No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF was formally established at Canberra on 4 April 1942, following initial preparations at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane.
Its Dutch, Indonesian and Australian members served together during the war against Japan. After the war, veterans and their descendants continued meeting to remember the squadron, exchange family histories and preserve its Dutch–Australian legacy.
Reunions in Australia and the Netherlands
Veterans’ organisations initially maintained contact between former members of the squadron. As the number of surviving veterans declined, their children and grandchildren increasingly assumed responsibility for preserving its history.
Reunions and commemorative activities have been organised in both Australia and the Netherlands. The Netherlands-based Stichting Kinderen van het 18e Squadron NEI—the Foundation of Children of No. 18 Squadron—brings together descendants, families and researchers associated with the unit.
The foundation was formally established in May 2017, although reunions and other activities had already taken place before then. Its guiding purpose is expressed in the words:
Opdat men niet vergeet—Lest we forget.
Its website preserves reunion photographs, speeches, family information, historical documents and attempts to identify squadron members in surviving photographs.
An Australian network of children and families of No. 18 Squadron has also maintained contact and organised gatherings. The contact recorded by the DACC in 2022 was Leonie Killeen at 18sqnei.aust@gmail.com.
The eightieth anniversary at Bronbeek
A major international reunion was held at the Bronbeek estate in Arnhem on 3 April 2022, one day before the eightieth anniversary of the squadron’s formation.
The event brought together descendants, relatives, friends and researchers from the Netherlands, Australia, the United States, Canada and Luxembourg.
Before the reunion, a commemorative ceremony was held in the presence of:
- the Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands;
- the Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force;
- the Mayor of Arnhem;
- representatives of the Foundation of Children of No. 18 Squadron; and
- descendants and relatives of squadron personnel.
The ceremony included the Australian and Dutch flags, national anthems, speeches, a guard of honour and a minute’s silence.
The gathering subsequently continued at Bronbeek’s Kumpulan, where participants shared photographs, books, documents and family stories. Presentations about family research helped connect descendants whose fathers and grandfathers had served together in wartime Australia.
Philip Barnaart, a member of the Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association in Australia, attended the eightieth-anniversary reunion.
Willem Philip Barnaart
Philip’s father, Willem Philip Barnaart, was not present when No. 18 Squadron was established in Canberra. He had only recently escaped from Java and was already travelling to the United States for aircrew training.
After completing his training, he joined No. 18 Squadron at Batchelor in the Northern Territory. According to the family record, he flew more than 37 operational missions against Japanese-occupied areas of the Netherlands East Indies.
He received the Vliegerkruis, or Airman’s Cross, a Dutch military decoration awarded for initiative, courage and perseverance during operational flying.
After Japan’s surrender, No. 18 Squadron continued flying. Its duties included locating prisoner-of-war and internment camps, dropping information leaflets and delivering food, medical supplies and other relief.
Australian veterans recorded in 2022
In 2022, four surviving Australian RAAF veterans associated with No. 18 Squadron were recorded:
- Brian Coleman, a member of the squadron’s ground crew at Batchelor;
- Alan Day, a former leading aircraftman who later accompanied Dutch forces during the Allied landings in Borneo;
- Roy Porter, who served in a dental role; and
- John Iskov, a flight sergeant and air gunner.
This records their status at the time the information was collected in 2022
The seventy-fifth anniversary in Australia
On 8 April 2017, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the squadron’s formation was commemorated at Hangar 52 of the Classic Jets Fighter Museum at Parafield Airport in South Australia.
The event included the unveiling of a surviving B-25 Mitchell (Pulk) finished in the wartime colours and markings of No. 18 Squadron. The aircraft was presented as a tribute to the Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel who served with the unit.
Speakers and participants included representatives of the Netherlands and Australian governments, surviving veterans, descendants and members of the aircraft-restoration community.
Hans de Vries, a former No. 18 Squadron B-25 pilot, and Fred Pelder junior, representing his father Fred “Pulk” Pelder, participated in the commemoration.
Passing responsibility to the descendants
The reunions have become more than social occasions. They provide opportunities to:
- identify people in wartime photographs;
- preserve letters, diaries, decorations and service records;
- record veterans’ recollections;
- connect families in Australia, the Netherlands and Indonesia;
- correct and expand the squadron’s historical record; and
- commemorate the Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel who died during its service.
The descendants have also worked with museums, historians and aircraft-restoration organisations. Their efforts have helped recover personal stories that might otherwise have disappeared.
The Foundation of Children of No. 18 Squadron maintains online collections of photographs and documents. Its members have also supported research into individual crews, aircraft and missions.
This continuing work demonstrates how responsibility for remembrance passes from veterans to their children, grandchildren and later generations.
