The main events in Gerrit Blaauw’s life and the history of Spitfire TA837. Some dates in retrospective sources remain disputed.
Gerrit Blaauw is born in Oldebroek.
Gerrit marries Jannetje Fikse.
The couple’s five children are born: Henk, Dirkje, Batje, Gerritje and Johan.
Gerrit works at the Elburg distribution office and is active in the resistance.
Spitfire TA837 makes a forced landing near Winterdijk. Local helpers assist pilot David Blair.
A postwar LO record dates Gerrit’s arrest to this day, on suspicion of pilot assistance. Accounts of Henk’s detention vary.
An attack near Woeste Hoeve seriously wounds Hanns Albin Rauter.
Gerrit is executed at Woeste Hoeve in the German reprisals.
Gerrit is reburied at Oosterwolde.
The mayor of Doornspijk officially confirms Gerrit’s resistance affiliation.
The Elburger Courant publishes a retrospective account of the pilot and the Blaauw family.
A newspaper item, later identified by historian Willem van Norel, reports a visit by Blair’s wife to Hendrik Boeve.
New correspondence and archival leads clarify Blair’s service numbers and identify unresolved prison and family-history questions.
Where sources differ, this timeline uses dates best supported by the documented research. The research notes explain important uncertainties.