Last known Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon dead at 101

The last known Engelandvaarder, Ellis Brandon, died on July 12 at the age of 101. The family announced this in an obituary in the NRC on Saturday. Born in Amsterdam, Brandon quickly became involved in the resistance during World War II and worked as a courier for Het Parool. She also helped Jewish families, as the National Archives previously reported about her.

Ellis Maud Baroness de Smeth-Brandon, her full name, was born on April 8, 1923 in Amsterdam. After the HBS, she took a training course at the Amsterdam School of Arts and Crafts, according to the National Archives.

Ellis was just a teenager when the Second World War broke out and quickly ended up in the resistance against the German occupiers through her friend Herman Friedhoff, NOS reported.

In 1942, the Germans tracked down Brandon and her boyfriend at the time, who was also active in the resistance. Together, they went into hiding. In April of the following year, they fled to Belgium and France. In January 1944, Brandon arrived in England, where she preferred to be sent to the Netherlands as a spy, according to the National Archives.

However, she did not receive permission to do so. "She worked at the Ministry of the Interior as an employee of the Population Administration. Later, she was allowed to keep an eye on fighter planes on the ministry's roof. She enlisted in the Vrouwen Hulpkorps (VHK), the first Dutch army unit specifically for women."

Ellis Brandon was awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross. This award is given to participants in the resistance against the Dutch occupiers during World War II. "Not being afraid is something you can learn" was Brandon's motto in life.

"After a long and special life, our sweet, caring, lively, and headstrong mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, and grandmother passed away at the age of 101," the relatives wrote.

"Sad news," Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans wrote on X. "In the Resistance, she helped Jewish families and provided important courier services. A true hero. My thoughts are with the bereaved."

Verdrietig nieuws. Engelandvaarder Ellis Brandon is overleden. “Niet bang zijn kun je leren” was haar levensmotto.
In het verzet hielp ze Joodse gezinnen en verrichtte ze belangrijk koerierswerk. Een ware held. Mijn gedachten gaan uit naar de nabestaanden.https://t.co/vqbImtAoEE

— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) July 20, 2024

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix also responded to the death of England sailor Ellis Brandon. The Dutch Royal Family remembers her "with great respect".

"We remember her as a woman with a sharp sense of right and wrong. She was not intimidated by threats and danger and held fast to her conviction that freedom is above all. The Netherlands owes her a great debt of gratitude."

The Engelandvaarders were members of the Dutch Resistance during the War who made the risky decision to sail to England to join up with Allied forces in their fight against Nazi Germany.