H. M. van Randwijk (1909–1966)

H.M. (Hendrik Mattheüs) van Randwijk was born in Gorinchem, The Netherlands. He studied to become a teacher and in 1936 published a book, Burgers in Nood (Burghers in Need). In 1935, he married Ada Henstra. From 1937 to 1940, he served as head of the Eben-Haëzer School, a private primary school. During the German Occupation of Holland in Wold War II, van Randwijk worked with the Dutch Resistance under the nom de guerre Sjoerd van Vliet. He was one of the founders of the underground resistance magazine Vrij Nederland and acted as its editor-in-chief, a position he continued to hold when it was published after the war. In 1942, he was arrested by the Germans and interrogated for six weeks, but released for lack of evidence. After the war, van Randwijk distinguished himself by supporting independence for the Dutch East Indies. In 1948, he left Vrij Nederland and worked as a journalist for De Groene Amsterdammer and other publications and as a commentator on poverty and other issues, often on television.