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A9
LOCAL Tuesday 11 March 2025

Meet Aruba’s biggest hero

Boy Ecury

(Oranjestad)—This past May the rebellion newspaper. This again in the big cities. On November 6th, 1944,
4th, Aruba as well as The would be the first of three re- Eventually, he proved him- Ecury was executed. He was
Netherlands commemorat- bellion group that he would self right. On November 5th, only 22 years old.
ed those who sadly perished join throughout his 4-year ser- 1944, Boy Ecury was arrested
during the Second World vice to the resistance. by German soldiers. He was Ecury was buried with mili-
War. As is known around the placed in the “Oranjehotel” tary honor. In 1949, the Aru-
globe, this chapter in world Boy’s primary task as mem- prison in Scheveningen, The ban Government erected
history is one of the most ber of the group was to dis- Hague, where he was ques- a monumental bust of him
tragic yet, and many soldiers tract the German soldiers tioned. Despite being given in front of what is now the
and rebels have died on the while others ran into hiding away by an acquaintance, linear park trail, and in 1984
frontline during this time. into alleyways. This he was he himself never gave away he received the Resistance
able to do because of his the names of his comrades. Memorial Cross postmortem.
One of those rebels who skin color and confronting Famously, he told his cell
have fought against the demeanor. Boy also partici- mate: “I will die with a smile Boy’s life motto was this: “In Source: “De Kolibrie op de
Nazi regime, was an Aru- pated in the multiple sabo- on my face.” my father’s house, there is no Rots (en meer over the ge-
schiedenis van Aruba)” by
ban named Segundo Jorge taging operations against place for a traitor.” q Evert Bongers.
Adelberto “Boy” Ecury. Born the German military oc-
in Aruba on April 23rd, 1922, cupying The Netherlands.
Boy spent his childhood on These included bombings on
the island, before being sent German military trucks and
to The Netherlands by his fa- trains. The group also helped
ther when he was 15 years people go into hiding, as well
old to continue his studies as opened fire against allies
abroad. This was in 1937, of the Nazi regime. In these
three years before WWII operations, Boy really stood
broke out. out for his cold bloodedness.

During the war, he actively In 1943, he received a no-
participated in the rebellion tice to be placed for work in
in The Netherlands against Germany. This he refused, of
the Nazi regime, but his re- course, and went into hiding
bellious streak and constant using multiple addresses in
drive to fight for justice be- multiple cities. Because he
gan even before the war was a wanted man, he of
broke out. Being a person course could not continue
of color with a Haitian heri- to be active as a rebel. How-
tage living in The Netherlands ever, stubborn and naturally
made him vulnerable to dis- rebellious as he was, he al-
crimination, and this inspired ways tried to join in on the
him to be an activist, to stand operations regardless.
up and fight against discrimi-
nation and oppression. In 1944, after his friend Luis
de Lannoy, a fellow rebel
After seeing the horrific from Curacao, was arrested
bombings of Rotterdam first- and executed, he moved to
hand, he decided to join the Delft, where he joined his
resistance. At the same time, third and last group in Rot-
he was still studying and living terdam. During this time, he
with family in Tilburg. It was wrote a goodbye letter for
there where he met people his family, possibly knowing
who printed and distributed the risks of him being active