photo © Biallosterski Archives
Tobs' Project:
Dedication To An Unknown Hero
Member of the British Empire
“Tobs’ Project” is the working title of this website which is a true story about my uncle, Tobias Biallosterski.
Tobs, short for Tobias, pronounced “Tops” in English, was a Dutch agent for a secret British organisation called Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II.
He parachuted twice into Holland on two separate missions and died in Scheveningen prison, in the Hague, on 25 February 1945.
SOE was not a commonly known organisation like MI6 or the FBI. Few knew of its existence during the war, or many years thereafter.
With the exception of a handful of notable historians, SOE’s archives remained firmly closed to the public until 2003.
Dutch Militaire Willems Orde
Furthermore, those who worked for SOE had to sign the Official Secrets Act (OSA), and were therefore forbidden from ever divulging the activities they engaged in during the war.
Consequently, our family knew Tobs was a war hero, but little else. Nevertheless, the honours bestowed upon him spoke volumes about his exceptional courage, unwritten achievements and unknown accomplishments. The British awarded him with the Member of the British Empire, Military, (MBE), and the Dutch with the highest honour in the Netherlands, the Militaire Willems Orde (Military Order of William or MWO), as well as the Dutch Bronzen Kruis (Bronze Cross).
However, his missions remained a mystery until recently. This website is dedicated to Tobs as well as all those who worked faithfully at his side, continuing his mission after he was arrested.
We often forget that what we have now is due to what they gave then. Tobs gave the ultimate sacrifice with his life and we need to remind ourselves to honour the past while we live in the present and dream of the future.
Our quest to know the past resulted in this website which we hope will be a lasting memorial for my uncle. It is also hoped this website will help each subsequent generation to remember to never forget those sacrifices and why they were made.
Dutch Bronzen Kruis
“They gave their tomorrows for our today.”