«Second world war and post-war period in Indonesia»

My parents were in the year 1936, after they had married to 15.08.1935 to Indonesia traveled, where my father was active as officials since 1928 in the service the Netherlands. At present I am 68 years old and my past life in four periods would divide.

1» second world war in Indonesia and post-war period in Indonesia, 30 July 1937 to beginning October 1950

2» school time in the Netherlands and at the beginning of a civil life as Netherlands citizens, October 1950 to June 1970.

3» removal to Germany and career as employees and independent, July 1970 to July 2002.

4» pensioners, August 2002 to date.

Batak Land:

The lake Toba lies in the northern part of the Barisan mountain chain, which is volcanic, and which crosses island Sumatra from northwest to southeast as its backbone. The lake Toba is before approx. 70,000 years after an enormous volcanic eruption with devastating consequences by ash came down developed. Ash destroyed the vegetation in Africa and died a majority of the population. The sea-gutter is highly surrounded by sudden cliffs 400-1,200 m. Based on the topographic characteristic and the broad distribution around the lake by volcanic lava discharged, and so a large boiler developed. The water surface of the lake Toba is 905 m over sea level and approximately 1,100 km². The whole area of the lake, including the ranges from Samosir and Paradapur islands, amounts to 1,780 km². The mountains around the lake are called "Batak highland". The only running out river of the lake Toba, the Asahan, flow light slopes of the highland of southeast value down into the Malacca street.

Batak Land: The lake Toba is a large magnificent lake (twice larger as the lake of Genève in Switzerland), in the proximity is a small city Prapat as a cure city in a very beautiful landscape. Prapat is approximately 4 auto hours far away from Medan and one auto hour of Pematang Siantar, 400 m over sea level, where I was born on 30 July 1937. One arrives, over very good bitumen routes, from Pematang Siantar over a Pas from 1200 meters after Prapat at 905 meters down. One can swim in the lake. A small range of the bank has beaches. On the picture below left, you see me in January 1939 standing in the lake.

Period 1:

My memories go back still there as I with my mother and my brother and many other European families with children in for instance April 1942 with the truck of Pangkalan Brandan, where we, before the Japanese invaded were evacuated, were transported to Brastagi in Aceh. Here we were accommodated consisting in a village of bamboo little houses on stakes on the bank of a small river. The village was not fenced with barbed wire and guarded, we could thus anywhere. A daily were under-rinsed after a violent rainfall all little houses, one could over gangways of dry foot from house to house arrive. Under the houses swam then crocodiles, to get around possible meal remainders and wastes. The expenditure-divided food were to be become very badly and too little over full. My left leg is since the year 1942, when I was interned, after a heavy fibre accumulation of the one to the other day no longer fully functionally, that leg is more thinly than the right leg. After the fibre had decreased, I had to learn to walk again. The strength go off ever more after at the higher age and hurts now and then by standing, because the blood circulation of the leg is not sufficient. Obviously I became embarrassed from an unknown virus.

It never determined which for an illness it had been. My father was sent only in December 1942 from the Japanese to us into the village, when the commanding officer in the place "Pangkalan Brandan" where he was, was exchanged. The Japanese combat fliers have quite often their flight arts shown as it ascended up to a safe height, the engine switched off, the airplane lubricate let so that it for whirling began to point to before the impact the engine started briefly and took off upward to the sky over we are who. Soon after it, the women, girls and boys to 10 years from the men and boys over 10 years were separated and with trucks transported to a concentration camp with name "Aek Pamienke" 300 km from Medan in the southeast from Sumatra 60 km far away from the men camp, which my mother, my brother Ad and I did not know, only to release became we it more aware of. In this concentration camp in the jungle it was not possible to escaped. A brook run had been composed within the barbed wire fence where had been build wood little houses over a part of the brook as clumsy lavatory and bathing-cabins. Ad and I could, if we squatted in so a little house and looked down to the adjacent little houses, have we women squatted also there, seen their haemorrhoids. Briefly before the brook left the camp, had formed a sump, where many aquatic plants grew and a strong stinking. In this sump always were a few spirit-disturbed women paddling in it. In clean places of the sump plants were about which the sheets as vegetables be used could, which because of the arising stomach and intestine diseases a risk was. The accommodations consisted of long wood barracks with twisted bamboo walls, to which in the length the files were reciprocal built and less than two meters low. The roof consisted of palm leafs. Each woman and each child had to sleep on less than a meter place over or be. I and my brother could sleep lying on a Guling without in the sleep fall down,(cushion as role arranges, in the Tropics during the sleeping between the legs put over to sweat prevent). We did not have to protect by a mosquito net "Klambu" at night around us from it.

