Hans Larive

Etienne Henri "Hans" Larive, MWO, DSC and bar, (23 September 1915 – 28 December 1984) was a Dutch naval officer during World War II. He escaped from the prisoner of war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in England serving aboard Motor Torpedo Boats. He later wrote his memoir Vannacht varen de Hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into English as The Man Who Came in From Colditz (1975) – a pun on the best-selling novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

Early life

Larive was born on 23 September 1915 in Singapore. He entered the Royal Netherlands Naval College (KIM) in 1934, graduating in 1937, and gaining his commission as Luitenant ter Zee (3de klasse) on 13 August that year. He was promoted to Luitenant ter Zee (2de klasse) on 13 August 1939.

World War II

In May 1940, just a few days before the Germans attacked Holland, he returned from his tour of duty in the Dutch East Indies as Navigation Officer aboard the Admiralen class destroyer HNLMS Van Galen. On 10 May 1940 the Germans invaded, and the Van Galen was sent to shell German paratroopers which had landed around Rotterdam and Waalhaven airport. The ship had to steam into the narrow Nieuwe Waterweg, where she was attacked and soon sunk by Stuka dive-bombers.

Larive

Jean Mauduit, stage name Larive or de La Rive, was a French actor. He was born in La Rochelle on 6 August 1747 and died at Montlignon on 30 April 1827.

Life

The son of a grocer, he left his father's home to devote himself to the theatre and presented himself to Lekain in Paris for a job. Engaged in Madame Montansier's company, he played at Tours, then at Lyon, and came back to Paris where Mademoiselle Clairon took him under her protection.

Larive made his debut at the Comédie-Française on 3 December 1770 but was not well received. He left for Brussels where D'Hannetaire engaged him for the lead rôles at the Théâtre de la Monnaie and where he spent 4 years, acting alongside Dazincourt, Grandmesnil and Florence. It was here that he got to known his future wife, Eugénie D'Hannetaire, the director's eldest daughter, who he married in Paris on 18 June 1776 (they divorced in 1794). He was a friend of Voltaire and interpreted many of his lead roles.

On 29 April 1775, Larive made another first appearance at the Comédie-Française and was admitted as a sociétaire on the following 18 May. Three years later, the death of Lekain put him in first place among the sociétaires. He regularly toured the provinces and appeared in his birthplace in 1780, as well as in Lille, Geneva and Bordeaux. He left the Comédie-Française in 1788 but returned to it in 1790, after appearing in Lille.