This article was created with the permission of, and with information made available by, Mr. Bijvoet’s grandchildren, Dr. Shanti Wong and Mr. Mark Wardle. Cornelis Bijvoet (1890–1964) was a Dutch marine engineer whose career encompassed passenger-ship construction, wartime service in the merchant marine and the post-war conversion of military transports Read more
Urgent need to replace aging planes – 162 new planes ordered The Netherlands nor NEI and nor Australia for that matter were well prepared for war. In NEI the ML-KNIL were using the no longer up-to-date Martin bombers (from the Glenn L. Martin Company in the USA). They were the Read more
On 26 February 1947, a Douglas C-47 Dakota operated by No. 19 Netherlands East Indies Transport Squadron left Archerfield Airport on a routine test flight. Only 23 minutes later, the aircraft crashed into the sea near Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island. All six men aboard—the three Dutch aircrew and Read more
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about the same time as Macarthur, as an evacuee from the Read more
This article is produced with the assistance AI. Corrections and additions are welcome. Who Were the Boers? The Boers were descendants of Dutch, German, and French Huguenot settlers who arrived in southern Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily under the auspices of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East Read more
Marijke van Faassen In “Polder and Emigration,” the Dutch emigration policy is analyzed as an integral part of the Netherlands’ social and economic policy between 1945 and 1967. The book delves into how various key players from government and civil society collaborated post-1945 to shape this policy, situating it within Read more
This paper by Dr.Nonja Peters presents a comprehensive exploration of Australia’s involvement in Indonesian independence and the complex historical narrative surrounding the Dutch East Indies during and after World War II. It addresses the “History Wars” between Dutch and Indonesian perspectives on Indonesian independence, focusing on critical issues such as Read more
This paper written by Dr. Nonja Peters, explores the social and political context of two evacuations out of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) into Australia, the first from just before the Kalidjati capitulation on 8 March 1942 the second in the aftermath of war from 1945 to 1948. Who were Read more
The rapid Japanese advance through Southeast Asia fundamentally changed the fate of 32 Douglas DB-7B Boston light bombers intended for the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service—the Marine Luchtvaartdienst, or MLD—in the Netherlands East Indies. Most never reached their intended destination. Six were delivered to Java only days before its capitulation, while Read more
Berendina Annagena “Dien” Freese was among the women recruited for the VK-KNIL in Western Australia in 1944. She subsequently travelled from Perth to Brisbane with Joan Butler and Johanna Mol. After undertaking military and medical training, she performed nursing duties in Brisbane, Sydney and Casino before travelling through Singapore to Read more