Prisoners
Just after the liberation of Geertruidenberg on Sunday 5 November by the 10th Dragonders, part of the 1st Polish Armoured Division of Major General Stanisław Maczek, two stranded German soldiers had to be picked up. They were 19-year-old Obergefreiter (corporal) Rolf Lorenz from Dresden, and 31-year-old Obergefreiter Alfred Bachmann from Coburg. The two, had gone into hiding a few days earlier in the hay barn of Jan van Dongen's farm, located on the part of the Venestraat west of the Sint Gertrudis Church (called 'Achter de kerk' or 'De Kat').

Incident
As a child, local historian Bas Zijlmans witnessed a striking incident during this action, which he describes in his own words:

On the eastern part of the Venestraat (the extension of the Markt in front of the church mentioned) a Brencarrier was parked under the trees on the other side of our house (Venestraat 11), where a few armed Polish soldiers got out. Chased by a group of curious people via the ‘Kerkenhoek’, they went to the farm of Jan van Dongen. A little later they returned with the two German soldiers who were in hiding there and were been taken prisoner. The German soldiers, with their hands folded behind their necks and the rifle of the ‘underground’ Bergenaar Jan Waalwijk pressed in their backs, accompanied by a cheering crowd, resignedly submitted to their fate! When they arrived at the Brencarrier one of the prisoners of war was suddenly attacked by a civilian. But before he had realised what he was doing, he himself was knocked out by the Polish infantryman, W. Borkowski. The German soldiers were then treated very well by the Polish forces, they were given cigarettes and knew they were safe!

Mementos
Today, the houses in front of which the Brencarrier stood, the church and the farm have been demolished. Bas Zijlmans was later given two silver pins, which the German soldiers had worn on their uniforms, from the daughter of Jan van Dongen (see photo).