Robbert was born 24 July 1922 in Rotterdam to Henri and Jeanne nee Polak. He had a younger brother Ernst. Both his parents and brother were murdered in Auschwitz. Jeanne on 3 September 1942, Henri on 31 January 1943 and Ernst on 30 April 1943.

Aged 19, Robbert escaped the Netherlands from Katwijk with Coen de Iongh in a foldable canoe on the night of 19/20 June 1941, after 50 hours they were rescued by a minesweeper off the coast of Lowestoft. For this feat they were awarded the Dutch Bronze Cross.

Robbert who served under the name Robert Stevens, was awarded the DFC on 22 July 1944 for bombing a train consisting of sixty wagons with fuel at Fontainebleau during the night of 14 to 15 July 1944.

Robbert’s story can be found in the links below.