Comments for Boudewyn van Oort

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by Boudewyn van Oort

Boudewyn van Oort — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:10:49 +0000

I am afraid that I have nothing to offer. Very few records survived from the chaos in the east of Java. You may nevertheless find Stutterheim’s book ( The Diary of Prisoner 17326— try Amazon.com) helpful and interesting because his trajectory during the war was similar to that of your mother. He started with this mother and younger brother in Magalang, then to Surabaja then to Lampersari and finally after the war to Batavia ( Jakarta).

The plight of the growing band of orphans like your mother was terrible, and they often lost all sense of identity such as birthplace and birth date.
There are two possible sources of help: the NIOD in Amsterdam ( the Netherlands Institute of war documentation) and there is also a website dealing with the civilian internment camps (Burgerkampen) but the chance of finding out more is slim.
Boudewijn

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by Carl Hilbrants

Carl Hilbrants — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:39:22 +0000

My Mother, Ada Harthoorn, nee Hilbrants, lived near Surabaya in east Java. She and her siblings were orphaned during WWII. They were in concentration camps throughout Java and ended in Batavia before being brought to Holland. Does anyone have information regarding my Moms internment(s)?

Comment on The Camps by Boudewyn van Oort

Boudewyn van Oort — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:32:36 +0000

Hi Rob, have you looked at the videos on my website? It is amazing what you find on You Tube but you need to employ various search techniques. Speliing is important. If you revert to the old Dutch spelling of Indonesian place names you get a different selection than if you use the modern Behassa Indonesia version. Some of the video shots seem to reappear in various contexts

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by Boudewyn van Oort

Boudewyn van Oort — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:27:10 +0000

Thank you for your comment. His family had moved to Tjideng from Kedoengbadak, a large internment camp for civilians on a rubber plantation, six kilometres north east of Buitenzorg, (Bogor), and situated on the banks of the Tjiliwoeng river. His mother and his two (?) siblings must have moved several times, a ghastly thought given the terrible transportation conditions, before finally arriving in Tjideng.

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by Jan kees moser

Jan kees moser — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:29:25 +0000

My husband Jan Kees Moser was a child in this camp from age 6-10 I until the camp was liberated. He its now 74, retired from the clergy, & is in
excellent health. He has many stories of the camp.

Comment on The Camps by Rob K.

Rob K. — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:52:11 +0000

My mother, grandmother, uncle, and aunt were interned at Tjihapit camp.
Several years ago my father and I were watching a PBS documentary on POW camps when a small girl with a bow in her hair came across the screen. We both looked at each other and said “that was Mom!”. I called the station a while later but they had no clue of what I was talking about.
I know this is a long shot but, any ionformation on such documentaries would be helpful. I would love to set my mind at ease if that was actually my mother.

Thanks all.
robkatt66@gmail.com

Comment on The Camps by Mark Verhagen

Mark Verhagen — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:02:27 +0000

To Whom it may concern,
My grandmother, uncle, and aunt were all in internment camps during WW2.
I have in my possession a winter scape in watercolor that was painted in Tjimahi in may 1944. I would love to correspond with someone who could tell me more about the camp and maybe the artist who painted this sweet picture.

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by Erik Dekkers

Erik Dekkers — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 06:00:05 +0000

Dear Boudewyn,
I often look at the Tjideng related sites. I have now written our family history down, I hope for the final time. My Mother and I were in Tjideng. Father was taken to Thailand, working on “The Railway” and then to Japan to work in the coal mines in Japan. He saw the bomb cloud of Nagasaki. We were reunited in Balikpappan. One of my earliest memories was of me sitting in the dirt and suddenly hearing shooting and I saw a native who had been trying to do a bit of trading, run away through the boundary fence and up over a hill which for many years I regarded as the edge of my world. It was not until many years later that I visited the site near what was the Tjideng Main gate and the house we were living in . I placed myself on the spot where I had seen the man running away and saw that the edge of my world had been the railway embankment. It was great to meet Nell van de Graaf who wrote “We survived ” Shirley Fenton Huie with her book ‘The forgotten ones’ has also been very helpful in putting our story in context . Cheers Erik Dekkers . Check our name in the Tjideng register Marie Dekkers and one child, we were there !

Comment on Tjideng Camp List of names by peter castrikum

peter castrikum — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:57:29 +0000

Dear Boudewyn ,I was born in Indonesia 25/2/1943.I was born in the Tjihapit camp.Iwas there until 1945 with my mother and older sister.I was wondering whether I was one of the youngest to leave this camp???

Comment on 7th Birthday at Tjideng Camp by Boudewyn van Oort

Boudewyn van Oort — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:52:28 +0000

Hallo Wout, bedankt voor het commentaar. Die filmpjes zijn inderdaad een beetje verward, maar toch wel van interesse, dacht ik, vooral voor diegene die niets van de situatie afwisten. Dat is vooral hier in Noord Amerika het geval. Men maakt zich hier erg druk over de mishandeling door Canadezen en Amerikanen van de Japanners die hier prompt opgeborgen werden in Dec 1941 , maar dat vergelijkt niet met de wantoestanden die wij mee moesten maken.
De Javapost van vandaag ( 15 Maart) had daar een aardig verhaal over , maar in dat geval ook over de mishandeling door de Japananners van hun eigen mensen. Daar krijgen wij misschien nog het een en ander over te horen
Boudewijn