In these barracks one had to also be, if it rained times or were ill. Only for seriously ill people one had built a special barrack. Each year became, despite which bad conditions, Christmas celebrated as one a small deciduous tree with cotton wool decorated, because candles were not to be had and priests were missing in the woman camp. The soil of the barracks was from firm loam. The relative dampness throughout between 90 and 95% in this connection gave it then also at temperatures over 30° C to much vermin, like kitchen scraping, fleas, mosquitos, lizards, ants, mice etc. and if it rained then for a long time crept thousands of earthworms the walls highly. As cook place one had made only a roofing from palm leafs, here from women voluntarily announced for the whole camp had cooked themselves. It was to be cooked strict forbidden outside of the official cook place. My mother had announced itself in the camp kitchen and knew thus for me and mine brother specially rice branches, because the meal was very poor in vitamin, protein and protein. One got very little rice and nearly no meat, more frequently root-like food moldy was assigned. Sometimes the Japanese hung a Python or a tiger head around us to chicane on the gate, about which one cooked then a soup. My brother and I have in the most remote corners of the camp, where rotten trunks over-rampantly grown lay, snails and mushrooms collected my mother for us and in a forbidden place had then cooked ourselves. The Japanese got at so an opportunity my mother and them stepped and struck where we, although we resisted, not much align could. Many women had still money or valuable articles them at the gate approximately food of native ones to exchange could, but those were very fast used up. Also the snails and mushrooms could not regenerate so fast, which daily one found them. We have to get also Spanish pepper and other plants in these remote places bred, which with the dampness and temperature was not in the Tropics a problem, in order at least something Vitamine. The worst diseases were malaria, diphtherie, cholera, typhoid fever and other one by food shortage caused diseases. It was to be left obviously intention of the Japanese to starve us , because gradually with the years which we suffered by missing and hunger, many women and children in weight lost and died. Each day died two till three humans toward at the end of the year 1944, and in the following year until August 1945 as we were finally released, after the Americans had thrown the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this was also so bad for the Japanese population. My mother had already malaria and suffered at hunger edema and was thus with very bad health. Summary: if no atom bombs on Japan last thrown, then we last peg out after each other. Briefly after the gate of the camp for us had been opened, after the surrender of the Japanese, my brother and I could ride along, with a Japanese drinking water tank car to the nearby second woman camp and back. We could also take a look in nearby Japanese barracks, we were only 8 and 6 1/2 years old and as a danger regarded, here received I like the twisting in the Japanese army instead of found and like a Japanese officer a soldier before the whole crew on the left and on the right around the ears struck, because it which had employed. We could drive also with a lorry by the jungle, over ravines on the other hand, some kilometers to distant camps, had however, because the travel went steeply downhill, to foot again back, because the lorry without tractor was. We always bring along edible from our trips somewhat to to cook for my mother. In the camp no school was relevant and could we also yet well read and not write and spoke Netherlands and Indonesian in disorder and always on food search, which took much time up. After some days still we stayed to release, we with my father were united, that in a lousy condition were on us and close at death in the camp and were posed. It lasted some time, before we were then transported with the railway train to Medan. Since we no longer had reasonable pants, had my mother from green parachute silk for us, a pair of pants sewn. The parachutes were no longer to use. One day I was standing in the garden and could see approximately 100 meters to the forest edge where things are moving and looked intently when suddenly a tiger looking at me, he was surprised. We looked at each other and then he disappeared behind the bushes.

