Most of the vital reinforcement of New Guinea in 1942 and 1943 – during the War in the South West Pacific – including troops, vehicles, weapons and supplies for the Milne Bay, Buna and Gona operations, was undertaken by Dutch vessels. The operation collectively known as Operation Lilliput, used the Read more…
Our mother met a Dutch pilot during the war. His name was Fredrik (Pulk) Pelder and there are many mentions of his heroics on the World Wide web. One instance in particular that was widely publicised, was an escape from Java where Fred and Mendizabal (Canadian), Sgt Stuart Munroe (Australian), Alan Read more…
Antonie (Anton) Frederick Kool was born Feb 6 1920, Zevenhoven, The Netherlands and he died Dec 14 2002, Sydney, Australia Written by Helen Kool (one of Anton’s daughters) This is a short biography and includes anecdotes that I find interesting. If you would like to add some of your own Read more…
The van Gent family tree can be traced back to 1790 and reveals a family of distillers and winemakers. It was Johannes Hermanus van Gent (1817 to 1859) ship owner, merchant, distiller of spirits, member of the Municipal Council, Chamber of Commerce and world traveller who influenced a long line Read more…
The museum is based in the Fenix warehouse at the waterfront on Katendrecht. It was built in 1923. At that time it was the largest warehouse in the world. The new FENIX is more than a museum it is a cultural location in Rotterdam. From its quays millions of Europeans Read more…
Not enough personnel to start a new Squadron The pre-capitulation situation in the Netherlands Indies was chaotic and the stubborn Dutch Government-in-Exile in London had no vision nor a plan fort an inevitable post surrender period. This was the main course why so few military people and material was saved Read more…
A new book has been published about the doomed fate of the VOC ship the Batavia in 1629. In this case the historical story forms the background to fiction through the eyes of 9 year old Dutch girl Mayken. Read the review of ”The Night Ship” by Jess Kidd as Read more…
Everybody’s Oma follows in the NSW Central Coast family’s footsteps as they navigate Oma’s failing health under the spotlight of an enthusiastic audience of well-meaning strangers. Jason van Genderen premiered My Town is Broken at Sydney Film Festival (SFF) 2008. His debut feature Everybody’s Oma premieres at SFF 14 years Read more…
Merauke remained unoccupied during WWII In mid-1942, Merauke, on the south coast of Netherlands New Guinea (NNG) was one of only a few parts of the Netherlands East Indies ( NEI) that had not been occupied by Japanese forces. It was garrisoned by a company of infantry from the KNIL, Read more…
Account of Journey from Soerabaia in Java to Australia during March 1942. Written by: Gerard Lemmens at the age of 16 years. Translated from Dutch during May 1994 for the benefit and interest of my grandchildren. Monday 2nd March 1942. It was midday of Monday 2nd March. I had just Read more…