Dirk Baan was born at Wijk A 981 in Sliedrecht on 10 December 1904. He was a son of Maarten Baan and Neeltje Jannigje van de Graaf and grew up with one brother and three sisters.
In 1936, Dirk married Angelina Anna van Dooren in Antwerp. The couple later lived at 20 Wijnstraat in Dordrecht, where Angelina died in 1942.
During the final weeks of the German occupation, Dirk was arrested by the Sicherheitsdienst in Rotterdam on 24 March 1945 in connection with the compulsory labour program known as the Arbeitseinsatz. He was sent to Germany on 31 March. No further information about his experiences there has yet been found.
After the war, Dirk married Janna van der Starre on 29 January 1947. Dirk worked as a tugboat captain and, in 1950, decided to emigrate to Australia. He departed from Schiphol Airport aboard the KLM flight to Melbourne on 22 June, occupying seat K2, and arrived on 27 June.
Janna followed aboard the passenger ship Johan van Oldenbarnevelt and arrived in Melbourne on 9 October 1950. Further Australian research may reveal where Dirk and Janna settled and provide details about their later lives and deaths.
This account is based on family-history and migration research undertaken by Fred Stuij.
Related DACC research
Read the broader story in From Sliedrecht to Williamstown: Dutch dredging workers in post-war Australia.
For related personal stories, migration accounts and company histories, visit the Dutch Dredging in Australia Research Portal.
