The Dutch War Cemetery at Karrakatta in Perth is Australia’s only official Dutch war cemetery. Situated within Karrakatta Cemetery, this walled memorial garden is the final resting place of Dutch military personnel and civilians who lost their lives during the Second World War. Among those buried here are victims of the Japanese air raids on Broome in March 1942, making the cemetery an important place of remembrance of the shared wartime history of the Netherlands and Australia.
Physical Description
There are 26 graves in a lawn setting, surrounded by brick walls. A plaque on the western wall was erected in memory of the people who died in 1942.
History
According to The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (1962, p.25), this is known as the Perth War Cemetery Netherlands Annexe, although it bears two inscriptions at its entry, one giving its name as ‘Dutch War Cemetery’, the other as ‘Nederlandse Oorlogsgraven’. It is generally stated (Prime 1992, p.26; The Commonwealth War Graves Commission 1962, p.25; Tyler 1987, p.60) that there are 24-25 burials in this Cemetery, comprising 4 Dutch serviceman and 20-21 Dutch civilians, all of whom were killed at Broome or at Carnot Bay during the Japanese air raid of 3 March 1942 (see also Richards 1996, p.278).
Research carried out for these Historical Notes shows that there are some errors of fact. Not all the deaths happened on 3 March, some succumbed to wounds over at least the next three days. Furthermore, there are actually 26 burials in this Cemetery, of which 5 civilian graves are recorded as ‘unknown’. The ‘additional’ burial is that of Lieutenant D A Hendriksz, Royal Netherlands Army Air Force (whose military rank is commemorated on his grave plaque). His remains were not repatriated to Indonesia as stated by Tyler ( 1987, p.60) who incidentally says the opposite on p.118.
Not connected with the air raid of 3 March is the grave of Abdul Hamed bin Juden, variously described as ‘a Malay worker’ (Prime 1992, p.27) or as ‘Indonesian Dutch’ (Tyler 1987, p.60), who was killed at Broome airfield during the later Japanese air raid of20 March 1942 (Prime 1992, p.27: Tyler 1987, p.lO).
All these remains were originally buried in the Pioneer Cemetery at Broome where there is now a commemorative plaque. The four who died at Carnot Bay over 3 – 6 March were initially buried on the beach but were exhumed in mid-April 1942 by an Army team and interred near the other Dutch at Broome.
All Dutch remains at Broome were exhumed in January 1950, with most being reinterred at Karrakatta in February (Prime 1992, p.26; Tyler, 1987, Appendix D). Each grave is marked by a bronze plaque set on a small stone. All plaques show the date of death as 3 March 1942, which is not correct for at least four of the persons. The cemetery is maintained by the Office of Australian War Graves
The source of the list of names is: Allies in adversity, Australia and the Dutch in the Pacific War: The Japanese raid on Broome, The following list identifies victims associated with the cemetery and the Broome air raids. It should not be interpreted as a complete list of all those killed at Broome or as a definitive register of everyone buried at Karrakatta.
| Name | Age | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Albert van Tour | 35 | RNN |
| Catharina van Tour | 8 | Civilian |
| Sergeant Johannes Gerardus van Aggelan | 32 | RNN |
| Johanna van Aggelan | 32 | Civilian |
| Luitenant ter zee Pieter Johannes Hendrikse | 51 | RNN |
| Loes Heidsieck | 25 | Civilian |
| Henri Rudolf de Sera | 21 | RNN |
| Hendrik de Bruyn | 4 | Civilian |
| Alida Brandenburg-Trumpie | 30 | Civilian |
| Jenny Hendrikse van der Putte | 28 | Civilian |
| Johannes van Tuyn | 1 | Civilian |
| Maria van Tuyn van Gelooven | 28 | Civilian |
| Elizabeth Kuin | 5 | Civilian |
| Anna Maria Dorothea Kuin Sturk | 29 | Civilian |
| Cornelius Piers | 14 | Civilian |
| Frans Piers | 7 | Civilian |
| C.G.E. Piers Morien | 42 | Civilian |
| Johanna Borsch Baas | 36 | Civilian |
| Adri Kramer | 17 | Civilian |
| Abdul Hamed bin Juden | 36 | Civilian (killed in raid March 20 1942 ) |
Another three graves are marked “Unknown Dutch lady”, and two are marked “Unknown Dutch child”. Not all persons motioned above are buried at the Defence section of the Perth cemetery.
Commemorations and remembrance
Commemorations at the Dutch War Cemetery in Perth have brought together the Dutch community, diplomatic representatives, military personnel and Australian public figures, including ceremonies marking the 70th and 80th anniversaries of the Broome air raid.
Nonja Peters was invited by the Shire of Broome to present at the commemoration of the 80 years anniversary of the air raid on Broome. The talk was commissioned by the Broome Museum for their ‘Reflections Night’ . It was funded by the Shire of Broome. The Dutch Ambassador attended these functions.
The following is a quote from Nonja: “I like to read the ppt (below) with empathy and compassion. It’s not a list it’s a tragedy.”
Source: Heritage Council of Western Australia
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