Erik John Frank, born on 11 April 1921 in Rotterdam, was a son of Abraham Frank and Sophia van Geldere. He was working as a shop assistant. His mother, daughter of Joseph van Geldere and Rosa Rosenbach, passed away on 11 June 1928 and his father, a son of Isidore Frank and Grietje Cohen, remarried 31 January 1931 the non-Jewish Gerbrig Hielkema from Sneek, a daughter of Tjeerd Hielkema and Aaltje Bouma. Erik John Frank lived with his parents at the Mathenesserlaan 371 in Rotterdam but moved on 1 September 1938 with his father and stepmother from Rotterdam to the Bloemcamplaan 6 in Wassenaar.
According to his registration card from the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, Erik John Frank was registered in Westerbork on 17 December 1943 and locked up in the penal barrack 67. It is not known what “offence” he would have committed against the occupier. As a so-called "penal case", he has been put on transport from Westerbork to Theresienstadt on 25 February 1944 and 8 months later from there transferred to Auschwitz on 28 September 1944.
From a Dutch Red Cross publication of 1952, Auschwitz volume VI: evacuation transports & transfer transports from Auschwitz: Re. the September and October 1944 transports (Theresienstadt-Auschwitz): In these transports, an immediate selection took place after arrival, whereby, as has been established, the Arbeitsfähige men (suitable for work) aged 15-50 years and women aged 15-45 without children, were selected for labor, while the others - with a few exceptions – were gassed on or about the date of entry into Auschwitz.
The transport of 28 September 1944 with Erik John Frank arrived two days later, on 30 September 1944 in Auschwitz. According to his age – then 22 years – he has been selected for “work”. Then Erik John was transferred with the so-called evacuation or transfer-transports – most likely on 18 January 1945, sent to concentration camp Dachau. This transport arrive there on 28 January 1945 and there Erik John Frank was again deployed as a forced laborer. According to his death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) 35/1949 made out by the Registry office Dachau on 13 October 1949, Erik John Frank has died there on 3 March 1945. He was unmarried.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Abraham Frank; website OpenArchieven.nl/wedding Frank-Hielkam and the personal dossier of Erik John Frank in the National Archive; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Erik John frank; the wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl; the Dutch Red Crosspublication Auschwitz volume VI/evacuation- and transfer transports/ among others page 21 and 22 sub 1b and page 54; website ITS Arolson, documents KL Dachau/Frank.