In 1596, the first Dutch ships arrived at the islands of the Moluccas (Spice Islands), marking the beginning of trade relations between the Netherlands and the Indonesian archipelago. This was part of the broader European exploration and colonisation wave. The Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Read more
Missionary origins and the road to Australia In the late nineteenth century, there was growing interest among Catholic women in becoming actively involved in overseas missionary work. This development was closely linked to the rapid expansion of European colonial empires and the social conditions that accompanied them. In many colonial Read more
On 28 October 1945, a Netherlands East Indies Air Force (NEI-AF) B-25J Mitchell bomber was forced to ditch in tidal waters in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The aircraft, serial N5-254 (USAAF 44-30900), came down in the Glenelg River system north of Broome, although some contemporary sources refer Read more
Introduction: a coalition without equal footing When the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) was created in January 1942, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) entered the arrangement from very different political positions. Australia was formally allied to Britain and had long relied on imperial defence guarantees centred on Singapore. The Netherlands, Read more
During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Navy operated extensively from Australia following the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942. Dutch naval forces, including submarines, surface vessels, and support units, were integrated into Allied operations in close cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy and the United Read more
Establishment in Australia The Vrouwenkorps Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (VK-KNIL) was formally established on 5 March 1944 in Melbourne. Its creation occurred in a setting defined by wartime exile, following the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies and the relocation of Dutch and NEI military, governmental, and civilian personnel to Read more
Fremantle and the Dutch naval presence in Western Australia From 1942 onward, Fremantle became one of Australia’s most important Allied naval hubs. Its deep-water harbour and proximity to the Indian Ocean made it a key base for submarine and naval operations defending Western Australia and supporting wider Allied campaigns. Among Read more
Following the fall of Singapore in February 1942 and the rapid Japanese advance through Southeast Asia, Western Australia assumed unexpected strategic importance. Fremantle became a critical Allied port, serving as a gateway between the Indian Ocean and the South-West Pacific Area (SWPA). In this period of acute vulnerability, Dutch naval Read more
Why Dutch naval forces regrouped in Ceylon and Australia Following the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942, Dutch naval and military forces were forced into a rapid and improvised evacuation. With Java and surrounding islands falling to Japanese control, surviving ships, aircraft, and personnel dispersed along multiple Read more
This article is based on personal documents, military records and a recorded wartime interview provided by Elva Mary Bennett’s son, Russ Morison, together with supporting Australian and Dutch archival sources. The wartime history of the Bennett–van der Land–Morison family connects Australia, the Netherlands, the Netherlands East Indies, Burma and the Read more