Nol van Wesel was 'Johnny' of the singing couple Johnny & Jones. Kannewasser was Jones. Van Wesel sold domestic appliances at De Bijenkorf department store in the 1930s. Together with Kannewasser and a few others, they organised the company parties. In 1936, they started singing as Johnny & Jones.
In September 1943, they ended up in Westerbork, where they performed in the famous revue. They worked at the airplane demolition plant in the camp, which sometimes required that they travel to Amsterdam. On one of those journeys, they made some recordings in Amsterdam. Among the songs they recorded was the 'Westerbork Serenade', 'Tussen de barakken kreeg ik het te pakken' (I fell in love between the barracks) and about the deportation train 'Langs het spoorwegbaantje/schijnt het zilv'ren maantje/op de heide.' (Along the railroad tracks/the silver moon shines/on the heath). In September 1944, they were transported to Theresienstadt, then to Auschwitz and they finally succumbed in Bergen-Belsen.
De Volkskrant, 7 June 2001
Arnold Simeon van Wesel and Salomon Meijer Kannewasser were second cousins.
Addition of a visitor of the website
Arnold Simeon van Wesel married Gerda Lindenstaedt on 23 September 1942.
Stadsarchief Amsterdam, archiefkaart Gerda Lindenstaedt