Amsterdam May 30 1908 – Amsterdam May 7 1945
Carolus Willemsen (1875-1948) and Matthea Vahrmeijer (1880-1944) from Amsterdam were the parents of 8 children born between 1898 and 1914, 3 sons and 5 daughters.
On July 22, 1931 son Hendrikus (Henk), roadworker, married Marina Johanna Bouwmeester (1910-1953). They lived at Van Hogendorpstraat 111-II and two children were born, Martina Johanna and Hendrikus.
Tilly Folkertsma, Henk’s granddaughter:
“As far as I know, my grandfather went to the Dam that day with his daughter, my mother, holding hands; she was only 13 years old. He was shot in her presence. She escaped and was picked up by a priest who took her to Hotel-Restaurant De Roode Leeuw; from there she came home on her own.”
Ellen Daugherty-Willemsen, granddaughter of Henk’s oldest brother Carolus, completes:
“My parents Louis Willemsen and Johanna Barendsma were walking around town that day, celebrating, when they ran into uncle Henk with his daughter (at least, that’s how I remember the story often told by my parents). Just a little while later, he was shot in the presence of his daughter, at the Dam.”
Henk died at 22.30 hours at the Binnengasthuis hospital after having been shot in his stomach. He was buried on Monday May 14th, 1945 at the Nieuwe Ooster Cemetery. Henk was 36 years old.
Ludmilla van Santen
Project Group
January 2014
