History of Sorts

Most people think of the Netherlands as a flat country, the name does indicate that, However at the very south eastern corner of the country there are actually hills and even some caves.and believe it or not in the small town Valkenburg there are even cable cars.

This brings me to Pierre Schunck.

Peter Joseph Arnold (Pierre) Schunck (24 March 1906 in Heerlen – 2 February 1993 in Kerkrade), also known as Paul Simons, was a member of the prosperous Schunck family who owned a department store at Heerlen in the Netherlands, often I have been in this store not realizing the story of this courageous man.

Pierre initially studied to become a priest but soon joined the family business, initially running a laundry in Valkenburg near Maastricht. From the beginning of the German occupation, he decided to stand up against the Germans and became a member of the LO…