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27 March 1943

Dear diary,

today was a good day for the resistance! We blew up the bevolkingsregister in the middle of Amsterdam, and the Germans didn’t even know we were entering the building.

It all started this morning at six o’clock, when we went over to Sjoerds place. He had sew a number of German police uniforms for us, so no-one could recognise us as members of the resistance... We left Sjoerds place around eight in the morning and Willem and I were chosen to enter the building and place the bombs and start the fires. I don’t think I have ever been so afraid of getting caught. But fortunately, the uniforms looked so real, that we could just walk inside, and no-one checked our id-cards.

I was really scared when we placed the bombs, because if anyone would see us, it would really end up bad for us. After we placed all bombs, we were not ready yet, because we had to be sure that the bombs would go off. So, we walked slowly towards the exit, and Willem whispered to me: “I count to 3, then I will detonate the bombs, and we should both run as fast as we can outside”. I felt a little sick of fear, but when he started counting I knew we would have to run for our lives… “One” Willem said slowly, “two”, I felt my heart beating like crazy, “THREE, RUN!” Willem shouted. Immediately after that all four bombs exploded at the same time, my ears are still hurting from the big bang, and we started running, through the door, over the big square that was in front of the register, and we kept running until we reached the secret hiding place. After some time, when we all were a little calmed down, we looked at each other and said “We did it! The Germans can no longer use the register to hunt for Jewish people!”.

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

Sjoerd tells me that this is the hardest story to tell, because he has many plans. He tells me about his wish to visit the fortress island Pampus, which is located in the IJmeer near Amsterdam. He wants to go there with his own boat. His first step to larger trips. The trip will start at harbour of Horst, where our boat is located. At the island, there is a small pier where we can put our boat when we visit the fortress itself. Maybe he sails this year to Pampus.

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Wish for the future, interview with Sjoerd Bakker

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Wish for the future, interview with Sjoerd Bakker

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

This is probably the hardest story to tell. I have many plans that I could tell you as a wish for the future, so I’ll have to pick one which is already quite concrete.

I’ll tell you about my wish to visit the fortress island Pampus, which is located in the IJmeer near Amsterdam. This doesn’t sound adventurous, but it is to me, because I want to go there with my own boat. This will be my first step towards larger trips, it should strengthen my faith in my ship and in myself as skipper.

The trip will start at the harbour of Horst, where our boat is located. From there we will combine sailing and motor boating to get to the lock where the water height difference between the Randmeren and the IJsselmeer is maintained. We will have to find a sleeping place in the harbour Muiderzand. After sleeping in the harbour, we can continue our journey sailing to the fortress island.

At the island, there is a small pier where we can put our boat when we visit the fortress itself.

After the visit we can return to our own harbour, but probably we will also have to find a nice harbour to spend the night.

For this trip, I’ll have to prepare by making sure the ship is in tip-top condition, we have to take a close look at the weather conditions and forecasts, because we need some wind for sailing (but no storm J).

This winter I will improve the electricity on board, and maybe next year we can already sail out to our destination Pampus.

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

Sjoerd needs to think a moment about this question. He sais: “There are many stories about some family members in the past, but i can tell you the story why I got my first name Sjoerd.” This story was told by my grandparents, his parents.

First of all he explain me the exact relation. The story begins during World War II, in Amsterdam. Sjoerd Bakker, the brother of my grandfather, was a known resistance person during the second World War. He moved from Friesland to Amsterdam. He was making name as tailor in the Amsterdam fashion world. He joined the resistance with some friends.  The most well-known action he was involved in, was the attack on the Amsterdam population register (het Amsterdamse bevolkingsregister) in 1943. This attack and burning of the register, was very important to block the Germans from finding Jewish people. His role was that he created a number of copies of the German Police uniform. After this, the Germans found him and he was sentenced to dead by shooting. What is less known to the public, is that he was granted a very special last wish. He was shot in a bright pink shirt, to make a statement about te fact that he was openly homosexual.
Now I know the story why my father g the name Sjoerd

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

Of course, there are many stories about some family members in the past, but I can tell you the story why I got my first name Sjoerd. This story was told by my parents, your grandparents, and they also told some details that are not even mentioned in WikiPedia.

The story is about an uncle, so first let me try to explain the exact relation we have. My uncle Sjoerd Bakker was the brother of my father, but born from the first marriage of my grandfather. So, your great-grandfather was first married and had children (amongst others uncle Sjoerd), and when his wife died, he re-married and also had children, of which your grandfather was one of them.

The story begins during World War II, in Amsterdam. Sjoerd Bakker was a known resistance person during the second World War. Before the war he was a very good tailor that moved from Friesland, where his family owned two well-known fashion stores, to Amsterdam. He was making name as tailor / couturier in the Amsterdam fashion world when the War started. Sjoerd, together with some friends, joined the resistance.

The most well-known action he was involved in, was the attack on the Amsterdam population register (het Amsterdamse bevolkingsregister) in 1943. This attack and burning of the register, was very important to block the Germans from finding Jewish people (because that information was of course in this population register). His role was that he created a number of copies of the German Police uniform, so that other resistance members could enter the building, and finally blow-up/burn the registers. After this, he was wanted by the Germans and he had to hide for them. Unfortunately, the Germans found him, and after a short trial, he was sentenced to dead by shooting, which took place in the dunes. What is less known to the public, is that he was granted a very special last wish, he was shot in a bright pink shirt, to make a statement about the fact that he was openly homosexual (which was also not common in those days).

