On 16 February 1943, at the height of the Second World War, the Dutch government-in-exile formally recognised the bravery of Quartermaster Pieter de Bruin with the Dutch Cross of Merit. The award was presented in Australia by Baron François Cornelis Read more
Baron François Cornelis van Aerssen Beijeren van Voshol (2 March 1883 – 31 May 1968) was the first officially accredited Dutch envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Australia, appointed in April 1942 during one of the most complex periods in Read more
The diplomatic relationship between the Netherlands and Australia, now strong and longstanding, was shaped significantly by the upheavals of the Second World War. While Dutch honorary consuls had represented Dutch interests in Australia since the mid-19th century, it wasn’t until Read more
During the Second World War, the Japanese occupation of the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) led to the internment of tens of thousands of Dutch civilians. Among them were Catharinus Lawant, his wife Maria, and their daughter Martina. Their story—documented Read more
Charles Olke van der Plas (1891–1977) was a senior Dutch colonial administrator from Buitenzorg (now Bogor), Java. His longstanding service in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) and his deep knowledge of local society—including fluency in Arabic and Malay and a Read more
Hubertus Johannes van Mook (1894–1965) was one of the most significant and controversial Dutch administrators of the Second World War and its aftermath. Born in Semarang, Java, Van Mook was part of the Indo-European community of the Netherlands East Indies Read more
This series is a tribute to Dr. Jack Ford who passed away in June 2025 Symposium: Allied co-operation in Brisbane during WWII: Australia, USA, Netherlands, UK – 30–31 August 2025 at UQ- Bus Tour Brisbane WWII sites – 1 September Read more
Before the Second World War, the relationship between Australia, the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) was marked by cordial distance rather than active diplomacy. There were no embassies , no treaties of alliance, and few direct communications between Read more
As the Second World War engulfed Southeast Asia, the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) urgently sought military support. Isolated from its European homeland, which had been occupied by Nazi Germany since 1940, and facing imminent Japanese aggression, the colonial administration turned Read more
While the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) was under Japanese occupation during the Second World War, political questions about the colony’s future did not disappear—they intensified. For many in the Dutch exile administration, the war was a time to consider how Read more