Machiel van Engers was the 5th child and son of Nathan Jacob van Engers and Sophia Sanders. He was born on 2 August 1912 in Rotterdam and he was working as a butcher’s servant and as a butcher, but also his profession as pugilist is to be found at the family registration card from the City Archive of Rotterdam, when he returned in Rotterdam Haag on 17 April 1936 after a stay of over two months at Hoefkade in Den Haag and went living in then at the address Henegouwerplein 54b.
Since April 1936, about eight more relocations followed untill he found living space on 7 June 1938 at the address Warmoeziersstraat 119c in Rotterdam. This street was located north of Goudsesingel in the old city centre of Rotterdam, and ran before the bombing of Rotterdam of 14 May 1940 from Kortebrantstraat to Goudseweg. This street name has been withdrawed by decision of Mayor and Aldermen of Rotterdam on 21 April 1942. (source: website Joodserfgoed Rotterdam).
After the introduction of the mandatory registration of all Jews in the Netherlands since May 1941, Machiel van Engers no longer lived at Warmoeziersstraat 119c In Rotterdam, but at the Heiman Dullaertplein 37, most likely as a result of the bombardment of the city. Not known is when, but known is that Machiel was married to a non-Jewish woman named Johanna Hendrika Aijkens and that Machiel no doubt was going into hiding.
On 29 Sepber 1943, Machiel van Engers was arrested and carried off to Westerbork, where he ended up in the penal barrack 67. On 3 March 1944, he was deported to Auschwitz as a so-called penal-case. On arrival, Machiel wasn’t immediately killed in the gas chambers there but still selected for forced labor. At some point he has lost his life there due to inhumane circumstances, hardship and/or diseases.
On 7 November 1946, by order of the Districts Court of Rotterdam, the Municipality of Rotterdam has drawn up a certificate of death for Machiel van Engers, number 1705, in which has been established that “Van Engers, Machiel, aged 32, born and residing in Rotterdam, spouse of Aijkens, Johanna Hendrika, son of Van Engers, Nathan Jacob and Sanders, Sophia, has died in Auschwitz at some day in, or about the month of May 1944”. On the website Joods Monument therefore his date of death is mentioned as on 1 May 1944.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, certificate of death nr. 1705 of 7 November 1946 for Machiel van Engers, family registration cards of Nathan Jacob van Engers and of Machiel van Engers; website Joodserfgoed Rotterdam/Warmoeziersstraat; the wikipedialisting jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Machiel van Engers.