During World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Netherlands. In 1942, Bril, who was Jewish, was arrested by Jan Olij, the son of Sam Olij, a former 1928 Olympic team mate.
Together with his wife Celia and son Albert, Bril was deported via the camps Vught and Westerbork to Bergen-Belsen. The family survived the horrors - however many of Bril's extended family were murdered.