In Medan we for the time being in a house accommodated before the journey in the Netherlands be begun could. On one day I stood in the garden and could into approximately 100 meters distance the edge of jungle see where which moved and watched attentively as suddenly a tiger me regarded, he was surprised. We looked at ourselves mutually and then disappeared it to term bushes. In Medan many Sikhs were in the English army with their beards and Turbanen looked fear-exciting and to trust were not. Immediately we embarked for the journey from Sumatra in the port city Belawan at Medan to the Netherlands, this ship was called Noordam and as American troop transport ship had been converted. The journey took more than four weeks and we started at the end of January 20 1946. Since it was a troop transport ship had one for the soldiers large sleep areas production where hammocks hung, in a height where we could not come children so easily inside to climb we however were it used and did not have a problem into the hammock to arrive. These areas were to be locked with heavy steel doors and as we a daily over the public-speaker system to the lunch were then requested, the doors inadvertently of someone had been closed and could not appear to the lunch. We sailed to Aden in Yemen over to take oil, then in the red sea, and had sleep because of the there dominant heat on the dek, then by Suez channel to Amsterdam. Because we were less as 10 years old, we let us must take a shower always in the bath department of the women and I have seen, how thin the women and the children were, only skin and bone.

We ran at the end of February 1946 into the port of Rotterdam and I entered for the first time European soil, it were cold in Holland. Owing to intensive health control and medical treatment I had come forces. When I in such a way saw then in the hospital, where I felt very unfortunate and abandoned "was 10 years old I only", meanwhile it was springtime, I could looked from my bed into the garden, and saw in the grass the daisies to bloom that I was pleased, where I was used in Indonesia the many beautiful green flowering trees and to plants nevertheless. We were accepted cordially by my grandparents of motherly side to Overschie near Rotterdam. This house was a terraced house from clinker stones and at the back was a channel with name Schie in which one Eels and Bars catch could.

I came often enough to Rotterdam, where one could observe the structure of the city and saw as in deep excavations stakes by steam operated hammers up to the sandy soil inside was struck as foundation in the shallow soil for the building was necessary. In the summer 1946 my parents on a farm had with Enschede for some months rooms rented thereby the family to recover could. The farm was naturally not attached at a drinking water pipeline and thus gave it on the room only a wash table-ware. In this time my brother and I had in close convenient village into the school. The school was a correct struggling, we from the native ones was not accepted there, but to have here we for the first time to write and reads learned. Before the winter began was again with my grandparents accommodated we. My other granny, my other Grandpa did not live no more, the mother of my father lived into the town Hague, where we came from time to time to the attendance. From there we drove also times with the tram to the bathing resort Scheveningen where at the beach many shelters by the Germans established, with the years all this had been blown away are gradual. In the time the roads were paved with clinker stones and drove still many horse carts with heavy course horses linked up at the house past. On each day the milk man with its cart of the horse came pulled and the bakers with its tricycle truck on the door, so that one could buy it gave still no self-service shops to milk, eggs, cheese, bread etc. My Grandpa had wished us before sleeping to always go good night, told in one evening he us, he can be dentures away charms, which he also demonstrated and we have in our ignorance been astonished. The winter 1946/1947 was so far the severest winter which I ever experienced, there lay on the fields and meadows the snow nearly two meters highly and one could play for hours in the snow and caves to dig, also on the beach to North Sea the ice floes piled up.

In the spring time 1947 we, my mother, my brother and I, by ship my father after-traveled. The ship was the ms. Sibajak however meanwhile as passenger liner again manufactured with 12,342 gross register ton contents. The journey went through the road from Gibraltar to Port Said, here was loaded oil and food and far driven to Colombo Sri Lanka, formerly to Ceylon, where also again one loaded oil and food. From Colombo it continued to go through the road from Malacca to Jakarta (Batavia). Starting from Jakarta we drove with a smaller ship from the shipping company KPM to Luwuk east of Toili on Sulawesi (Celebes), here went the ship on the coast before anchors and we with a launch were ashore brought, where my father already expected us. We lived in a house, where living and dining was accommodated in the same area and the bedrooms laterally arranged. In the living-diningroom one could see the roof framing and the pans, this was so usual in the Tropics, because of the cooling. A game cat with short tail had been established in our house and climbed sometimes over the bars of the roof framing around. Our house was direct at the beach with prospect on the open sea and the island Peleng. Beside the house an enormous tree with board roots stood, where we had built a hut between the branches.

