Michielsen, Erik Frits Karel.

Michielsen, Erik Frits Karel, born 08-07-1917, in Padang, West-Sumatra (Sumatra Barat), Indonesië, the son of Karel Willem Jan Michielsen and Margarete Marie-Eugenie Michielsen.

Erik had studied law for four years when he was called up for military service in August 1939. On 07-05-1940, he had to report to the mounted artillery in Breda. During the May days of 1940, he manned command posts at various bridges and at Valkenburg Airfield. Erik was demobilized at the end of May. He graduated on July 9th. Erik’s brother, Karel Michielsen, had already crossed over to England with the Bebèk on July 5th, and Erik wanted to follow him as soon as possible. Karel Michielsen (1918-1996) was one of the first three England travelers and one of the first three recipients of the Bronze Cross.

With Anton de Haseth Möller, Jean Mesritz, and Joost, he bought two canoes for thirty guilders. Mesritz died at the age of 27 on 31-03-1945 in Camp Neuengamme

His memorial stone is located in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, where 350 Dutch people are buried.

They painted the canoes a discreet dark color and secured them together with sturdy crossbeams. After that, another outboard motor was attached on the right side. Furthermore, they had collected four Edam cheeses and 80 chocolate bars. They were ready to leave, but something came up. Erik Michielsen met Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema,

 who had a different plan. Roelfzema was also a Dutch England Channel Crosser, wartime RAF-pilot, Dutch spy and resistance man, writer and adjutant of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina.

They would use the SCH 107. The SCH 107 was a reverse engine logger that was home-ported in Scheveningen. He was destined to fish for herring in bulk. The skipper received 500 guilders as compensation so he could buy a new dinghy. Everything was brought on board; Captain Van der Zwan would take them out to sea in his own small boat. Just before they were about to leave on August 13th, they were warned by Chris Krediet and the skipper that two Germans would be joining them, after which the plan fell thru.

Two days later, they bought a dinghy in Warmond. Michielsen, Hazelhoff Roelfzema, Carel Hendrik Kranenburg,

Mesritz, and De Haseth Möller went to the beach between Noordwijk and Noordwijkerhout in the boat and had difficulty getting thru the surf. However, the weather turned rough, too much water got into the boat, and they decided to go back.

Back to the plan with the double canoes. A week later, Michielsen, Mesritz, Kranenburg, and De Haseth Möller were walking thru the dunes to bring the canoes to the beach, but Germans were hiding in a machine gun nest. More bad luck and back home again. For a while, not much happened. The university in Leiden was closed at the end of November. On 30-01-1942, Erik left again, this time taking the Southern route. He arrived in England in May.

Over 1700 Dutch men and women have arrived in England or other Allied territory after overcoming many difficulties. Of these, 332 joined the army, 118 the air force, 397 the navy, 176 the KNIL, 164 the merchant navy, 111 became secret agents, and 129 joined the government in London.

This four succeeded to reach England on 24-04-1944, from left to right: Hein Fuchter  (on the bow), John Osten, Edzard Moddemeijer, Flip Winckel, and Henk Baxmeier  (at the helm). They all survived the war. John Osten emigrated to Chile and Edzard Moddemeijer to Australia. After traveling extensively thru Africa, Heinz Fuchter also ended up in Australia. Flip Winckel stayed in the Netherlands and Henk Baxmeier died in Nice, France, 24-01- 2008, age 87.

Death and burial ground of Michielsen, Erik Frits Karel.

Michielsen was a reserve lieutenant in the field artillery, but after his voyage to England, he chose the air force in the hope of quickly inflicting damage on the enemy. His training was almost complete when he was rammed from behind by a Vickers Wellington during a training flight on the nite of 26-08-1944. The tail of his plane broke off, after which it crashed. He had three Canadian colleagues on board.

Erik Frits Karel Michielsen was buried at Brookwood Cemetery on 31-08-1944. Jhr. “Mickey” Jan Jacob Gerard Beelaerts van Blokland (adjutant to Queen Wilhelmina) and H.W.J. Baron van Tuyll (adjutant to Prince Bernhard) were present. The eulogy was given by Rev. Van Dorp from London.

His memoirs were published posthumously in 1945 under the title Against the Blasts of the East Wind. This also includes his ideas about the future.

Message(s), tips or interesting graves for the webmaster:    robhopmans@outlook.com