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Bos, Dirk Johan

    Date of birth:
    April 27th, 1886 (Voorthuizen, the Netherlands)
    Date of death:
    January 1st, 1944 (Haren, the Netherlands)
    Buried on:
    Dutch War Graves Municipal Cemetery Eshof
    Plot: 6. Row: C. Grave: 4.
    Nationality:
    Dutch

    Biography

    Dirk Bos married Anna Maria Hubertina Josephina Dasoul on 8 May 1916 in Oud-Vroenhoven. When the Second World War broke out, Dirk Bos was station master in Haren. He lived with his family at Onnerweg 102 (later number 88). Bos had a deep aversion to the Germans, could not hide it and had to pay for his anti-German attitude with his life. On New Year's Eve 1943, police chief Anne Jannes Elsinga was liquidated on the bridge at the Eendrachtskade in Groningen by Reint Dijkema, a student and member of the Knokploeg. Elsinga was a fanatical member of the NSB and very pro-German. The resistance had heard that Elsinga was about to report information about resistance fighters to the SD. He had to be eliminated. The SD responded immediately with a radical reprisal measure. Because of Elsinga's high position, the usual three people were not enough as retaliation. Ten people had to pay: three Jews, because of Elsinga's anti-Semitic attitude and seven people who were on the so-called Silbertanne list because of their anti-German attitude. One of the men on the Silbertanne list was Dirk Bos from Haren. In the Scholtenhuis, commander Friedrich Bellmer drew up the death list. He then had three Silbertanne commandos formed. One of those commandos consisted of Arien Smit and the military police officers Rudolf Grave, Frans van Vliet and Stienus van Wijnen. The foursome came to Haren on the evening of New Year's Day 1944. Bos was just eating when he was called to the door. As soon as he suspected what was waiting for him, he wanted to close the door quickly, but Smit emptied his weapon straight through the door. Dirk Bos died on the spot. He was 57 years old.

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