With the native ones this tree spirit in itself had and the tree at night noise of itself had actually given. In the proximity also some latex trees, those stood had a juice, which we caught and on a plate drew up thinly in a cup, to then set in the sun dried briefly around in an reeling movement to a rubber ball with which we could play then well with. School did not give it, therefore we were informed by my mother and a Missionar, because there was here a small Christian municipality and church. We have, my brother and I, try us of instruction to press over swimming go or with native children play. Here in the sea I taught to me only correctly to swim and dip. In the sea there were many Corals as well as fish in all possible colors and Seahorses those proudly around swam, the reason between the Corals consisted of white sand. Against twelve o'clock the waves in the sea, by the wind, were produced ever more highly and formed for foam crests on the waves. The core of the place was because of a small bay on the eastern side where small boats to put on could also came from time to time a water airplane (picture down in the middle) which in the bay before anchors went and which post office brought. On the west side of the bay mud was and stood for Mangrove trees, here lived crocodiles at night from the bay in the sea of the coast along swam around then a goat to snatch. To hunt that the native ones too badly and thus decided it the evil author, after whom one had ashore pulled it could a copy by seven meters is measured. Some hundred meters far away eastward a swimming pool, before which war keep-draws built, was over-rampantly grows and from a brook with fresh water from the mountains fed. From the swimming pool the clear water flowed by a ditch, which was over-rampantly grown, into the sea. We left ourselves, here took part also the native children, from the swimming pool by the ditch in the wonderful cool water with the river in the sea to swim. We ran bare foot with short trousers and were brown burned, only at our bright hair color could one constitute that we were European children. We need only the trousers to take off over swimming to go like the native children it also made, while its we became by the native girls stare at.

It was hunted quite often, because there were many deer here in the area and the life circumstances by an offer at large grass surfaces with high grass (Alang Alang) was distinguished, on it. Deer became as large as small Indonesian horses and had a red-brown color. In the dusk if she was hunted at grazing always was. In order to be able to come the deer more near, the hunters had fastened two small lamps to a helmet as if they would be also deer with bright eyes and approached against the wind direction on the animals. One of the hunters was something from the direction guessed and unfortunately was weakened shining its small lamps, one from the group shot it in the middle between the eyes because it thought it would be a deer. This misfortune had heavy consequences for the hunter, because it had for the family left of the killed hunter ensures carried. On one day a deer was hunted by a dog in the sea and swam simply of it toward for the island Peleng.

