Walraven van Hall
Dutch banker and resistance leader
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Key Takeaways
- Walraven "Wally" van Hall (10 February 1906 – 12 February 1945) was a Dutch banker and resistance leader during the occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
- Van Hall was executed by the German occupiers in Haarlem shortly before the end of the war and buried at the Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal.
- Unable to work in the merchant marine, he moved to New York City in 1929.
- Having thus been introduced to banking, Walraven van Hall returned to the Netherlands and became a banker and stockbroker.
- Van Hall was asked to help set up the Amsterdam chapter together with his brother Gijs.
Walraven "Wally" van Hall (10 February 1906 – 12 February 1945) was a Dutch banker and resistance leader during the occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. He founded the bank of the Resistance, which was used to distribute funds to victims of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and fund the Dutch resistance. Van Hall was executed by the German occupiers in Haarlem shortly before the end of the war and buried at the Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal.
Early life
Born into an influential Dutch family, Walraven van Hall initially studied to become an officer in the merchant marine, but after having worked for some years as third mate he was rejected because of his eyesight. Unable to work in the merchant marine, he moved to New York City in 1929. His brother, future Mayor of Amsterdam Gijs van Hall, who already worked at a bank, helped him get a job with a Wall Street firm. Having thus been introduced to banking, Walraven van Hall returned to the Netherlands and became a banker and stockbroker.
World War II
After the Germans invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, a fund was established to help families of merchant-sailors (who were stranded abroad when war broke out). Van Hall was asked to help set up the Amsterdam chapter together with his brother Gijs. Because of his banking experience, Walraven van Hall was able to provide funding with the help of guarantees by the Dutch government in London. Soon thereafter, the Germans began taking anti-Jewish and forced labour measures; resistance against these measures increased. Van Hall, who expanded his fund-raising activities for all kinds of resistance groups, became known as the banker to the resistance.
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