Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis

14 Comments

1. Bonnie, I am really sorry to hear all those miscommunications which delay the whole procedure. Please ask ADA if they know which form exactly Mindef in the Hague means. It is for the ADA just a simple one phone call. Just let them know the situation of your mother. Beside that please ask the ADA for copies of the files. Can be important. The forms from Mindef are most of the time in two languages.
   Good luck and stay safe.

   Reply

2. Hi Bonnie,
   I just receive the form from Mindef to apply for the MOK.
   Did you used the same form?
   Ronny

   file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Packages/microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_8wekyb3d8bbwe/LocalState/Files/S0/1068/Attachments/Dfe%20081%20MOK[2305843009390714421][2305843009390716759].pdf

   Reply

   • Ronny Thankyou for your reply. Your link isn’t highlighted so it won’t open.

     But it seems I need to clarify something. I believe that the Assistant Defence Attaché (ADA) has completed all the relevant forms for each of the four deceased KNIL soldiers last year, with our written approval, and forwarded everything to the relevant Mindef Department.

     I never saw the completed forms but I certainly trust that the ADA in Canberra knows her job regarding MOK applications.

     A delay reportedly had occurred in Mindef which we found out after the ADA asked about the status of the applications….Mindef apparently had neglected to tell the ADA last year that it was her responsibility to chase up the KNIL service records and other wartime military records herself from the Netherlands National Archief.
     That is how she found the POW cards of the applicants; two of which are already in the public records but the other two I had not seen before.

     I presume now that it’s up to Mindef Decorations Dept to finalise the applications.

     Reply

3. Hello Bonnie Boon,
   I did send a message to Mr. Jacq Brijl. I received the following from the Netherlands.
   Maybe you should go to the Dutch Ambassade again.
   Regards,
   Ronny

   Beste Ron,
   Ik heb de reactie van Bert Keers niet goed begrepen; ik dacht dat
   Boon alles al had ingevuld en had aangeboden aan onze
   Ambassade in ?Canberra.
   Bert Keers is het Hoofd vd Afdeling Decoraties van Mindef.in Nederland.
   Hij moet maar rechtstreeks naar hem e-mailen.
   Zijn e- mailadres is: b.keers.01@ mindef.nl

   met hartelijke groet,
   Jacq.

   Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPad

   Begin doorgestuurd bericht:
   Van: B.Keers.01@mindef.nl
   Datum: 21 april 2020 om 10:30:32 CEST
   Aan: bimbo.b@casema.nl
   Onderwerp: formulier
   Hallo Jacques
   Klopt helemaal, betrokkene zal dit zelf moeten doen met het gevoegde formulier. Hij kan dat dan bij ons inleveren zodat wij aan de slag gaan
   Groeten
   Bert

   Reply

   • 2020 Apr 23. Dear Ronnie
     I appreciate your desire to assist in this matter.
     [I just had to use an online translator of the emails you included which are in Dutch. Hopefully the translations are accurate.]

     However, the danger with involving another person in the process at this late stage, especially if there is another language involved, is that things can be misunderstood. I don’t know what Jacq Brijl wrote to Bert Keers but I get the feeling it may have confused him.

     Mr Bert Keers is correct in that all the initial paperwork for the MOK has already been completed by the Assistant Defence Attaché (ADA) in Canberra on my behalf and with all necessary authorisation from myself to do so. The benefits of having the ADA involved in this process are: it overcomes any language barriers; she probably understands the workings of Government Departments; and knowing how to request access to the National Archives (NA) in a more timely fashion. I have had quite recent dealings with NA in trying to research the wartime Netherlands Red Cross records of the Netherlands East Indies. That took a long time because apparently they process so many requests.

     Anyway, at this time it seems unnecessary to communicate with Mr Keers directly unless the ADA is also included. If the wheels grind to a halt due to Covid 19 then my mother, who turned on Tuesday 21 Apr, may not be around to witness the awarding if that occurs. Thankyou to all concerned in the application process.

