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
In the heart of Jakarta’s Old Town, once the centre of the Dutch East Indies, stands Café Batavia — a landmark that embodies both colonial history and modern restoration. Overlooking Fatahillah Square, the café occupies a building dating back to the 1830s, originally used by the Dutch East India Company Read more
The Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) was created in April 1944 in Australia by the Netherlands Indies Government-in-Exile. Its purpose was to prepare young Dutch and Indo-European officers to restore civil rule across the Netherlands East Indies after the defeat of Japan. NICA organised training courses in Brisbane, using Allied Read more
This memoir by retired air force colonel Jan Staal offers a vivid, personal account of the chaotic months surrounding the liberation of the Netherlands East Indies in 1945. Written decades later, it is both a critique of Allied leadership and a first-hand testimony of a Dutch officer unexpectedly caught between Read more
This is a abstract in English from a chapter in a Dutch paper, titled: Het verraad van Amerika en (vooral) Engeland (The treachery of America and (particularly) England). It doesn’t mention the author. The paper is part of the archive of Pieter Boele van Hensbroek and most likely was written Read more
Early life in Amsterdam Early life in the Netherlands Pieter Robert (Robby) Boele van Hensbroek was born in Amsterdam on 18 October 1920 to André Boele van Hensbroek and Jo Sluiter. He grew up with his sister Elsje in a close-knit family. His youth was marked both by joyful summers Read more
On 24 August 1945, just days after the end of the Second World War, Melbourne hosted a massive Victory in the Pacific parade. Tens of thousands of service personnel marched through the city in celebration, cheered on by vast crowds lining Swanston Street and Flinders Street. Among the international contingents Read more
A wartime hub From September 1942 the United States Navy requisitioned land at New Farm and built the “New Farm Receiving Station” — a personnel and transit centre with barracks, messing, recreation, medical and postal facilities. It supported the burgeoning submarine and naval presence along Capricorn Wharf and nearby installations Read more
Introduction The Aceh War (1873–1904), fought in the northern Sumatran region of Atjeh (Aceh), was the longest and most costly conflict in Dutch colonial history in the East Indies. The Dutch launched repeated campaigns to subdue the fiercely independent Sultanate of Aceh, which controlled a strategic position at the entrance Read more
This document contains the catalogue items associated with Dr Nonja Peters from the State Library of Western Australia (SLWA). Below the pdf is a searchable list of titles, interviewees/subjects, and years to make it easier for search engines to find names and titles. A more readable full catalogue see the Read more