I have lived in Forest Lake for years. But during World War 11,-I was in Java. When the Japanese invaded, the Dutch East Indies government escaped to Australia and ended up at Wacol. My family came later, in 1945. Dutch East Indies My grandfather was Polish, and he met and married my grandmother, who was […]
Eugenie Blackney (nee Shand) survived the Japanese Camps in Java Read More »
ATIS was an integrated unit composed of Australian and American intelligence personnel and staff from the other Allied Forces (the Netherlands and China) Their primary responsibilities were the interrogation of Japanese POWs from Gaythorne POW Camp and the interpretation of captured Japanese documents. Given the low surrender rate of Japanese soldiers, ATIS placed greater emphasis
Allied Translator and Interpreter Section at Indooroopilly Read More »
Lloyd Gehrke, received these artefacts. His uncle Archie Mann and his wife Grace (the sister of Lloyd’s mother)had a horse-riding business in Kalinga, Brisbane. This city was, after General Douglas MacArthur established his WWII head office here in 1942, an important military centre. The horse riding business mentioned above attracted lots of Australian and Allied
Mark Gehrke’s WWII artefacts from Brisbane Read More »
Christiaan Vincent Gradwell (Chris) van Oosterzee, born on March 20, 1922, in Weltevreden (Batavia), and died on April 18, 1989, in Amsterdam, was a significant figure during and after World War II. His life included notable interactions with Australia during his military service. Early Life and Military Involvement Chris van Oosterzee was a member of
Engelandvaarder Chris van Oosterzee – trained at Camp Columbia Read More »
The Digulists This story is about the Digulists – prisoners of war who were captured after the Indonesian uprising of 1926/27. These political prisoners were transported to a specially established concentration camp in Tanah Merah on the Digul River in Dutch New Guinea. By the start of WWII, a large number of these political prisoners
The Digulists who brought a Gamelan with them to Australia Read More »
Lieutenant General Simon Hendrik Spoor was born on December 12, 1902, in the Netherlands, Spoor’s military career spanned several critical periods, from the war in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) to his contributions during World War II in Australia and his involvement with the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). Spoor’s military journey began in the
For his extraordinary courage and perseverance, Kokkelink was knighted at Camp Columbia in Brisbane on April 12, 1945. His commendation highlighted his decisive actions, perseverance, and skill during the Japanese occupation, emphasising the “indescribable difficulties and hardships” he faced. Mauritz Christiaan Kokkelink, born on June 17, 1913, at the military fort Willem I in Ambarawa,
Mauritz Kokkelink – Award ceremony at Camp Columbia Read More »
Camp Columbia in Brisbane was set up by the Americans in 1942 as a staging camp for the liberation of the Southwest Pacific. When the Americans moved on to Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea in 1944, the Dutch took over Camp Columbia. It was used by the Netherlands East Indies Government in Exile as their
Camp Columbia and the Indonesian story Read More »
Coosje Ayal, also known as Costavina Aya Ayal, left an indelible mark as a formidable resistance fighter in Western New Guinea during World War II. Born on 15 April 1926, in the village of Titawaai on the island of Nusa Laut in the Moluccas, her early life took a significant turn when, at the age
Coosje Ayal’s resilience and legacy in wartime Western New Guinea, rescued to Brisbane Read More »
Christiaan Philip Karel (Flip) Winckel (Batavia (Nederlands-Indië), April 16, 1919 – Wassenaar, September 18, 2009) was a Dutch “Engelandvaarder” (soldiers who escaped to England during World War II) and a jurist. When World War II broke out, he was studying at Leiden University. Winckel belonged to the Winckel family listed in the Dutch Patriciate. Flip
Engelandvaarder Flip Winckel had a short stint as military auditor at Camp Columbia Read More »
The monument commemorates the men and women of the Netherlands who joined in the defence of Australia from 1941 to 1945 during World War Two. On Friday 3 November 2017, the monument was rededicated at Memorial Corner in Roma Street Parkland. It was relocated from its former location at Queen’s Place (corner Alice and George
Netherlands & Netherlands East Indies WWII Memorial Brisbane Read More »
Sultan Muhammad Jabir Syah (4 March 1902 – 4 July 1975) was the 47th ruler of Ternate from 1929 to 1975 and the last Ternatan Sultan with executive powers. In 1944, during World War II, the Western Allies began liberating parts of eastern Netherlands East indies. They contacted Sultan Jabir, who had moved to the
Sultan of the Spice Island of Ternate at Camp Columbia Read More »
Willem Frans Boot. Born 26 November 1906, Zuid-Beijerland. Died: 18 Januari 1987, Den Haag. He joined the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1934. Even before the capitulation from Netherlands East Indies (NEI), staff of the Military Aviation Department of the KNIL(ML-KNIL) were sent to Australia. Most of the department of Captain Willem Frans Boot went Brisbane
Captain Boot the unpopular commander of the 18 NEI RAAF Squadron Read More »
In 2023 Board member Bart Lommerse contacted Josep (Joe) Kalemba. Joe is an expert metal detector hobbyist and when they started talking, he showed Bart his finding of a sword he had unearthed at Camp Columbia. He had already figured out that it was Dutch however, he had no idea why Dutch artefacts were showing
Ceremonial sword discovered at Camp Columbia Read More »
Following the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II, many Dutch men, women, and children were interned in prisoner-of-war camps, known as internment camps or concentration camps. These camps were often harsh, with overcrowded conditions, limited food, and inadequate medical care. After the war ended and the
Camp Columbia hosted refugees from the Japanese camps. Read More »
In August 1947, Australian military observers were stationed in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) under the auspices of the United Nations Good Offices Committee (UNGOC). Their purpose was to monitor the ceasefire between the Dutch and Indonesian forces during the Indonesian National Revolution. The number of Australian observers increased after the Second Dutch military operation
Australians in Netherlands East Indies first ever UN Peacekeepers Read More »
While there were strong voices for greater forms of independence for Indonesia, the conservative hard-line Dutch Government was only prepared to provide more participation of Indonesians in local government structures but it would still have to be under the final control of the Netherlands, they had no interest in discussing independence and were adamant to
The Black Armada in support Indonesian Independence Read More »
Willy de Eerens Willy de Eerens was born on 27 February 1921 in Tjilatjap, an important port on the south coast of Java. During the Japanese invasion he was evacuated to Australia as one of the 99 student pilots from the class of 1 July 1941 of the Vlieg- en Waarnemersschool (V.W.S. – Flying and
The story Willy de Eerens and the dog tag found at Camp Columbia Read More »
