In 1938, amidst escalating tensions of war, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board recognised the necessity for a versatile ‘local defence vessel’ capable of anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties. This need birthed the concept of the HMAS Armidale, envisioned as a vessel with a displacement of around 500 tons, capable of reaching Read more…
During World War II, Gould Airfield, also known as Gould Strip, was an important airfield located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It played a significant role in the defence and strategic operations of the Allies in the Pacific theatre during the war. Here’s more information about Gould Airfield and Read more…
The 15th day of August 1945 will go down in history as the day of the end of the Second World War. On that day, Japan capitulated and the President of the United States announced that the conflict in the Pacific was over. But there was no question of a Read more…
An often used trivia question in the Netherlands is, what part of the Netherlands remained unoccupied during WWII. The answer is Southwest Dutch New Guinea, with Merauke as its capital When General MacArthur initiated an offensive on mainland Netherlands New Guinea on a modest scale in 1942, his left flank Read more…
So far, we have not been able to get stories from people that were allowed to come to Australian for recuperation after their stay in the Japanese Camps in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) during WWII. This, first one, are recollections of Yoke, wife of Wim van de Wallen, whose Read more…
The following overview has been compiled by Dr. Nonja Peters Papers on Dutch culture and heritage by Nonja Peters 2016: Opening and closing/summing up speeches at the NIAS LORENZ International Workshop on Digital Humanities – Conceptualising a model for the Digital Preservation of Immigrants Cultural heritage, 22 and 26 August Read more…
Abstract of a review titled: Review: Landscape of the soul by Ron Witton An exhibition titled “Landscape of the Soul,” is shedding light on the often-overlooked experiences of European Dutch and Eurasian individuals in Indonesia during pivotal historical epochs. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of Japanese Occupation, the Revolution, Read more…
The Dutch and their WWII Allies were totally unprepared for the rapid advances of the Japanese army. Nobody had expected that Singapore would fall within 10 days, and in no time, they invaded the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). Despite the rapid progress, the Dutch Government-in-Exile in London did not allow Read more…
Camp Columbia in Brisbane was set up by the Americans in 1942 as a staging camp for the liberation of the Southwest Pacific. When the Americans moved on to Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea in 1944, the Dutch took over Camp Columbia. It was used by the Netherlands East Indies Read more…
The Tasman expedition left Batavia (Netherlands East Indies, now Jakarta, Indonesia) on 14th August 1642 with two vessels, the Heemskerk with a 60-man crew and the Zeehaan with 50 men on board. They first called at Mauritius, where they stayed for a month-long repair to both ships. Intending to sail Read more…