The Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum in northern Victoria preserves the forward fuselage of what is believed to be the last surviving Dornier Do 24K from the six former Netherlands Naval Aviation Service flying boats taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. This unusual Read more
Dutch bombers over northern Australia During 1942 and 1943 No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) RAAF Squadron operated North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from northern Australian airfields as part of Allied operations against Japanese forces in Timor and the Netherlands East Indies. These missions included armed reconnaissance, strike operations and maritime Read more
he Broome Historical Museum preserves one of Australia’s most important collections relating to the Japanese air raid on Broome on 3 March 1942 and the Dutch and Netherlands East Indies evacuees caught in the attack. Operated by the Broome Historical Society, the museum occupies Broome’s former Customs House and adjoining Read more
IA Dutch flying boat remembered: the Dornier Do 24 engine at Broome A radial engine and propeller from a Dutch Dornier Do 24K flying boat are preserved at the Broome Historical Museum in Western Australia. Recovered from Roebuck Bay during the late 1970s, the artefact is a tangible reminder of Read more
The Dutch passenger liner Oranje became one of the most important hospital ships serving Australian and New Zealand forces during the Second World War. Offered by the Netherlands Government-in-Exile for Allied use in 1941, she completed 41 wartime voyages, travelled more than 382,000 nautical miles and carried 32,461 sick and Read more
Samanuddin was born in 1906 in Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), then part of British India. He later served as a seaman in the Netherlands Merchant Navy. Like many Asian sailors recruited by Dutch shipping companies during the interwar and wartime years, he became part of the multinational crews that operated Read more
The Aviation Heritage Museum at Bull Creek in Perth preserves an extensive collection of military and civil aircraft connected with Australian and Western Australian aviation history. Among its Second World War exhibits is a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina. Although this particular aircraft did not serve with the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service, Read more
This document presents the first-hand recollections of Jean White (née Forrester), who began working at Archerfield Aerodrome in Brisbane at the age of sixteen during World War II. Jean initially worked for Australian aviation companies involved in wartime transport and support operations. She later moved to the Qantas-operated Engine Overhaul Read more
Vale – on behalf of the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre Dear Anita, family and staff of the Dutch Shop, It is with sadness that we learned of the passing of Jan van Altena. Jan was a well-known and highly respected Dutch migrant whose contribution extended far beyond Sydney. Through his Read more
The Douglas DC-5 was one of the most unusual transport aircraft to see service during the Second World War. Designed and built in the United States by the Douglas Aircraft Company, it featured a high wing, tricycle undercarriage, and a wide fuselage optimised for passenger transport. These modern features, however, Read more