On 10 October 1962, an aircraft departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport bound for Australia. Among the passengers was 36-year-old Thomas de Wit, born on 2 June 1926 in Kesteren. Thomas was the son of Arie de Wit, an agricultural labourer, Read more
Johannes Pieter Keyser, whose surname was also written as Keijser, was born in Rotterdam on 1 May 1923. He was the son of Johannes Nicolaas Keijser, a watchman, and Alberta Nielsen. On 5 June 1946, Johannes married Alida Conijn in Read more
Water and shipping played an important role in the Verhoef family. Willem Verhoef (1889–1974) was a tugboat captain. His second wife was Geertrui Drinkwaard (1895–1981), the mother of Pieter and Jan. Pieter, known as Piet, was born in Hardinxveld on Read more
Hendrik Prins was born in Sliedrecht on 30 January 1916. He was the son of Arie Prins (1893–1957), an engineer, and Arina Elisabeth Bernhart (1893–1985). Niesje Visser was born in Sliedrecht on 27 July 1917. She was the daughter of Read more
Adrianus Visser was born in Papendrecht on 4 January 1926. He was the son of Bastiaan Visser (1906–1932) and Neeltje Veth (1907–1991). The family lived at 18 Nanengat in Papendrecht. His father worked as a carpenter and bicycle repairer. Adrianus Read more
Adriaan van de Graaf was born in Papendrecht, South Holland, on 4 March 1927. He was the eldest son of Gerrit van de Graaf (1903–1987) and Jacoba Verweij (1908–1963). Before emigrating, Adriaan lived at 5 Plein in Het Zand, part Read more
This article was written by Rob Dijksman (Hulsberg, The Netherlands) and is published here with his permission. The memorial wall at the VC Corner Cemetery in the village of Fromelles in northern France bears 1,299 names. Brinckmann H.C. is one Read more
Introduction Broome, on the remote north-western coast of Western Australia, occupies a particularly important place in the shared wartime history of Australia, the Netherlands and the former Netherlands East Indies (NEI). During the opening months of 1942, as Japanese forces Read more
Republished with permission. Section Two: Military, from the book A Touch of Dutch – Maritime, Military, Migration and Mercantile Connections on the Western Third 1616–2016, edited by Nonja Peters. This section explores Dutch military and civilian experiences in Australia during Read more
Marigje Maria van Rijsbergen was born in Sliedrecht on 19 August 1916. She was the daughter of Cornelis “Kees” van Rijsbergen (1874–1952), a merchant, and Marigje Nederlof (1882–1950). On 13 December 1947, Marigje married 36-year-old Heike Bakker in Sliedrecht. Heike Read more