Willem “Wim” Aantjes was born on January 16, 1923, and passed away on October 22, 2015).

Wim was a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from 26 May 1959 until 7 November 1978, first as a member of the Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP) and since 1977 as a dual member for the CDA.

Willem served as the Parliamentary leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party in the House of Representatives from 22 June 1971 until 30 November 1972 when Barend Biesheuvel the Party leader of the Anti Revolutionary Party served as Prime Minister.

He served again as the Parliamentary leader from 19 December 1977 until 7 November 1978 when he resigned both his positions.

Willem was born on 16 January 1923 in Bleskensgraaf in the Netherlands Province of South Holland.

His father, Klaas Aantjes’, was alderman in Bleskensgraaf and from 1 October 1950 to 14 January 1951 mayor of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht.

Willem brother Jan Aantjes was also mayor of several municipalities. Willem attended the Marnix Gymnasium in Rotterdam.

On 8 February 1940, Aantjes started to work for the postal mail company PTT.

On 19 July 1943, Willem was selected for Arbeitseinsatz and sent to Güstrow to deliver mail.

Willem would later say he had not refused selection, because the board of PTT would otherwise have sent a married employee in his place.

In September 1944, Willem wanted to return to the Netherlands.

Other Dutch forced laborers told him that if one joined the Germaanse-SS, one could ask for an assignment in the Netherlands and be trained as a police officer on the Avegoor estate near Ellecom.

Willem decided he would follow this route, and enlisted in the SS. To his dismay, he was assigned to Landstorm Nederland, a division of the Waffen-SS and he received a uniform.

After being transferred to Hoogeveen, Aantjes refused to wear the uniform and to enlist in Landstorm Nederland.

Willem was arrested and imprisoned in Port Natal, near Assen, an abandoned psychiatric hospital that had been turned into a work camp by the Nazis.

After the war ended in May 1945, Aantjes enrolled at the University of Utrecht to study law.

Willem never mentioned his enlisting in the Germaanse-SS to anyone.

Willem died at age 92 in October 2015.