After an enormous parting celebration with many music and responding, in the spring 1948, we were fetched from a larger motorboat with name Djombang and driven to the place Menado on the northernmost peninsula from Sulawesi, from here went it to the place Tomohon in the mountains on 800 meters and consciously for the first time luxury a sedan further saw. In this place schools were and thus we have to visit the school. On this school many Europeans and Indoeuropeans were informed. We were informed also in the Indonesian language. Since this area was unusually volcanic area became I for the first time in the life with earthquakes confronted, which were very strong (6 to 7 on the judge scale). Our house was built accordingly earthquake-proof, it stood on stakes. Under the house fixed loamy soil was where we after the school played, in which roads and tunnels were built, where our cars manufactured from wood could drive and the rain could not disturbed us anything. In the proximity of the house the jungle was direct where the Japanese deep caves in the mountains had floated around their munition to hide and as hurt patient to supply, while in the area the Americans bombarded and shot. These caves had become with the time at the entrances over-rampantly grown with plants and bushes and because of collapse danger too dangerous, in addition were here snakes. If we ran in such a way by the jungle became one from apes shouted at and from time to time green-white snakes, not longer than a meter, left themselves from which trees down fall, they were however not poisonous. In the jungle there were also fruits such as Mangos, small lemons, Papayas, wild bananas etc. and beautiful flowers and plants such as Orchids, fern herb, different birds, snakes, lizard, Salamander, ape etc. We ran like always bare foot by the jungle, so also from bamboo coined forests where we on bamboo rungs stepped those very hard us sharp were without us to hurt, equally we did not have to it pay attention to the bamboo too turned out, because at the bamboo trunk dry brittle hairpins were into the skin penetrated. By the way let the Japanese lie in the Second World War their caught feeler gauges in so a forest on the soil over days bound, so that the rungs, which grew fast, into which bodies penetrated around thus a confession from the prisoner cause could. On this peninsula were three volcanos (on Indonesian: Gunung Api) with name Gunung Mahawu, Gunung Klabat 2018m and Gunung Soputan. On one Sunday we drove it with a small society in a truck up to a village and from there to foot under the line of a leader on the slopes of the mountain Mahawu into the crater where enormously to sulfur stinking and hot water with mud highly spiet and bubbled. On the other side we went again downhill. A second time drove we with two jeeps a smaller mountain with name Gunung Soputan up into the crater where it likewise to sulfur stinking, but carnivorous plants the insects grew here ate.

In the valleys and at the slopes of the mountains one (Sawahs) halfway saw rice fields, sees picture above from the year 1996, which was put on terraced and were constantly watered. In these watered terraces where the rice grew Rotbar were bred, which delicate-eats one is. Were also area where, hot water from rock gushed, so-called geysers, into which one could swim wonderful relaxed, where it became too mean, here within the hot range I times a girl out to get did not have, because them were suddenly seized by the current, thank God still in time, before the water became so hot that it have burned could.

At the house a roomy garage was direct, where a teacher of our school lived from my brother and me secretly when bathing in the together used bathroom by a small window on the back was observed. We were gotten a daily when observing the cook, who is however not betrayed us, if we would omit it the next. The bathroom was cultivated not in the house, but term house in row with the kitchen and official accommodations at a gallery. In the bathroom there was only one trough from cemented stones, where cold rain water from the internal water line network was let in and one fastens oneself the water, with a large tin can with wooden grasp crosswise in the tin can to the upper edge, from the trough over throw could. In this trough the cook had normally thick river eels and fish to fresh stops to swim. In the spring 1949 my father was carried and shifted after Ujung Pandang (Makassar) the capital of the partial state east Indonesia. In this city we lived in an outlying district, where the road was a dead end and flowed at the end into an Indonesian village (Kampong). On the other side of the village barracks of the old Netherlands army were consisting, of Ambonnesi (Molukker) with their families and heavy weapons. The families of the Ambonnesi soldiers and officers pulled always behind the front also into the war. At first, before the end of the yearly 1949, we could come still regularly into the school and everywhere as Europeans. In our road mainly Netherlands families lived, where we had handling with and we played children on the road and stray everywhere in the area around. We pulled, as soon as we got along from the school the shoes and the shirt, because it was too warm and uncomfortable thereby to run. On the other side of the road, opposite our house, lived Silvia Vogelsang also with us on the road played. Them were in our age and ran with a skirt barefoot like we could looking a daily we them to it animated into a tree to climb over under their skirt where she was naked. Quite often we visited the adjacent village over with the native children to play or pulled in the city from fun by the Chinese shopping street, where Chinese children insulted and with stones threw us with Blanda busuk (dirty dutchmen). We were always armed with slingshots and could us, which hold from the neck. Despite that my father with family was excluded, my younger brother and sister still too small were invited, by a Chinese businessman, who by my father in a tariff procedure was helped, to the banquet. It became in the floor over the business area at a long table on both sides with banks a more-usual Meal serves firmly.

