Bosschart, Anne Anton “Tom”.

Bosschart, Anne Anton “Tom” born 05-10-1897, in Paramaribo,  the capital of Suriname, to François Guilleaume Jacques Bosschart, born 1852, in Gorinchem and who died in 1926, in Biebrich, age 74 and Elisa Hermina Wilhelmina Antonia van de Kasteele, born 1871, in Amsterdam and who died in 1958, age 87. His father François, as captain of the infantry, was seconded to the troops there for a period of more than two years.At the end of father’s service in Suriname, the possessions,such as household goods sold. On 31-03-1899 the family left for the Netherlands on board the screw steamer Prins Willem V (1897-1918) of the Royal West Indies Mail Service, established in Amsterdam. On 18-04-1899 the ship arrived in French Le Havre, where part of the family traveled on to Amsterdam by boat train. The family then consisted of four sons in addition to father and mother. Later, another son would be added. The two eldest children were born from a previous marriage. Their mother died in 1889. Father remarried Elise van de Kasteele on 21-09-1893 in The Hague. In 1903 the family consisted of five children: François 1883-1952, Leonard 1888-1951, William 1894-1982, Anne Anton 1897-1941 and Reiner 1903-1959.The family lived in various places because of the movements of father who was to retire after many years of service as a lieutenant colonel. Anne Anton attended various schools and studies to eventually focus on the advertising and consultancy world.

“Tom” became the director of an advertising agency and co-founder of the illegal resistance group Comité voor Vrij/Free Nederland.

Tom Bosschart was married with Betsy Wijzenbeek, born 1895, in Amsterdam and who died in 1985, in Amsterdam, age 90. He married in 1922 in ‘s Gravenhage  The couple had two sons and a daughter,  Ada Anita Joan Bosschart,  Anton Allaert Bosschaert, born 1928, in Amsterdam, he died in  2017, in Bussum, age 89 and Johanne Elisabeth Miriam Bosschart.

Anne Bosschart was a well-known pioneer in the advertising industry and one of the founders of the Association of Advertisers, he was also director of an advertising and consultancy firm that was located at the Singel no. 128 in Amsterdam. Since 1937 he was active in the fight against fascism. Shortly after the start of the German occupation, he took the initiative to set up the “Comité voor Vrij Nederland”, text: (‘Freedom is near. Committee in preparation for total independence.’) together with Rudolf s’ Jacob, lawyer in Amsterdam and Cornelis van der Vegte, director of the advertising company of De Arbeiderspers in Amsterdam, which from August 1940 started publishing the resistance newspaper “Vrij Nederland” .Anne Bosschart also managed to bring a large number of illegal groups into contact with each other. On 10-12-1940, he was arrested by the Germans and sentenced to life in prison by the German Kriegsgericht. This penalty was later changed to the death penalty.Anne stayed from 16-12-1940 to 26-07-1942 in the “Oranjehotel” in Scheveningen.

On Monday 29-09-1941 Anne Anton Bosschart, aged 43, was shot at the Crailo shooting range. That happened on the same day as his fellow combatants, s’Jacob (36 years) and Van der Vegte (41 years).

The Oranje hotel in Scheveningen (near The Hague, Holland) was in World War II a German prison where Dutchmen who were opposing against the Germans, were imprisoned for questioning and trial. For most of the prisoners the stay was not long lasting and was followed by either release or further detention, often in Germany, either execution on the Waalsdorpervlakte. Estimated 25.000 people, coming from the whole country, have been in prison in the Oranje hotel. Anne Anton Bosschart was one of the  This information has mostly been supplied by the ‘Stichting Oranjehotel’ and the relatives or friends of the victims. Also by the society ‘Erepeleton Waalsdorp’ and the archive of the municipality of Wassenaar and has not been checked for historical correctness.

Since 1937 Bosschart had been active as an agent for the Dutch intelligence service GS III and in the fight against fascism. As a result, he already had a radio link with England when World War II broke out. Bosschart brought a large number of illegal groups into contact with each other in 1940. He also founded a counterintelligence group.

Death and burial ground of Bosschart, Anne Anton “Tom”.

He was arrested in December 1940 and stayed in the Oranjehotel from 16-12-1940 to 26-07-1941. On 02-09-1941, age 43, he was executed on the Bussumerheide.at this spot with four others,

the Dutch lieutenant commander second class in the Royal Netherlands Navy Lodewijk Anne Rinse Jetse (Lodo) van Hamel, age 26 and he also was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II. His pseudonym was Willem van Dalen, Another co-founder of the Committee for Free Netherlands, Cornelis van der Vegte, age 41 , the Dutch lawyer Rudolf Pieter s’Jacobs, age 36   and resistance man Andreas Johannes Leendert van Zomeren age 21 

Anne Anton “Tom” Bosschart, was first buried in Velp but reburied at the General cemetery “Op het Hof van Rosendael”, at the Boerenallee in Rozendaal, Netherlands , in a family grave..