     Reply

4. Dear Bonnie Boon,
   Thank you for your relentless affords in getting the job done and help the families the honor they deserve. I encourage you to stay active and get in touch with Luit. Kol. bd Jacq Z. Brijl. I think he has a lot of power at Mindef. His email is bimbo.b@casema.nl
   I also think that the crazy pandemic is slowing the process of Mindef down too.
   You are also 100% right and just send in copies of all the information’s.
   I think I will inform Mr. Jacq Z. Brijl too about your writing and affords.
   At the meantime stay safe
   Ronny Geenen

   Reply

5. Dear Bonnie Boon,
   How very kind of you to share your experiences in obtaining posthumous MOKs for your father, two brothers. and for your mother (who is still alive) as well as the father of a gentleman at a kumpulan you attend. We are absolutely surprised by your tenacity and appreciate your reporting back to with your findings that will most probably help others in dealimg with the Dept. Office of Awards.

   Thank you very much!

   Reply

6. Ronny Geenen. My goodness it’s been almost 12 months since I posted my question about the MOK and your response. Since then I did get in contact with the Assistant Defence Attaché at the Netherlands Embassy in Canberra. She has been very helpful with processing and forwarding the applications for posthumous MOKs for my father, two brothers of my mother who is still alive (a day off age 100), and the father of a gentleman in a kumpulan I attend. It has been an interesting exercise. If anyone’s interested, the
   information I had to send included:
   1. A statement of who I was and my relationship to the deceased (plus signed authorisation from the 80 year old chap I’m helping).
   2. Name, date of birth (and location) and death (and location) of the ex-military member. I even included the names of their parents to avoid any incorrect identification.
   3. Any important service details of the member, for example their service number, rank, if you know the unit where they served, any details you can provide of their imprisonment. There is a lot of information on the internet related to prisoner lists.
   4. Record/proof of their death. I didn’t have any death certificates but for two who survived the war I used a newspaper notice and a photo of the grave headstone. For the other two who died during the war I could only provide information found on the internet ie two POW cards that were found for public access plus details on the oorlogbegraafplaats website. Since the application started, Japanese POW cards for my father and an uncle surfaced from the archives which I’d never seen before.
   5. The search for the service records of KNIL soldiers, which are apparently not housed nor maintained within the Dutch Defence Department, is the responsibility of the applicant and may have a cost attached for retrieval and copying if requested. The Assistant Attaché in Australia has been doing all the communication with the Netherlands. We did have to prompt the Defence Department Office of Awards, or whatever they’re called, when we hadn’t heard anything by January 2020. So now we wait some more.
   6. I’d suggest keeping a copy (do not send originals of important documents) or a record of all your paperwork or emails with attachments in the event of their being ‘misplaced’or ‘not received’.
   7. All four of the members were born in NEI from parents of different ethnic mixes.
   8. The applications are still a ‘work in progress’ as at 19 April 2020.

   Reply

7. The best thing you can do is contact the Defense Assistant to the Netherlands Embassy in Canberra; she or he is added to the Netherlands Defense Attaché. The Assistant there will assist you with all the needed information. And of course you will receive the written text in English.
   Jacq. Z. Brijl, luitenant- kolonel bd., BL. would therefore strongly advise you to contact, as soon as possible, the Defense Assistant. Hopefully the phone number at the Canberra office is + 61 488 248 622
   Bonnie, Mr. Jacq. Z. Brijl also wants to let you know that the head of the Dutch department that also handles the honorable decoration is Ing. Bert Keers and his e-mail is b.keers.01@mindef.nl
   I also like you to know my website https://MyIndoWorld.com. You will find there also stories in English and about a presentation of the MOK.

