Hendrik Johan de Haas was born in Batavia (now Jakarta) on 28 November 1904, the son of Jozef Hendrik de Haas and Johanna Frederika Susanna Jostein. He married Hendrina Maria van der Meer Mohr in Batoeroesa on 2 January 1911. The couple had two children: Robert Johan (born 28 December Read more…
By Dr Nonja Peters This paper examines the complex experiences of Dutch, Eurasian, and Indonesian evacuees who fled the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies during the Pacific War and found temporary refuge in Australia. Drawing on archival sources and eyewitness accounts, it explores their reception, living conditions, and Read more…
We are proud to announce that the Lord Mayor of Brisbane will host an official civic reception in honour of the Camp Columbia Heritage Association on the eve of our international WWII symposium. This prestigious event will take place at Brisbane City Hall, in the Balmoral Room, on Friday 29 Read more…
When the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) collapsed under Japanese attack in early 1942, hundreds of Dutch airmen, sailors, and soldiers found themselves in Australia. Among the many military units reconstituted there was the 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a unique Dutch–Australian squadron flying Read more…
The Japanese advance through Southeast Asia in early 1942 brought the Allies to the brink of disaster. Ambon, a strategic island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), was garrisoned by Dutch and Australian troops under the Gull Force detachment. When Japan invaded in late January 1942, the Allied defence quickly Read more…
The story of Jan (Johannes Wilhelmus Theodorus) and Toos (Catharina) Janssens is a vivid reflection of the Dutch migrant experience in Australia after the Second World War. Together, their recollections offer a rare and intimate portrait of growing up in the Netherlands during the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, the challenges Read more…
Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS): Dutch intelligence in exile in Australia The Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was the wartime intelligence arm of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) government-in-exile. It emerged after the collapse of the NEI in early 1942, when Dutch civil and military authorities relocated to Australia. NEFIS Read more…
Brief biography Gerrit Bernardus (G. B.) Salm held the rank Kapitein-luitenant ter zee (equivalent to naval commander) in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). He arrived in Australia in early 1942 following the fall of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), and became the principal liaison between Dutch naval forces and Allied command Read more…
In 1705, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) launched an exploratory expedition to the Tiwi Islands, north of Arnhem Land in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia. The expedition, led by Commander Maerten van Delft, was one of several early attempts by the Dutch to chart the coastline Read more…
Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich (1886–1962) was a senior officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and one of the Netherlands’ most prominent military leaders during the Second World War. Born in Semarang, Java, he spent much of his career in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), becoming known for his strong leadership Read more…