Hugo Wilmar was born in Amersfoort on May 28, 1923. He grows up in The Hague as the second son from a seen of four. The family is conservative. His father is Victor Emile Wilmar, Lieutenant Colonel attached to the General Staff in The Hague. His mother is Marie Jeanne Leembruggen.
Hugo has one older brother, Emile, and two younger sisters, Hélène and Cécilia. In 1942 he took his final HBS exams at the Rijnlands Lyceum in Wassenaar.
Nature enthusiast and amateur photographer
Hugh Wilmar has a passion for photography and nature. As an amateur photographer and hunter, he ventures into the dunes whenever possible. Together with the gamekeeper duo the Velthuis brothers, he roams around the De Horsten estate. In addition to photographing, Hugo learns the art of texidermy. He places these animals in their natural environment to create the picture in his mind.
On the roof of his childhood home, he groups together a crow, a rook and a jackdaw. With the photo he wins an amateur photo contest. The jury does not know, that Hugo set up the animals.
In 1942 he met Jan Woldijk at Fotohandel Nieuwenhuis. They share the passion for photography. Here, Hugo Wilmar made the first contacts with the Dutch resistance.
With the outbreak of World War II, his free existence changes. His father, a lieutenant colonel attached to the General Staff, is regularly captured by the Germans. Because of his heart condition, he comes out of this more dead than alive. This affects Hugo’s family.
In 1943 Hugo Wilmar photographed the demolition in Duindorp for the construction of the Atlantic Wall.
The increasing stranglehold of the occupying forces and the constant threat of the Arbeitseinzats make his forays into nature too dangerous. Hugo’s resistance to the Germans grows. In early February 1944, he looks for only one way out – Hugo wants to enlist in London as a war volunteer.
Hugh Wilmar’s amateur photos
Timeline
Hugo Wilmar wint een amateur-natuurfotowedstrijd. Op de foto zijn een raaf, een kraai en een roek te zien. Wat de jury niet weet, is dat Hugo de dieren heeft opgezet. Deze foto markeert voor zover bekend het begin van Hugo Wilmar’s carrière als fotograaf.
Hugo Wilmar speelt in het schooltoneelstuk van het Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar. Het stuk heet “De Gewonde Leeuw”. (foto: © Polygoon, Haarlem)
In 1943 maakt Hugo Wilmar foto’s van de afbraak van huizen voor de aanleg van de Atlantikwall. Deze foto toont De Savornin Lohmanlaan en de afbraak van huizen tussen de Evert Wijtemaweg en de Sportlaan. De foto is door Stichting Hugo Wilmar geschonken aan het Haags Gemeentearchief
Na de Razzia van 1943 wordt Hugo Wilmar vrijgelaten uit de Psychiatrische Ursulakliniek. In februari 1944 begint zijn ontsnapping uit bezet gebied. Hugo Wilmar wil zich als Oorlogsvrijwilliger en Engelandvaarder in Londen Melden.