Australian made Service Caps for the Dutch (Dutch Eastindies) during ww2 in Australia

[reneblacky]

An other special view let see on his short brim cap the maleis (Indonesian) word "ADA" which means "Being present/Here I am".
Dutch soldiers of the KL often wrote such things on the brim inside !
Nice detail I must say.
Can you tell me was your uncle Vrijwilliger (Voluntair) or Diensplichtig (conscripted) ?
I do have a bit on stuff related to that and would like to show
Regards,

Polly

G'day Polly,
Ada is/was my Aunt's name as he was courting her at the time -hence the cap, and I believe he was a conscript.

[Polly]

Yes that could be possible too ! Ada as a name for a girlfriend.
A lot of words, sentences or even names of girlfriends were being written on that hbt shortbrim cap.
"Als je maar lachen kan" (As long as you can laugh"), "de beuk erin" (I will destroy), "kom maar op" (I don't have fear), "awas antjing" (Indonesian for "beware of the dog") and so on
The first conscripts were from 1944 and went first to England or Australia for basictraining before they went to the tropics.
In the Indies they received further jungletraining from KNIL

[Anderson]

"The first conscripts were from 1944 and went first to England or Australia for basictraining before they went to the tropics."

Perhaps you could explain this a little more. Were these conscripts after the D Day invasion and liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi rule? And why was the focus on the East Indies, rather than joining the Allies pushing the Germans back to Germany, or did conscripts join the fight on both fronts?

[reneblacky]

G'day Polly,
Ada is/was my Aunt's name as he was courting her at the time -hence the cap, and I believe he was a conscript.

I should add that the pic I post is from the 50's

[Polly]

Rene,

whether or not endtime ww2, police actions period or post NEI-period, the facts are the same for this kind of uniform, writings on the short hbt brimcap. The camo uniform might already be Dutch fabrication, even the brim cap might be. No panic ! The Dutch were still present till late '60
(New Guinea) through their 6th Infantry Brigade.

[Polly]

Generally after the Southern parts of The Netherlands had been liberated (by Dutch Princes Irene Brigade and other allied troops) just these parts gave immense opportunity to join Dutch forces. So from here it starts with conscription, voluntary and the like ! Not only the homeland but also in other Dutch parts of the world people were in occupation by Japanese forces and had to be liberated. There are a lot of very good sites to read about this all ! Even former Dutch ss-troops were being invited to join the Dutch forces in the Eastindies

[Polly]

The time the Princes Irene Brigade entered occupied Netherlands territory, they not only had to face the defending German soldiers......
but stood also against their own countrymen, namely Dutch NSB forces, Police and even Dutch SS.
This is for most of us unknown tragedy and even today something not been spoken off.
A lot of these people went to jail and lost their Netherlands nationality till around 1956 (the Government did handle these cases more human
and many of them could regain their nationality), others were pressed to go to the Army in Indonesia (non in the last for being very skilled military men and having lots of battling experience)

[Polly]

So again to all Australian readers: Can you help me with info on making Service Caps for the Dutch at their new headquarters at Camp Columbia at Wacol near Brisbane, from where the organization operated until the end of the Pacific war? This took place around the year 1942/43. Who could have been the maker of these Service Caps ? See the pictures ! Something to offer ? Drop a line