Maritime History
Dutch merchant shipping from Australia: the lifeline to New Guinea
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Military and Political History
Serikat Indonesia Baroe (SIBAR): Indonesian political organisation in wartime Australia
Introduction In September 1944, a significant development took place within the Indonesian community in Australia with the formation of the Serikat Indonesia Baroe (SIBAR), or New Indonesia Association. Established in Melbourne, SIBAR marked an important moment in the evolution of Indonesian political activity in Australia during the Second World War. Read more
Military and Political History
Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS): Dutch intelligence in exile – Archive document added
The Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was the wartime intelligence arm of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) government-in-exile. It emerged after the collapse of the NEI in early 1942, when Dutch civil and military authorities relocated to Australia. NEFIS became the centre of Dutch intelligence, propaganda, and special operations in Read more
Military and Political History
Sardjono: from Boven-Digoel detainee to Indonesian political activist in wartime Australia
Introduction Sardjono (often also written as Sordjono) was one of a group of Indonesian political detainees whose wartime journey from Dutch colonial imprisonment to Australia placed him at the centre of a significant historical transition. His experience reflects the broader trajectory of many Indonesians who, during the Second World War, Read more
Military and Political History
NIGIS: the Dutch wartime voice from Brisbane
Among the many functions of the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-exile based at Camp Columbia in Brisbane during World War II, one of the most strategically significant—and least remembered—was the work of NIGIS, the Netherlands Indies Government Information Service. Operating in close cooperation with Allied information and propaganda units, NIGIS served as the Dutch government’s Read more
Maritime History
Dutch–Australian tensions over Indonesia during and after World War II
Introduction During the Second World War, Australia and the Netherlands were close allies, brought together by the shared struggle against Japan. Following the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies in 1942, Australia became the principal base for Dutch military, administrative and maritime operations in exile. Yet this cooperation was accompanied Read more
Aviation and Shipping
Indonesian seamen strike in Australia, April 1942
Introduction In early 1942, following the rapid collapse of the Netherlands East Indies under Japanese attack, large parts of the Dutch military, administrative and maritime infrastructure were relocated to Australia. Among those who arrived were thousands of Indonesian seamen employed on Dutch merchant vessels, suddenly operating in an unfamiliar environment Read more
Military and Political History
Between duty and desperation: The treason case within 18 (NEI) Squadron in 1942
The history of No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF is often told as one of Allied cooperation and operational success. Yet in its early period in Australia, the squadron experienced a profound internal crisis that culminated in one of the most controversial legal cases involving Dutch forces in exile Read more
Aviation and Shipping
B-25 Mitchell N5-185 “Lienke”: A Dutch aircraft, a personal story
The story of the B-25 Mitchell N5-185, known as “Lienke”, is one of the most compelling examples of how wartime aviation, personal history and Allied cooperation came together in Australia during World War II. Operated by No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF, this aircraft was not only part of Read more
Literature
Migration from the former Netherlands East Indies
Between the Netherlands and Australia The end of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia led to the large-scale displacement of people connected to the former Netherlands East Indies (NEI). Between 1945 and the early 1960s, around 300,000 individuals left the archipelago. The majority settled in the Netherlands, while a smaller but Read more