During the French occupation, the Dutch coast was regularly shelled by English warships. During an attack on Zandvoort, a fishing boat caught fire. Matthijs Moolenaar, a fisherman from Zandvoort, did not hesitate; he swam to the ship and managed to extinguish the fire. His courage made a deep impression. As a tribute, he received a special tobacco box from a society in Haarlem. His heroic deed was also recorded in a booklet by the writer Adriaan Loosjes. To this day, his name lives on in Zandvoort, where a street is named after him.