Background
Her father was a converted Roman Catholic, her mother was Dutch Reformed.
Her father was a converted Roman Catholic, her mother was Dutch Reformed.
Before that, she was not religious. From 1934 she worked in a children"s home in Amsterdam. After the war, she worked at the Army"s national headquarters in Amsterdam.
She noticed that the Army had no activities in the De Wallen, Amsterdam"s red-light district, and obtained permission to start working there.
Her work for the prostitutes gained her national fame. In 1965, she accompanied Princess Beatrix on a secret visit of the red-light district.
In 1978, Bosshardt retired. She had already been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, but she was still generally known as "Major Bosshardt".
In 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Bosshardt as a Righteous Among the Nations, for her work in the Second World War.
Salvation Army]
After her retirement, she was still a prominent member of the Army, regularly appearing on television and speaking at conferences and church services.