The Wiley Fox

A Presbyterian Minister stands in the pulpit delivering a sermon to his parishioners; in the platform at his feet he conceals a stash of pistols, explosives and secret papers. This was the life and times of Kees Korndorffer, otherwise known as ‘The Fox’ by fellow Dutch Underground operatives.

Kees was a wanted man for his resistance work and for smuggling Jewish fugitives to safe homes. He was also a keen artist. This sketchbook contains various drawings penned while he was in hiding with his young family in a forest in Harderwijk, near the city.

For almost two years, the Korndorffer family lived with no bathroom, no electricity and little food. They survived by hunting rabbits and foxes and by picking berries, hazelnuts and mushrooms. Kees captures this time in this book, depicting the provincial surroundings and spattering of domestic life. The family evaded one close call through quick thinking and a lot of luck when Nazi officers tracked down the cottage. Kees’ German wife spoke in her native tongue telling them she’d been abandoned and she too was looking for her wayward husband. All the while, he hid behind the door.