In hind-sight, we know that also his brothers Popke Sjoerd, Bert and Albert were very active in the resistance. So much, that even an SD (SicherheidsDienst) officer once said that he felt that this family was having a private war with Germany (Privatkrieg mit Deutschland). From my uncle Albert the story goes that during hunger-winter in 1944 he transported an illegal shipment of potatoes from Friesland to Amsterdam. Since he was so afraid during the trip, where they bribed the harbour masters with Dutch jenever, he drank so much jenever himself that he dared doing the shipment. Fortunately, he survived the war, unlike my other uncle Popke Sjoerd, who was shot during the shooting incident on the Dam on May 7th, 1945, just after the official liberation.

To honour my father’s brother Sjoerd, my parents also named me Sjoerd. As you know, this name also lives on in your brother Kris, who’s second first name is also Sjoerd.

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Current event, interview with Sjoerd Bakker

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Current event, interview with Sjoerd Bakker

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

More recently I had something extraordinary during a business trip.

As you know, I have to fly quite often to Paris, for meetings with Air-France employees, who are the counterparts of the department in KLM where I am currently working.

This story is from September 5, 2017. I travelled with my colleague Sven, and we both like to be well on-time for flights, so that we can quietly drink a cup of coffee before departure. As usual we were early and instead of going to the departure-gate, we went to the coffee-bar at the end of the pier. We drank a cup of coffee, and ate a nice croissant, and when it was almost time for boarding, we walked to Gate number C6.

The crew was already standing in front of the counter, as they usually do before the flight. All of a sudden, I noticed someone looking very familiar… After taking a closer look, it turned out that King Willem-Alexander was standing there, with 3 gold bands on his sleeve, indicating he was the co-pilot of the flight.

The strangest thing was that no one noticed this, all passengers just sat down waiting, and probably Sven and Iwere the only ones that noticed. We took some discrete pictures, otherwise we could never prove that we have been flown by the most famous Boeing 737 pilot in the whole KLM.

When entering the plane, the cockpit door was closed, so it was not visible to passengers that we had the king on board. During the flight he only announced 2 messages, so if you didn’t know, you could never guess he was in the plane. But we knew!

We really felt that we have been flown by the Royal Dutch Airlines KLM.

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Interview with Sjoerd Bakker (1968) on 27-1-2018

“More recently I had something extraordinary during a business trip.”

My father has to fly quite often to Paris, for meetings with Air-France employees, who are the counterparts of the department in KLM where  he is currently working.

Sjoerd travelled September 5, 2017 with his colleague to Paris. As usual he was early to the departure-gate.

The crew was already standing in front of the counter, as they usually do before the flight. All of a sudden, my father noticed someone looking very familiar… After taking a closer look, it turned out that King Willem-Alexander was standing there, as the co-pilot of the flight.

My father noticed that no-one saw that the king was standing at the counter. All other passengers just waited until they could board the plane.

The cockpit was closed so the passengers couldn’t see that they had the king on board. He gave during the flight 2 messages.

‘’We really felt that we have been flown by the Royal Dutch Airlines KLM.’’

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Interview questions and answer with Sjoerd Bakker

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Interview questions and answer with Sjoerd Bakker

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Questions

1. How did Sjoerd Bakker know where to find the archives?

2. Why did he fight in Amsterdam and not in Friesland?

3. After your trip to Pampus, do you have plans for other trips?

4. Would you like to sail your trip to Pampus all alone, or would you take someone with you?

5. When did you start sailing?

6. Why did you choose Pampus as destination for your planned trip?

7. Did you see many bodyguards around King Willem-Alexander?

8. Have you ever been flown by him before?

9. How many people have been named after Sjoerd Bakker?

10. Does King Willem-Alexander have an own plane, and is it stationed at Schiphol?

Answers

1. The Population Register was a normal public building, that was known to everyone where it was located. The resistance group, of which he was a member, had chosen this as a target.

2. Before the war, Sjoerd had moved to Amsterdam, because he was a talented couturier, and he had more work in the city of Amsterdam. Since he lived there, he joined a local resistance group in Amsterdam.

3. Yes, a friend of mine lives in Bovenkarspel (near Enkhuizen), and he also has a sailing boat. I already promised to visit him after my first trip to Pampus. We are also already discussing to sail together to England.

4. First time I would like to go with someone else that can help me in the lock, because in the lock you have to do many things at the same time. So, I hope that you or Kris will join me on this first longer trip.

5. I started sailing when I was 11 or 12, because a neighbour gave me his old sailing boat. The boat was in very bad shape, so after 2 years of fixing the boat, I could finally learn to sail. When I got older, I stopped sailing, and only 3 years ago I bought a small sailing yacht.

6. Pampus is a very special fortress island, which was built to defend Amsterdam. I have a special interest those kind of old military monuments, and this one is even more special, because you can only reach it over water.

7. After he entered the plane, Sven and I also discussed this. We couldn’t see anyone that looked like a bodyguard. But I am sure that at least one bodyguard must have been in the plane, because members of the royal family never travel without bodyguards.

8. I don’t know, but the King only recently started flying Boeing 737, before he flew on Fokker 70 airplanes. Since my trips are usually to Paris and Nice, most of the time I fly in Boeing 737 or Ambraer planes, so I don’t think he has ever flown me before.

9. This is hard to guess, but I know at least 3 nephews that are named Sjoerd Bakker. I do not know whether they were specially named after my uncle, or just because Sjoerd is a name that is already for a long time in the family.

10. As far as I know, the King does not have his own plane. Having a plane is very expensive, and he only has his pilot-papers for Fokker 70 and Boeing 737, both are passenger planes, so not something you could just fly for fun.