Herman van Tol was born in Delft on 9 May 1899. He was the son of Arie Jacob van Tol, a labourer, and Margaretha Vergragt. On 15 June 1927, Herman married Jacomijntje Kattestraat in Delft. Jacomijntje had been born in Waddinxveen on 20 April 1901 and was the daughter of Read more
Petrus Wilhelmus Alleblas, known as Peter, was born in Naaldwijk in the Westland region of the Netherlands on 27 September 1923. He was the son of Bastianus Alleblas and Hendrika Maria Steentjes. On 22 July 1950, Peter departed from Schiphol aboard the KLM flight carrying Dutch workers and family members Read more
On 10 October 1962, an aircraft departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport bound for Australia. Among the passengers was 36-year-old Thomas de Wit, born on 2 June 1926 in Kesteren. Thomas was the son of Arie de Wit, an agricultural labourer, and Hendrika Flora de Wit. His parents were living at Read more
Johannes Pieter Keyser, whose surname was also written as Keijser, was born in Rotterdam on 1 May 1923. He was the son of Johannes Nicolaas Keijser, a watchman, and Alberta Nielsen. On 5 June 1946, Johannes married Alida Conijn in Rotterdam. Alida had been born in Hillegersberg on 25 July Read more
Water and shipping played an important role in the Verhoef family. Willem Verhoef (1889–1974) was a tugboat captain. His second wife was Geertrui Drinkwaard (1895–1981), the mother of Pieter and Jan. Pieter, known as Piet, was born in Hardinxveld on 9 August 1921. His younger brother Jan was born on Read more
Hendrik Prins was born in Sliedrecht on 30 January 1916. He was the son of Arie Prins (1893–1957), an engineer, and Arina Elisabeth Bernhart (1893–1985). Niesje Visser was born in Sliedrecht on 27 July 1917. She was the daughter of Klaas Visser (1891–1967) and Hendrika Lanser (1891–1965). She had a Read more
Adrianus Visser was born in Papendrecht on 4 January 1926. He was the son of Bastiaan Visser (1906–1932) and Neeltje Veth (1907–1991). The family lived at 18 Nanengat in Papendrecht. His father worked as a carpenter and bicycle repairer. Adrianus was only six years old when Bastiaan was killed in Read more
Adriaan van de Graaf was born in Papendrecht, South Holland, on 4 March 1927. He was the eldest son of Gerrit van de Graaf (1903–1987) and Jacoba Verweij (1908–1963). Before emigrating, Adriaan lived at 5 Plein in Het Zand, part of Papendrecht’s Kraaihoek district. On 22 July 1950, he departed Read more
Introduction Broome, on the remote north-western coast of Western Australia, occupies a particularly important place in the shared wartime history of Australia, the Netherlands and the former Netherlands East Indies (NEI). During the opening months of 1942, as Japanese forces advanced through Southeast Asia, Broome became a vital evacuation point Read more
Republished with permission. Section Two: Military, from the book A Touch of Dutch – Maritime, Military, Migration and Mercantile Connections on the Western Third 1616–2016, edited by Nonja Peters. This section explores Dutch military and civilian experiences in Australia during the Second World War and its aftermath, particularly the close Read more