Hendricus Johannes van Duijn
| Geslacht: | Man | |
| Vader: | Jacob van Duijn | |
| Moeder: | Catharina Christina Vissers | |
| Geboren: | 27 MEI 1892 | Haarlem |
| Overleden: | 26 Sept 1956 | Hengelo |
| Beroep: | electricien | |
| Aantekeningen: | Last Name: Duijn van First Name: Henk Rescuer's fate: survived Nationality: THE NETHERLANDS Religion: CATHOLIC Gender: Male Place during the war: Hengelo, Overijssel, The Netherlands Rescue Place: Hengelo, Overijssel, The Netherlands Rescue mode: Hiding File number: File from the Collection of the Righteous Among the Nations Department (M.31.2/9583) Henk and Catherine van Duijn lived with their eight, mostly teenage, children in the town of Hengelo (prov. Overijssel). They were a devout Roman Catholic family in a largely Protestant area. When they learned about the measures against the Jews and the start of the deportations to the East in mid-1942, the van Duijns felt it their Christian duty to help those in need. They became involved with a local underground group. They agreed to hide Jews temporarily in their home, until more permanent places could be located for them. Among these were Jo van Gelderen, Lies Simons, brother and sister Paul and Erna Eichwald and Lex and Miep Velleman. At the end of 1942, a three-year-old girl, Wilhelmina Thaler (later, Hadassah Conn) from Amsterdam was brought to their home. The girl had been in hiding ever since the onset of the deportations. However, when her father visited her and saw that she was being treated badly, he was referred to the van Duijns. Wilhelmina, now called Willie, was introduced as a cousin whose mother was temporarily unable to take care of her. Soon she felt at home with the many big brothers and one sister around her all the time. She soon called Henk and Catherine pa and ma. Going to the church kindergarten was considered too dangerous by the deacon, and she thus stayed home. However, since Willie was supposedly a cousin, the van Duijns were not afraid to let her play with some other children outside the house. Willie stayed until the liberation of the area in April 1945. Her parents survived. Leaving the van Duijn family was very difficult for her. However, both families did their utmost to keep in frequent touch, even after Wilhelmina married and moved to England. On December 20, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Henk and Catherine van Duijn as Righteous Among the Nations. |
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Gezin 1
| Huwelijkspartner: | Catharina Maria Doorenbosch | geb. 1 Juni 1899 |
| Huwelijk: | 2 Juni 1920 | Arnhem |