‘Top woman of all time’, Alida Margaretha Bosshardt was given this title by Margriet magazine in 2010. Readers were asked which woman inspires them. The major was praised for her humour and ability to put things into perspective, her social commitment and strength.

Alida was born into a family where religion did not play a major role. She came to faith at 18 when she attended a Salvation Army meeting. The Salvation Army was founded in London in 1865, with the aim of proclaiming the gospel in word and deed: service to people who have no other helper. The Salvation Army has a hierarchical structure similar to the army. Active members wear a uniform and are called Salvation Army soldiers. The majority of members are women and leadership positions are open to them as well. From 1934 to 1939, Evangeline Booth, daughter of the founder, was the first female leader. In 2011, for the third time, a woman was appointed head of the Army, general: Canadian Linda Bond.

Alida makes it to lieutenant colonel but remains known to the public as ‘Major Bosshardt’. She mainly works among prostitutes in the Amsterdam Red Light District, where she establishes a ´Goodwill centre´. The motto is Soap, soup and salvation, because she realises that hungry stomachs need to be filled first, before people can be open to the gospel. Famous is the picture in which Major shows the disguised Princess Beatrix around the Red Light District. The scene in which she scrubs Herman Brood's back in Rik Felderhof's programme is also unforgettable.

Alida was the face of the Salvation Army for decades. It is typical that since her death, her costume and distinctive hat have been kept in the Amsterdam Museum. She herself was modest about her activities: ‘I am in the service of God to serve people. Not me, but Him deserves all the honour’.

(Published book Vrouwen voor het voetlicht: Publisher WBOOKS and Museum Catharijneconvent, 2012)

After her death in 2009, her uniform was donated to the Amsterdam Museum.