Boissevain, Jan Karel “Janka” and Gideon Boissevain “Gi”.

Boissevain, Jan Karel “Janka”, born 24 mei 1920 in Schiedam and Gideon “Gi”, born 06-06-1921 in Schiedam, the sons of Jan Boissevain (Vught, 1895 – Buchenwald, 1945) and Mies, born van Lennep. Father Boissevain on 02-03-1942, was arrested in Amsterdam. Jan Boissevain was then imprisoned in Camp Amersfoort.

Between date unknown and 13-10-1944 Jan Boissevain was transported from Sachsenhausen to Buchenwald, where he died on 30-01-1945, age 49, 

Jan Karel Jr attended the Secondary Technical School and worked at the Amsterdam Telephone Service.

Jan “Janka’s brother, Gideon Willem Boissevain, nickname “Gi”, who was one year younger, worked at a life insurance company. Both still lived at home with their parents, together with their sisters Annemie and Sylvia. In the summer of 1940, the brothers made a failed attempt to sail to England on a raft made of wine barrels. However, they were picked up at Texel and had to return.

At home in Corellistraat 6 in Amsterdam, their mother already took in Jewish refugees and this address became the home base of the resistance group that emerged there, CS-6 (named after the address). This group also included Pam Pooters,age 32 Jan Verleun, age 24 Reina Prinsen Geerligs, age 21 Leo Frijda, age 21 Hans Katan, age 24 Sape Kuiper, age 21 and their second cousin Louis Boissevain. age 21 In the basement was a workshop where Janka and Gi had their collection of telephones, where explosives were stored and where detonators and time bombs were made.The CS-6 group tried to stop prisoner transports by destroying train tracks. Early in 1943 it was decided to liquidate traitors as well. In February 1943, Generald Hendrilk Alexander Seyffart, commander of the Dutch Volunteer Legion, was fatally wounded in an attack by two members of CS-6. His last words were: ‘They were students.’ The perpetrators of the attack were able to escape, but the next day hundreds of students were arrested and taken to Vught camp. The Amsterdam dentist H.E.B. de Jonge-Cohen, age 51 who betrayed his Jewish patients in hiding was also liquidated ( attack on Seyffart by Hans Geul, age 27 and Sape Kuiper, On 10-01-1943 Hans Geul and Sape Kuiper were shot in Overveen.).

Death and burial ground of Boissevain, Jan Karel “Janka” and Gideon Boissevain “Gi”.

Due to the infiltration of the double agent Ridderhof into the group, it was dismantled in August 1943. Janka and Gi were the first to be arrested, and three others soon followed. The Boissevain brothers were sentenced to death, as was their second cousin Louis. On 01-10-1943, the two brothers were shot dead in the dunes of Overveen, along with sixteen others. After the war, their remains were reburied in the honorary cemetery Bloemendaal there. Traitor George Ridderhof was executed by firing squad on 01-03-1947. Ridderhof, age 51, was a merchant by profession. At the time the Second World War broke out, he had already had an adventurous life behind him. He had been married four times. In the summer of 1941, he was arrested for black marketeering and locked up in the detention center at the Weteringschans. A cellmate told him that it was possible to escape to England via Walcheren by sea. Ridderhof wanted to curry favor and told the Germans about this.

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