Conscript Private Wilhelmus Adrianus de Leeuw.

Conscript Soldier Wilhelmus Adrianus de Leeuw was born on December 3, 1904, in Lage Zwaluwe. He was part of the 3rd Section of the 2nd Road Company Battalion Railway Troops (3e Sie 2e Wgcie Bat Spw Tr.). This unit was stationed in Dordrecht during the mobilization and was tasked with guarding the station, railway bridge, and railway yard of Dordrecht. The unit was also responsible for making the railway bridge passable with motor vehicles for the potential evacuation of the Field Army from North Brabant. The railway troop section was billeted in Villa Weizigt in Krispijn, near the railway tracks. In the early morning of May 10, 1940, the main force of the 3rd company of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 (3./FJR 1) landed in the polder in Krispijn. They immediately engaged in combat with the Railway Troops. One platoon of 3./FJR 1 landed in Zwijndrecht and attacked the Zwijndrecht bridges via Zwijndrecht. Conscript Soldier de Leeuw was part of a three-man guard post on the railway bridge between Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht. He was killed at the bridge guardshouse during a brief skirmish with paratroopers from 3./FJR 1¹.

Conscript Soldier de Leeuw is buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery Laurentius in Breda in row 20 - grave 8.

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