Arnoldus Antonius Maria Fransen

This memorial page is dedicated to Arnoldus Antonius Maria Fransen, one of more than 725 war victims connected to the municipality of Deurne documented by Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers. The municipality of Deurne and the surrounding villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Helenaveen, Neerkant and Zeilberg were liberated in the autumn of 1944 during heavy fighting. Victims fell on all sides: Allied soldiers from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, and German soldiers.

But the archive covers more than just the combat victims on Deurne soil. Residents of Deurne who lost their lives elsewhere are also commemorated: civilians who were murdered in concentration camps, forced labourers who died in Germany, people who were executed or succumbed to the effects of persecution and oppression. In addition, residents of Deurne who entered German military service and were killed elsewhere are also included.

Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers has been documenting the story of all these people since 1995, without distinction of nationality, side or background. The goal is to give every person a name and a face, and to keep their memory alive.

Additional information

Son of Anna Petronella Maria Fransen.

Arnoldus Antonius Maria Franssen lived with his mother, Anna Petronella Maria Fransen, at the home of his grandparents, constable Piet Fransen and his second wife, Anna Catharina Gielens. On Saturday 23 September 1944, the Allies attempted to advance from Asten towards the German-occupied town of Deurne, resulting in Vlierden being pelted with British shells. Amidst this wartime violence, a shell exploded at the back of the garden, sending a piece of shrapnel flying through the kitchen wall where Tonneke, in his grandmother’s arms, had been just moments before. Anna Catharina Gielens was struck in her left arm; she was bleeding quite heavily, and at first no one thought of the baby. Tonneke was placed on the floor, but when he collapsed, they realised he had been fatally wounded in the stomach.

Catharina Gielens was loaded onto a handcart and taken to the hospital in Deurne. On the way to the hospital, there was heavy shelling, forcing those who were taking her to seek shelter in the ditch. Due to her injuries, they had to leave Catharina Gielens lying on the handcart, in the middle of the road, exposed to all the consequences of the violence of war. She survived her injuries, although she was left permanently paralysed in her left arm.

Tonneke Fransen

Death register

View all persons in the category: Residents of Deurne who lost their lives in Deurne