   Reply

8. Is there an official MINDEF website where an application for this recognition of service medal can be obtained so as not to burden Mr Jacq Brijl?
   It is really commendable what this gentleman has done and continues to do at his age.
   As I am only just hearing about this medal and I live in Australia, I’d like to read and know more about who qualifies for this service medal…. …surely those who ‘survived’ their military service during WWII and Bersiap periods be it marine, airforce, or army also qualify?
   If there is an official website, which hopefully will have an English translation, I will be able to share the info in Australia to other descendants of military members who served in the Dutch East Indies during the war and ensuing conflict.

   Reply

9. Dear Patricia,
   Approximately 1/3 of the names listed are of men born in the Dutch East Indies. There are many, many Indos (Dutch Indonesian mix like your father) as well as Totoks (pure Dutch but born in the East Indies) that deserve this medal but since the Dutch Government does not take the initiative, it ultimately rests with the soldiers’ families to put in a request. Mr. Brijl has outlined how you can do that. I thank him for the time and resources he has volunteered to help the families. Without him, many families would not have known about this medal. Hopefully, you also will contact him to get your father the recognition he deserves.

   Reply

10. I only know that Jacq Brijl want to help all the KNIL soldiers and their families.
    Mr. Jacq Brijl is doing this voluntary work as an old military person, because all soldiers and their family deserve this honor. They were forgotten by the Dutch government and he wants to correct that.
    He does not know all the names of the KNIL men, but he has a good relationship with the Ministry of Defense (Mindef). I did talk to several Indo’s here in California, like Charles Meyer (Indo). He told me how his father died as a KNIL soldier. I sent Jacq Brijl an email and he contacted Mindef. End of story a happy Charles Meyer. Over many years Jacq found many old KNIL names, but could not locate their family.
    He now decided to ask our help in the USA.
    That is my experience with him.

    Reply

11. It seems that all these names are of soldiers born in the Netherlands. What about the many soldiers who died in WWII who were Indo like my father.
    They also fought alongside these soldiers?

    Reply

    • Patricia,

      In respond to your question I ask Mr. Jacq Brijl how he would select the KNIL-victims and how he possibly try to detect the families.

      Dear Readers,

      About 10 years ago I regularly received letters and requests from relatives if I am able to help them to honor (posthumous) their grandfather/Father/ spouse/uncle/brother/nephew who had served in the Dutch KNIL army and died, executed, tortured during WWII. After consultation with and authorization from the Dutch Ministry of Defense, I decided to help these families. I never made a selection who will get an award.
      Based on battle reports, documentations, stories in newspapers, lists of victims, I discovered that our soldiers were listed as being ………killed, executed, drowned, and so on………, but that our Government had failed to reward these soldiers for their courageous actions with an honorable distinction.
      Because I thought that was a scandalous case, I decided to do something about it.
      Based on files, documentations, battle reports and victim lists I often managed to lay a hand on, I started to work to honor posthumously these deceased KNIL soldiers and gets these belated award in the hands of their relatives.

      I had, for example, a list of about 24 soldiers, who were killed by the Japanese in Tigaroengoe, Sumatra.
      Thanks to a call in the media and with the help of others, I succeeded finding most of the relatives.
      They were all posthumously awarded the Mobilization War Cross (MOK) for their deceased family member.
      On the basis of further investigations, being able to find several reports, etc. I finally could lay my hands on lists of the murdered victims of the European population in Balikpapan, Borneo.
      Some of the relatives have already received the MOK.
      On the basis of other findings, like documentations, list of names and reports of the areas like the Tjiater pass in West Java, Hainan, Ambon, to mention a few, I was able to help some relatives of their loves ones.
      I actually never select anything, but respond to the coincidentally data I receive or already have.
      And then try, with the help of the media and friends, to locate the relatives.
      Over the years I have helped about 240 families and in order to avoid misunderstandings, I would like to say, that I do this work unconditionally and with the permission of the Dutch Ministry of Defense.

      Luit. Col. b.d. Jacq Z Brijl

      Reply