Peter Sitsen (Bergen op Zoom, November 1, 1885 – Sydney, January 21, 1945) , a Dutch architect and civil administrator, was due to play a pivotal role in the operations of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) in Brisbane during World War II when he arrived in Sydney on 21 January Read more
A little-known episode of Dutch–Australian post-war cooperation IntroductionIn the chaotic months after the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Netherlands East Indies entered a turbulent and violent transition. The return of Dutch administrative and military forces coincided with the rise of the Indonesian independence movement and a widespread collapse of Read more
This article is based on detailed historical notes generously provided by the Drijver family, who have preserved accounts shared privately by Robbie (Rob) Drijver in the final years of his life after the expiry of his wartime secrecy obligations. The history of Dutch Australians during the Second World War contains Read more
Two cemeteries on one historic site In November 2025 I visited this very impressive cemetery. It is a meticulously maintained, oases of quietness and peace situated on the busy southern side of Jakarta, hemmed in by high-rise apartments and traffic, It is one of the most important WWII remembrance sites Read more
This article is an English abstract of the two-part Dutch biography of Jack and Truus Hompe, published on IndischHistorisch.nl and based on Louise Hompe’s family chronicle Uitgestelde huwelijksnacht. Their story shows how the Netherlands, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies intersected during the final phase of the Second World War. Read more
From warship to Luna Park: the remarkable afterlife of Dutch submarine K-XII The wartime story of the Dutch submarine HNLMS K-XII is reasonably well known among naval historians, but its Australian afterlife is one of the most unusual episodes in Dutch–Australian maritime history. Few Allied submarines ended their days as Read more
Kasteel Batavia stood as the administrative heart of the Dutch East Indies, begun in 1619 under Jan Pieterszoon Coen. The rectangular fortress, built on the western bank of the Groote Rivier (now Kali Besar), featured four bastions—Amsterdam, Zeelandia, Hollandia and Westfriesland—connected by thick walls enclosing offices, warehouses, and the Governor-General’s Read more
The story of Dutch New Guinea in the 1950s is often told through the lens of Dutch colonial policy and the role of European missions. Less well known is the presence of small Australian evangelical societies. One of these was the Regions Beyond Missionary Union (RBMU), whose station at Wolo Read more
Boesidien, Samanuddin and Abdole Hamid were members of the Netherlands Merchant Navy during World War II and are interred at Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane. Their service highlights the significant role of Dutch merchant vessels in the Allied efforts in the Pacific. Boesidien (1909–1942) Netherlands Merchant Navy – Crew member, MaetsuyckerBuried Read more
In the years leading up to 1962, several Dutch, Papuan and Australian thinkers imagined a new political constellation for the Pacific: a Melanesian Union or Federation. This proposed bloc would have united Dutch New Guinea, the Australian-administered territories of Papua and New Guinea, and perhaps other nearby islands such as Read more