Herman Marinus de la Parra was a son of Marinus de la Parra and Jansje Swijt. At age 9 he moved with his parents and their three children from Suriname to Amsterdam, where his father opened a practice as a dermatologist on the Sarphatistraat. Herman Marinus de la Parra attended the Third five-year commercial secondary school on the Mauritskade, after which he studied medicine in Leiden. He was an active member of the student society and loved to play the saxophone. He sat for his medical finals in 1933 and subsequently opened a practice as a family doctor in Emmen. In 1935 he was married. He and his wife had two children.
In 1939 he was mobilized to serve as officer of health. Upon returning home following the Dutch surrender in May 1940, he discovered that his marriage was in trouble. He was divorced. His wife and children survived the war.
In May 1941 he moved to Bussum, where he opened a practice as a family doctor on the Graaf Janlaan. He married Greet Czopp. As they were removing their possessions from home to store them elsewhere, a neighbour betrayed them. Herman Marinus de la Parra was sent to the concentration camp at Amersfoort.
Frans Goedhart, the founder of the underground paper Het Parool, was imprisoned at Amersfoort. He was sent to the infirmary. He testified before the Enquêtecommissie Regeringsbeleid [committee of enquiry on government policy] 1940-1945 that Herman Marinus de la Parra saved his life with opium he had stolen from the SS.
Herman Marinus de la Parra was deported to Mauthausen from the camp at Amersfoort.
J.H. Coppenhagen, Anafiem Gedoe‘iem. Overleden joodse artsen uit Nederland 1940-1945 (Rotterdam 2000) 124;
H.E. Dominicus, Mauthausen. Een gedenkboek (2e herziene en uitgebreide druk; Amsterdam 1999) 118;
L. de Jong, Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Deel 8. Gevangenen en gedeporteerden. Tweede helft (‘s Gravenhage 1978) 601
Additional information about Herman Marinus de la Parra can be found on the website of Surinam Jews, who died in the Holocaust [in Dutch].
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