Walraven van Hall
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.[1][2] 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.[3] Van Hall was executed by the German occupier in Haarlem shortly before the end of the war and buried at the Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal.
In this Dutch name, the surname is Van Hall, not Hall.Early life[edit]
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.
In media[edit]
The Resistance Banker (Bankier van het Verzet), directed by Joram Lürsen and starring Barry Atsma as Van Hall, is a 2018 Dutch World War II period drama film[14] based on Van Hall's work to finance the Dutch resistance during the Second World War.[15]