People
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:35 pm
I am posting this on behalf of a lady researching alumni from Leiden University. She is looking for information about Cornelis Leendert Bommezijn, known under the name 'Hans'. He was born on 28 March 1920 in Semarang (Dutch Inndies, now Indonesia)
She says " This is what I know about him (my own research project is an autobiograhical account of his mother while she was staying in Ravensbruck)
Hans Bommezijn went to the ‘Nederlands Lyceum’ in the Willemstraat (The Hague) and graduated HBSB in 1932. The school had an open mind system and attracted many students born overseas. After graduation Hans went to the navy academy. In May 1940 he managed to escape to England and from September 1941 onwards he served in the Coastal command, starting at the HMS Beehive and the on several torpedo boats.
In July 1944 he was rewarded a bronze cross for valour shown during coastal command action with MTB 202 (nicknamed Kemphaan) of which he was the commanding officer. Gerard Dogger, who was in contact with his parents while in The Hague , knew Hans from the Navy Academy and became the commanding officer of the MTB 202 from May 1944 onwards.
The last boat Hans commanded, MTB 418 was badly damaged when patrolling The Channel and taken out of service in September 1944. There is no record of Hans afloat after that, so maybe he was wounded as well. He died of exhaustion in Northwood on January 27, 1945."
I have checked out CC website but cannot find him either by decoration, name or boats. If anyone can provide further information I (and the lady) would be most grateful.
She says " This is what I know about him (my own research project is an autobiograhical account of his mother while she was staying in Ravensbruck)
Hans Bommezijn went to the ‘Nederlands Lyceum’ in the Willemstraat (The Hague) and graduated HBSB in 1932. The school had an open mind system and attracted many students born overseas. After graduation Hans went to the navy academy. In May 1940 he managed to escape to England and from September 1941 onwards he served in the Coastal command, starting at the HMS Beehive and the on several torpedo boats.
In July 1944 he was rewarded a bronze cross for valour shown during coastal command action with MTB 202 (nicknamed Kemphaan) of which he was the commanding officer. Gerard Dogger, who was in contact with his parents while in The Hague , knew Hans from the Navy Academy and became the commanding officer of the MTB 202 from May 1944 onwards.
The last boat Hans commanded, MTB 418 was badly damaged when patrolling The Channel and taken out of service in September 1944. There is no record of Hans afloat after that, so maybe he was wounded as well. He died of exhaustion in Northwood on January 27, 1945."
I have checked out CC website but cannot find him either by decoration, name or boats. If anyone can provide further information I (and the lady) would be most grateful.