heard that 27 Dutchmen were leaving South Africa for the Dutch Indies to volunteer for the KNIL (Royal Dutch Indies Army), and he felt a moral obligation to do likewise. He sent a telegram to the Dutch legation in Pretoria declaring his intentions, but did not receive a reply. Groenewoud wrote again, this time using red ink, and was sent a letter suggesting that he register with the consul. Meanwhile he sought employment and, in December 1940, became an accountant with a firm who hired him on the basis that he had been declared unfit to serve in the armed forces, but unfortunately for them, on the 25th September 1941, he was deemed suitable for service in England. This angered the company who by now considered him to be an integral part of their business, involved in war production, but their protests were entirely unsuccessful. On the 20th January 1942, Groenewoud, dressed in British uniform, set sail for Britain. Arriving in Glasgow on the 17th February, he and the other members of his party were denied permission to leave the ship as the local authorities had not been informed of their arrival and so considered them to be illegal immigrants. The situation was soon resolved and that evening they arrived at Wrottesley Park, near Wolverhampton, and were absorbed into the Princess Irene Brigade. Groenewoud's stay here was short as he was selected to undergo training to become a reserve officer. He excelled at this and in October 1942 was awarded a temporary commission of reserve 2nd Lieutenant, qualifying him to act as a Liaison Officer with the British Army, and was assigned to a Canadian battalion of the Black Watch, where he acquired the predictable nicknames of Dutch Joe, or Amsterdam Joe. In December 1942, despite his poor vision, he was sent to the Officer Cadet Training Unit at Aldershot, and in the following August had his rank confirmed and was transferred to the Headquarters of the 76th Home Guard Division. In February 1944, Groenewoud was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and became a platoon commander with the 18th Welch Regiment. Regarded by his Colonel as the best platoon commander in the Battalion, it was naturally received with some sadness when he departed suddenly to SOE to undergo training for the Jedburgh role.
Groenewoud became a part of the 3-man Jedburgh Team Claude, the other members being two Americans, Lieutenant Harvey Todd, and Technical Sergeant Carl Scott. With the liberation of most of France and Belgium, it was obvious that the next target for Jedburgh operations would be Holland, and this led to a number of the group's Dutch officers, including Groenewoud, receiving a promotion to temporary Captain. On the 10th September, he was notified that he was to be attached as Liaison Officer to the 1st Para Brigade, and on that day he met Brigadier Lathbury and Major Hibbert for the first time.
The Jedburgh Team flew from Barkston Heath on Sunday 17th in a C-47 that was shared with another unit. Upon arriving safely on the DZ-X, Groenewoud and Lieutenant Todd left to locate transport, while Technical Sergeant Scott looked for their equipment and his wireless set. Unfortunately it took Scott so long to accomplish this that he became separated from the two officers for what later transpired to be the rest of his life, and whilst Groenewoud and Todd made their way to Arnhem bridge with the 1st Para Brigade HQ, he sat out the remainder of the Battle at Oosterbeek and was safely evacuated across the Rhine, but was killed in action 5 weeks later.
On the way to the bridge, Groenewoud joined other paratroopers in an attack on a German Headquarters (Rijnpaviljoen), and here he discovered and liberated a number of important documents. Arriving at the bridge area during Sunday evening, he and Todd set up home inside Brigade HQ. On the following day, Groenewoud attended a meeting with John Frost and Major Hibbert in attendance, and in the light of lack of communication with the rest of the Division he offered to make his own way to Oosterbeek to contact them, but this was deemed unnecessary. Groenewoud made use of his Jedburgh list in the evening and, using the telephone, established contact with trustworthy Resistance men in order to discover the whereabouts of the known German sympathizers in Arnhem.
Later in the day on Tuesday, the lack of medical supplies at the bridge was becoming all too apparent and so Todd and Groenwoud volunteered to make a suicidal dash to the nearby home of a doctor, and from there get in touch with the St Elizabeth Hospital to arrange for supplies to come through. They only made it a short distance before coming under fire. Groenewoud was shot in the head by a sniper and died instantly, while Todd was forced to seek refuge in a house. Todd was able to make contact with the Hospital, but was informed that the Germans had told staff that they would be shot if they attempted to get supplies through to the British.
Major Tony Hibbert wrote a report both describing and praising the efforts of Jacobus Groenewoud, and Lieutenant Todd recommended that he be awarded a posthumous medal for sacrificing his life in the hope of benefiting the wounded; an action that he was not duty bound to perform. The Dutch War Department was informed and Groenewoud was awarded the Military Order of William 4th Class, the highest military honour, in varying classes, that the Dutch military can bestow.
Many thanks to Jim Ommeren for his generous help with this story.