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 »
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 »
