Alida Bosshardt

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Alida Margaretha Bosshardt, better known as Major Bosshardt (June 8, 1913 – June 25, 2007) was a well known officer in The Salvation Army, and more or less the public face of this Christian organization in the Netherlands.

Born in Utrecht, Bosshardt became a member of the Salvation Army after visiting one of their meetings when she was 18. Before that, she was not religious. Her father was a converted Roman Catholic, her mother was Dutch Reformed. From 1934 she worked in a children's home in Amsterdam. During the German occupation in the Second World War, Bosshardt took care of the mostly Jewish children who had been brought by their parents to the home.

After the war, she worked at the Army's national headquarters in Amsterdam. She noticed that the Army had no activities in the De Wallen, Amsterdam's red-light district, and obtained permission to start working there. Her work for the prostitutes gained her her national fame. In 1965, she accompanied Princess Beatrix on a secret visit of the red-light district.

In 1978, Bosshardt retired. She had already been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, but she was still generally known as "Major Bosshardt". After her retirement, she was still a prominent member of the Army, regularly appearing on television and speaking on conferences and church services.

In 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Bosshardt as a Righteous Among the Nations, for her work in the Second World War.

[edit] The Major Bosshardt Prize

For the ‘Major Bosshardt Prize’ are eligible persons of singular merit for society, who have altruistically made exceptional efforts in the humanitarian field. Major Alida Margaretha Bosshardt of the Salvation Army in the Netherlands has been the authentic example hereof all her life. On 22nd January 2006 she gave her name to this award, consisting of a certificate and a miniature bronze statue of herself.

The jury of the ‘Major Bosshardt Prize’ declares hereby that this prize has been awarded for the first time to Professor doctor Anton M.C. van der Geld residing in Rosmalen, and founder (in 1988) and president of the Foundation BeNeLux-University for science, culture and humanity in Europe. Major Bosshardt personally presented the prize to him in her home at 54 Anne Frank Street in Amsterdam on 29th August 2006. Professor Van der Geld has received this prestigious prize because for more than 30 years he has dedicated himself to the welfare of individuals and to a better society. Press articles describe him as a prominent and engaging person who brings love of one’s fellow-man into practice and embraces it as a principle. He has achieved a great deal in the field of society, culture and science, and in his new book ‘Balance in our lives?’ he shows how practicising the art of living in balance can lead to healthy people, healthy relationships and a healthy society. Professor Anton van der Geld has been invested with royal orders in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.`