On Wednesday 16 May 1951, at around 5 o'clock, the British ship Asturias moored at the Javakade in the port of Amsterdam. Disembarkation took place the following morning. It was the 9th transport, carrying more than 1,700 Moluccan ex-KNIL soldiers and their families. On board were more than 750 children under the age of 12 and many pregnant mothers. As far as is known, 45 children were born during the crossing. Many were given the name Asturias.
The Asturias left Tanjung Priok on 23 April with 150 families from the camps at Jakarta and Cimahi near Bandung. A day later another 240 families boarded at Semarang. Four companies from Semarang and one that had previously been stationed in Surabaya.
During the voyage 2 babies died shortly after birth. Ibu Tauran, mother of 11 children, 3 of whom had stayed behind on Ambon, also died shortly before arrival in the Netherlands. The three were given a sailor's grave.
45 children born On the passenger list published by the Nationaal Archief in The Hague, only 7 children are recorded as born on board the Asturias. Four girls: A. Roemloes, S. Sahureka, R.M. Selanno and H.R.A. Turumena. And 3 boys: Asturias Ohorella, G.A. Rering and M.A. Sahureka.
That number is not correct. In 2011, in an article in the Moluccan magazine Marinjo, the Moluccan ships specialist Jim Worung mentioned the birth of 45 babies on the Asturias. Among those 45 were twins.
The twins Aden and Asturias, born off Aden. Source: Het Parool, 17 May 1951
Asturias is the name I will name a few I know of: the aforementioned Asturias Ohorella from Waalwijk, Bram Asturias Saya from Deventer, Martina Josina Asturias Pattinama from Sittard, Frans Asturias Latupeirissa from Deventer and Marthin Asturias Malawauw from Leerdam.
Marthin Asturias Malawauw Private 1st class Falikis Malawauw (b. 1914) boarded the ship at Semarang with his wife Wilhelmina Malawauw – Mual (b. 1922) and their 2 young sons Pelpinus and Joop. The family came from Surabaya, where father Falikis had earlier been stationed. On 26 April 1951 their third son was born while the Asturias was sailing 1,700 miles south-east of Colombo (Sri Lanka). He was given the name Marthin Asturias Malawauw, shortened to Yas.
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Baptismal certificate of Marthin Asturias Protestant Moluccan Church in the Netherlands, 7 Aug. 1951
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The Malawauw family with little Asturias in his mother's arms. Photo 1951
After disembarking in Amsterdam the family found accommodation in camp Vught. With a short interruption in camp Conrad in Rouveen, the family lived in camp Vught again from 1954. Bung Yas now lives in Leerdam, is a proud grandfather and… an ardent Feyenoord supporter!
Class 1 of the camp school at Lunetten, Vught, school year 1957/1958. Far right at the front, Marthin Asturias Malawauw. (Photo: MHM/coll. P.G. Lanting)
Frans Asturias Latupeirissa The couple, private 1st class J.P. Latupeirissa (b. 1927) and Wilhelmina Latupeirissa-Saptenno, boarded at Semarang. On 26 April their first son was born, given the names Frans Asturias. And like all the babies born on the British ship Asturias, Frans received an English birth certificate and was entitled to apply for British nationality.
Birth certificate of Frans Asturias Latupeirissa, born on 26 April at 18.20
The family came to live in the Utrechtsestraatweg camp in Woerden. Many families from the Asturias were placed there whose wives had just given birth or were about to. In 1953 the family moved for a short time to camp Rijckholt near Eijsden and then, in 1954, went to live in camp de Haar in Randwijk.
Frans Asturias with his younger brother Tjada and sister Jet in camp "de Haar", Randwijk, around 1958. (Photo: collection F. Latupeirissa, Deventer)
Frans went on to have 5 brothers and a sister. In the 1960s the family went to live in the Moluccan neighbourhood of Vaassen. Like so many young Moluccans, Frans went to the social work academy. Bung Frans now lives in Deventer and is still very active in (Moluccan) social life.
An appeal: the Moluks Historisch Museum would like to know which children were all given the name Asturias. Let us know!
The cover photo shows little Frans Latupeirissa with his mother in the Utrechtsestraatweg camp in Woerden, c. 1952-1953. (Photo collection: F. Latupeirissa)
Further reading:
For a detailed description of the ship Asturias see "transportschepen", website of the Nationaal Archief, The Hague
Asturias passenger list, see "Molukkers naar Nederland", website of the Nationaal Archief, The Hague
"De Collectie Vertelt… over de Asturias", old Museum Maluku website
Emmy Tahitu from Waalwijk talks about the crossing
Jim Worung, "Vruchtbare vracht Asturias: 45 baby's aan boord geboren", Marinjo 2011, no. 3, pp. 16-17.
