Herman Michel was born on 28 August 1887 in the Valkenburgerstraat 180 in Amsterdam as the 3rd child of Friedrich Michel and Lena Reiwit. He had become a tailor by trade. On 17 December 1906, Herman Michel was called up to be examined for the National Militia, and he was “enlisted” on that date.
On 14 March 1907, he was summoned to be conscripted and assigned to the 10th Infantry Regiment, but – as the Militia Register states – “he did not comply with the convocation on 14 March 1907. The reason for his “staying behind was not valid”.
On 24 December 1908, Herman Michel was seconded to the Dutch Overseas Army for two years; on 22 July 1911, Herman was in Buitenzorg (Dutch East Indies) but was discharged from there from the service with destination (with passport) "mental insane".
Undoubtly, when Herman Michel returned to the Netherlands, he was placed in the State Insane Asylum in Medemblik, (Rijks Krankzinnigen Gesticht) which was established in 1884 in a former naval establishment and existed as such until 1923. When it was decided in early 1922 that the Rijks Krankzinnigen Gesticht in Medemblik should become a regular insane asylum, the patients were transferred to other institutions. Some of them went to Woensel. All Jewish patients from Medemblik went to the Dutch-Israelitic Psychatric Asylum 'Het Apeldoornsche Bosch'. In 1923, the RKG in Medemblik was renamed 'Provincial Hospital'.
On 21 March 1921,Herman Michel arrived from Medemblik in Apeldoorn where he was admitted in the Dutch Israelitic Psychatric Asylum “Het Apeldoornsche Bosch” and where he spent de res of his life. That institution was brutally “evacuated” in the night of 21-22 January 1943; all patients and remaining staff were taken by truck to a waiting freight train and deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival on 25 January 1943, all - if they had not already died during the transport from Apeldoorn to Auschwitz - were immediately murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sources include the Amsterdam City Archives, family registration cards of Friedrich Michel, various address entries in the Amsterdam Population Register 1874-1893; Amsterdam Militia Register with Herman Michel 1827-1940; Coda Archive/Population Register Apeldoorn up from 9 March 1921/Herman Michel/Apeldoornsche Bosch; website Oorlogsbronnen/Rijks Krankzinnigen Gesticht Medemblik; website Joods Amsterdam/Medemblik; website Joods Amsterdam/Apeldoornse Bos/ the Wikipedia website Het Apeldoornsche Bosch and information from the family history by a surviving family member.