Machiel Gaarkeuken was the youngest child en only son in the family of Wolf Gaarkeuken and Marianne Keizer. He was born in Haarlem but arrived only in September 1934 in Amsterdam and stayed then at various addresses. Before 1934, he lived in Belgium at Saint Josse ten Noode. (today known as Saint Joost, a village and municipality in the Region of the Capital of Brussels). Per 31 March 1937 he was registered at the address Van der Helstplein 20 3rd stock and per 4 September 1939 he returned to the address of his parents at Karel du Jardinstraat 72a 2nd stock, where also his sisters Naatje and Sara lived.
18 July 1942, Machiel Gaarkeuken married in Amsterdam Helena Kesing, who was born in 1910 in Amsterdam as a daughter of Joseph Kesing and Leentje Wittenburg. The young couple could not live together: she lived at Nieuwe Achtergracht 113 2nd floor with her father, whilst Machiel lived with his own parents. According the City Archive of Amsterdam, Machiel was furrer by trade; other sources listed him as commercial traveller and as servant.
Machiel and his wife Helena were deported to Camp Westerbork 1 September 1942, where both were put on transport to Auschwitz 4 September. Helena was killed immediately upon arrival in Auschwitz 7 September 1942.
Machiel however was employed in one of the larger sub-commands (aussenkommando’s) of Auschwitz, the Extern Kommando Fürstengrube, an old coal mine, located ca. 30 km from Auschwitz in Wesola near the city of Myslowitz in South West Poland. The mine, which IG Farbenindustrie AG acquired in February 1941, was to supply hard coal for the IG Farben factory being built in Auschwitz. Eventually Machiel Gaarkeuken lost his life there due to hardships under dangerous working conditions in heavy forced labor. His date of death was established as 15 February 1943.
City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Wolf Gaarkeuken, Machiel Gaarkeuken, Helena Kesing; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Machiel Gaarkeuken and Helena Gaarkeuken-Kesing and information from Wikipedia about Fürstengrube: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentratiekamp_Fürstengrube and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fürstengrube_subcamp