Saul Leendert van Geldere was the eldest of the two children of Salomon Albert van Geldere and Sara van Dam. He was born on 4 January 1916 in Rotterdam, worked as a cook and later as a sales representative. On 4 January 1939 he married Eva Schar in Rotterdam, a daughter of Nathan Schar and Batje Fierlier. She was born on 29 December 1916 in Rotterdam.
Saul and Eva had two children, namely Salomon Nathan in 1939 and in 1941 Nico Meijer was born. Saul Leendert van Geldere worked as a hotel cook in various places in the Netherlands and he had moved on 15 June 1938 from the Kleine Coolstraat 19b in Rotterdam to Den Haag, where he came to live at the Raamstraat 35. On 4 January 1939 also Eva Schar arrived from the Schefferstraat 15b in Rotterdam in Den Haag and Saul and his newly wed bride moved into a house at Altingstraat 37, located in the district Bezuidenhout of Den Haag.
Although it is not mentioned in notes on their registration cards from the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, the family of Saul Leendert van Geldere probably had gone into hiding. It is noted on Saul's registration card that he was brought into Westerbork on 5 February 1944 and ended up in barrack 51, which was used as a camp prison. His wife Eva Schar and their children Salomon Nathan and little Nico Meijer will probably also have been taken to Westerbork on 5 February.
Three days later, on 8 February 1944, the four members of the Van Geldere family were deported to Auschwitz, a transport of a total of 1015 deportees. Upon arrival at the "Rampe" (platform) of Auschwitz on 11 February, Saul Leendert van Geldere passed the selection and was put to work as a forced labourer, but it is unknown where he ended up. Eva van Geldere-Schar and her two sons, 4-year-old Salomon Nathan and almost 2-year-old Nico Meijer, were murdered on 11 February 1944 immediately after arrival in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
After arriving in Auschwitz, Saul Leendert van Geldere was put to work as a forced laborer, but it is unknown where he ended up. His exact date of death is also unknown. That is why, after the war – partly on the basis of survivors' testimonies – it was established by the Dutch authorities that Saul Leendert van Geldere could no longer be alive after 30 June 1944. His death is therefore recorded as 30 June 1944 in Mid Europe.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Salomon Albert van Geldere; the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Saul Leendert van Geldere; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Saul Leendert van Geldere, Eva van Geldere-Schar, Salomon Nathan and Nico Meijer van Geldere and the wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.