People: Chronology of Gezinus Gringhuis's Life

Anne Frank Diary Reference to basic people list; Gezinus Gringhuis (very short)

Life Chronology: Gezinus Gringhuis

1895
28 Sept Born in Onstwedde, in the province of Groningen. His father, Hendrik, worked transporting peat on his ship. His mother was Rompje Buist. Both his parents were members of the Reformed Church.

1905 Joins his father in shipping peat.

1914 Joins the army, he is mobilized upon the outbreak of WWI.

1918
6 April Joins the Amsterdam Police Department (the 7th Dept. Linnaeusstraat). Maarten Kuiper was at this bureau, too.

29 Nov Marries Jantje van der Veen.

His son Hendrik is born

1936 Fails the exam to become sergeant.

1937 Again fails the exam to become sergeant.

1940
7 and 10 Aug Since the previous May, Holland has been occupied by Nazi German forces. In order to further his chances of becoming a sergeant, he joins the NSB (the Dutch Nazi Party, member #105038). He also joins the Rechtsfront (the Legal Front, affiliated with the Nazi Party) and the Police WA (the unarmed defense section of the Dutch National Socialist movement).
Note: he never in his life would attain the rank of sergeant.

1941 Transfers from the bureau Linnaeusstraat to the bureau Kattenburg. (He meets Grootendorst there.)

1942
August Now works for the SD (the Security and Intelligence Service of the German SS), in the Bureau Joodse Zaken. His first task there was to watch former Jewish apartments left by the inhabitants. He later said of this, "I was forced to do so, I never asked for it." (But he kept in his home a small notebook of Jews and informants. [HLOF p. 119.] Why keep it at home if it is of no personal interest? My source tells me the files also describe his apartment and bank account as rather opulent and that he collected a sizeable monthly wartime bonus. At any rate, the Nazi affiliation became lucrative for him personally as the occupation wore on.)

1943 Arresting Jews becomes his new task.

1944
Jan-Aug New task: supervise those who transport and store Jewish furniture.

4 Aug Is on the team arresting Anne Frank and the other people in hiding in the back house at Prinsengracht 263.

Sept Is transferred to the Sicherheitspolizei (German security police) in the town of Groningen. One of his bosses is Kaper. Gringhuis refuses to work there and is transferred back to Amsterdam where he gets a position in the Economic Department.

1945
7 May? Is arrested at his home.

1945-1947 Is in prison, presumably awaiting trial and on trial.

1947
26 April The special court requests the death sentence for him.

24 Nov He had been sentenced to death, but this is changed to a life sentence by the special court of cassation. He is then kept at the prison of Scheveningen (later he is moved on to the Leeuwarden prison, then to Breda prison).

1953
20 Oct A request for remission is denied, he stays in the Breda prison.

1957
16 July The Queen decides his lifetime imprisonment will be changed to 20 years in prison! The sentence counts forward from 7 May 1945.

9 Oct Not wanting to remain imprisoned with people sentenced for life, he successfully gets a transfer to Hoorn prison.

1958
6 Sept Is released. His wife divorces him, probably not on the same day, but it is known that she collected his social security benefits while he was in prison.

1975
5 Nov Dies, age 80, in Winschoten in the northern part of the Netherlands, the general area where he was born.

All information above came from an Anne Frank researcher (most data based on trial files at the NL National Archives, also assorted other sources). Most of the translations of the organizations came from the back of The Hidden Life of Otto Frank.

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1895 28 Sept	Born in Onstwedde, in the province of Groningen. His father, Hendrik, worked transporting peat on his ship. His mother was Rompje Buist. Both his parents were members of the Reformed Church.
1905	Joins his father in shipping peat.
1914	Joins the army, he is mobilized upon the outbreak of WWI.
1918 6 April	Joins the Amsterdam Police Department (the 7th Dept. Linnaeusstraat). Maarten Kuiper was at this bureau, too.
29 Nov	Marries Jantje van der Veen.
	His son Hendrik is born
1936	Fails the exam to become sergeant.
1937	Again fails the exam to become sergeant.
1940 7 and 10 Aug	Since the previous May, Holland has been occupied by Nazi German forces. In order to further his chances of becoming a sergeant, he joins the NSB (the Dutch Nazi Party, member #105038). He also joins the Rechtsfront (the Legal Front, affiliated with the Nazi Party) and the Police WA (the unarmed defense section of the Dutch National Socialist movement). Note: he never in his life would attain the rank of sergeant.
1941	Transfers from the bureau Linnaeusstraat to the bureau Kattenburg. (He meets Grootendorst there.)
1942 August	Now works for the SD (the Security and Intelligence Service of the German SS), in the Bureau Joodse Zaken. His first task there was to watch former Jewish apartments left by the inhabitants. He later said of this, "I was forced to do so, I never asked for it." (But he kept in his home a small notebook of Jews and informants. [HLOF p. 119.] Why keep it at home if it is of no personal interest? My source tells me the files also describe his apartment and bank account as rather opulent and that he collected a sizeable monthly wartime bonus. At any rate, the Nazi affiliation became lucrative for him personally as the occupation wore on.)
1943	Arresting Jews becomes his new task.
1944 Jan-Aug	New task: supervise those who transport and store Jewish furniture.
4 Aug	Is on the team arresting Anne Frank and the other people in hiding in the back house at Prinsengracht 263.
Sept	Is transferred to the Sicherheitspolizei (German security police) in the town of Groningen. One of his bosses is Kaper. Gringhuis refuses to work there and is transferred back to Amsterdam where he gets a position in the Economic Department.
1945 7 May?	Is arrested at his home.
1945-1947	Is in prison, presumably awaiting trial and on trial.
1947 26 April	The special court requests the death sentence for him.
24 Nov	He had been sentenced to death, but this is changed to a life sentence by the special court of cassation. He is then kept at the prison of Scheveningen (later he is moved on to the Leeuwarden prison, then to Breda prison).
1953 20 Oct	A request for remission is denied, he stays in the Breda prison.
1957 16 July	The Queen decides his lifetime imprisonment will be changed to 20 years in prison! The sentence counts forward from 7 May 1945.
9 Oct	Not wanting to remain imprisoned with people sentenced for life, he successfully gets a transfer to Hoorn prison.
1958 6 Sept	Is released. His wife divorces him, probably not on the same day, but it is known that she collected his social security benefits while he was in prison.
1975 5 Nov	Dies, age 80, in Winschoten in the northern part of the Netherlands, the general area where he was born.