The city was direct at the sea, where something outside a fort (Rotterdam) between the years 1600 - 1700 from the eastIndian Compagnie stood. This fort was still rather well correct however not inhabited. We could not even swim more in the sea, because the beach and the water were not clean enough. Many Netherlands families packed at the beginning of the yearly 1950 their suit-cases over determined Indonesia to leave. In our road broken in as also with us than it heavily rained ever more frequently at night and nevertheless warmly always was and as the window on had. My brother and I slept in a floor bed I in the top and could, because I was curious observe like a man with its son at the window stood. It could be been son entered, then he went to our cupboard, where only books stood to create made. In the moment as I the window to make wanted to catch around the boy it nevertheless still faster was and jumped out of the window, outside into the darkness. One morning in the month May of the yearly 1950, we heard many shots from automatic weapons fired of infiltrated gangs those from Java over the backland into the city had come around it to occupy, one week ago in the port at the dock of my father leaved taken, the ship drove loosely however a rope at the nose yet had been settled and from the ship divide had torn up. It many many innocent humans whom one simply in the heat of the daily lie let, so that immediately after putrid-end corpses smelled who we on the way to the school being saw. These gangs wanted to drive the Ambonnesen out, but of were attacked and in the barriers referred. For us children was for the time being closed the school and could hardly more on the road, from now on was again reduced for us the liberty. The Indonesian army stationed in the city sympathized with these gangs and could manufacture no peace thus. If the Ambonnesen were guessed too much in distress, they started with their tanks and armoured vehicles reprisaling attacks. Before they started the attack had it in the early morning hours to the positions of the gangs barricaded with sand bags near crept and noiseless with the dagger killed the individual guards, as well as employment unable made the automatic weapons. After the excursion it was then calm in the city. Before such an attack found instead of, the gangs with mortars shot over our heads, because we were in the line of fire, at which camps of the Ambonnesen back shot then immediately. Many garnet met houses in our road also with us in the garden fell some. We had, my father were entrenchd in this time on official travel and private on Bali, us, my two brothers and sister, mother and I under the beds. Since we lived in a solid house, still altogether thirty native Mrs., men came and children from the area of their houses destroyed had fled to us in the house, where they felt safer. We had for some days still rice enough for all and were wounded by my mother were supplied. After some days was the apparition past, because a Netherlands warship terminated the rebellion. All Europeans still remained were evacuated provisionally in a school by the red cross. My father had as it in Djakarta was experienced and immediately to Holland in October 1950 booked passage for the whole family on a passenger liner for the journey from unrests, whereby we applied too only by ship without my father after Djakarta. We could find accomodation for the time being with the sister of my mother. Unrests in the country led to the fact that we immediately always came to Europe. Immediately my father followed us and could be at the beginning of October 11-1950 with a British passenger liner with name Otranto into sea direction homeland. For me it was allowed to standing quite often at the nose of the ship, where had to look for passengers was not allowed, and I looking over the railing on the sea how the nose of the ship be cut the water. If I looked in such a way over longer time daily from the railing on the sea could I Delfine, hammer sharks and flying fish observe. The ship put down and drove to go after the loading of hoppers it had become already dark and hot over under deck out of the port from Aden direction Red Sea outside. I stood at the nose at the railing. The ship slid by the calm sea and only the blunt noise of the marine engines and rushes the breaking Nose waves broke through do good-ends silence. The sea reflected the moon light again and worked ghosty and reassuring. At port I saw the desert of Yemen in the distance and did not know yet that I would travel later to Saudi Arabia. Later I heard that the Englishmen had invaded after the surrender of the Japanese of Australia to uncouple with the intention Indonesia of the Netherlands to Indonesia. We were however not freed from the Englishmen, because those had fear before the Guerilla in the jungle, but of the Ambonnesen, already developed.

It was well known before the war that many Japanese spies under the Guise BUSINESS ftsverbindungen in Indonesia t Xenical were tig. F & uuml; r by the Japanese suffered Sch & auml; my father was the only in the late 80s (1980) unknown to me Entsch arrow Xenical ending paid what I got only 1,000.00 guilders. The Engl & auml; Direction tried in the war, the Dutch & auml; ndischen ships with their to occupy their team to subsequent szlig &; end to keep the ships. It was only in 2002, I got directly from the Dutch & auml; ndischen government 1,500.00 EURO paid as a last kindness.