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Greetings from Den Helder: a tribute to Moluccan maritime history
On 21 March 2024 a remarkable monument honouring the history of the Moluccan navy personnel was unveiled in Den Helder. It is the result of years of effort by the Bangsa Maluku working group, who wanted to keep the legacy of their forebears alive. Rob Picauly, one of the initiators, tells us more about the road to the unveiling of the monument.
In the navy In 1951 some 12,500 Moluccans came to the Netherlands by ship. Most of them were KNIL soldiers and their families, but some of them worked for the Dutch Navy. They believed they were coming to the Netherlands only temporarily, but in the end they stayed with the navy until they retired. So it was with Rob Picauly's father. "My parents arrived in the Netherlands on the second ship, the Atlantis. After arriving, the KNIL soldiers were housed in camps such as Vught and Schattenberg, but the navy personnel were housed at the places where the navy was based. So my parents ended up first in Klundert, then in Vlissingen and later in Den Helder. Unlike the KNIL soldiers, who were dismissed, all the navy personnel remained in service. My father started out as a gunner and eventually ended as a sergeant gunnery constable."
Dutch and Moluccan navy men. MHM collection – F 90.0481.
Unanimously in favour Rob saw that the graves of Moluccan ex-KNIL soldiers in other municipalities around the country were given special status and that various monuments were being made. "We felt that our parents, the Moluccan navy personnel, deserved this recognition too," Rob says. Together with a number of other initiators from Den Helder he set up a working group: Bangsa Maluku. "We wrote to several political parties and told them what we had in mind. Only one local party responded. That party submitted two motions at the council meeting: one for special status for the graves of the Moluccan navy personnel, and one for erecting a monument. To our great surprise the council was unanimously in favour of both motions! So our request was widely supported. That was the beginning."
The 'making of' the monument. Photo: Dany Rahakbau.
Brave After political approval, the search began for a suitable artist to make the monument. The choice eventually fell on Peter Jonas. The collaboration led to a design with various symbols reflecting Moluccan culture and the bond with the navy. "Top left you see the outlines of the Kota Inten, the first ship on which Moluccans arrived in the Netherlands in 1951. The ship cuts across a trunk, which stands for the journey. The trunk is carried by four salawaku. In the middle is a plaque with all 31 names of the Moluccan navy men in Den Helder, flanked by two parang. On the right you see two spears and a round shield with the Moluccas on it." The monument was given the name 'Berani', which means 'brave', fitting the courage of the Moluccan navy men and their families.
The monument 'Berani'. Photo: Marinemuseum Den Helder.
The unveiling On 21 March 2024 the moment came: the unveiling of the monument at Willemsoord, where the navy shipyard stands. A striking and emotional occasion attended by almost 300 people. The monument was officially unveiled by the mayor of Den Helder, the commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the last surviving Moluccan navy man, Bob Bernardus. "It was very symbolic that the municipality, the navy and the Moluccan community did this together. We look back on a very fine and successful day."
Mayor Jan de Boer, Bob Bernardus and Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy René Tas. Photo: Rob Picauly.
An eye on the future While the monument offers a tangible reminder of the past, the members of Bangsa Maluku are also looking to the future, where they continue to work on spreading knowledge and awareness of the history of the Moluccan navy personnel. "We are still working on a sign with an explanation of the monument and a QR code linking to a website with more information. We are also working on programmes for the younger generations. They do not always know exactly where their grandparents or great-grandparents came from. We want to help them learn more about their own roots."
During the unveiling on 21 March 2024. Photo: Steven Janssen.
Visit *ONS LAND Would you like to know more about the history of the Moluccan navy personnel? In the exhibition ONS LAND – Decolonisation, generations, storiesyou get to know eight families who, through their own experiences, make the effects of Dutch colonial history visible, among them the Moluccan navy family Bernardus. ONS LAND is a collaboration between Museum Maluku and the Indisch Herinneringscentrum and can be visited at Museum Sophiahof.
Bob Bernardus during the unveiling on 21 March 2024. Photo: Steven Janssen.
15 JUNE – OPENING OF THE MALUKU 2.0 EXHIBITION
Museum Maluku warmly invites you to the official opening of the new exhibition MALUKU 2.0 on Saturday 15 June 2024!
