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Ellis Brandon

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Ellis Brandon
Ellis Brandon in 2011
Born8 April 1923
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died12 July 2024 (aged 101)
Schilde, Belgium
OccupationVeteran

Ellis Maud Brandon (8 April 1923 – 12 July 2024) was a Dutch veteran of the second world war. She was one of the few female Engelandvaarder.

Early life

Brandon was born in Amsterdam as the daughter of Frederick Charles Brandon and Adèle Cornelia Manikus. After secondary school she studied advertising drawing at the School of Arts and Crafts in Amsterdam.

World War II

When World War II broke out, Brandon lived with her father and stepmother in Heemstede. At the request of her friend Herman Friedhoff [nl] (1920–2000), she became a courier for Het Parool and Vrij Nederland. Friedhoff was a member of the resistance group "Apostles".

On 7 August 1942, the Gestapo raided her parents' house in search of Friedhoff, who had close contacts with Herman Bernard Wiardi Beckman [nl] and Herman van Roijen. They fled through the back door and went into hiding. A restless existence followed, moving from one hiding place to another. Brandon was a maid in a nursing home on Mathenesserlaan in Rotterdam, and Friedhoff was given an attic room there where she could stay for some time.

Friedhoff was wanted by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), which offered a reward of 1000 guilders for a tip that would lead to her arrest. When her mother was taken hostage and Friedhoff was sentenced to death, the attic room was no longer safe. They decided to leave the Netherlands and so they fled on 28 April 1943, the journey went via Belgium, France, Spain to Portugal. It then took some time before she was granted a visa. On 8 January 1944 she flew to England. There she worked at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior as a population registry employee. Later she was allowed to keep an eye on fighter planes on the roof of the ministry to raise the alarm for impending bombardments. Her request to return to the Netherlands as a spy for England was denied. Brandon also signed up for the Dutch army unit Women's Aid Corps (VHK). In December 1944 she married Chris Krediet [nl].

After the war

Resistance memorial cross

She and Krediet parted as good friends after a few years. In 1952 she remarried Albert Vis (1920-1971), with whom she had two sons. Her granddaughter Carlijn Vis (1983) wrote Vrij Spel (ISBN 9789025437855), inspired by the stories of her grandmother. After Vis' death, Brandon remarried at the age of 53 in 1976 to widower Colonel Jan Anne Baron de Smeth [nl] (1924–2017).

After the death of pilot André Hissink, Brandon was the last known living Dutch England sailor at the time.

Personal life

After arriving in England, Ellis was offered the Cross of Merit, but she declined. On 29 December 1980, she was awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross .

Brandon passed away on 12 July 2024 at the age of 101. Her funeral took place on 20 July 2024.

External links

References

  1. ^ "Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon 100 jaar". Nationaal Archief (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  2. "Ellis Brandon". www.klimnaardevrijheid.nl. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  3. "Zij speelde het onschuldige meisje". NRC (in Dutch). 2015-05-02. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  4. "Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon 100 jaar". Nationaal Archief (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  5. "Twee zeilbroers, Jan Vis (1919-1998) en Albert Vis (1920-1971)" (PDF). Vis A Vis. pp. 416–420. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  6. Sanou, Hanneke (2024-07-22). "Dutch resistance heroine Ellis Brandon dies, aged 101". DutchNews.nl. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  7. "Overleden Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon was 'krachtige en dappere vrouw'". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2024-07-20. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  8. "Verzetsoma". nrc.nl (in Dutch). 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  9. "Familiebericht NRC, 20 juli 2024" (in Dutch).
  10. "Oudste nog levende Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon (101) overleden". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2024-07-20. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
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