Guide to the Dutch War Veterans Archive
MS 10405
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 2018
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Dutch War Veterans in Australia Oral History Project
- Title
- Dutch War Veterans Archive
- Date Range
- 1922 - 2013
- Collection Number
- MS 10405
- Extent
- 3.8 metres (10 ms boxes + 2 medium folios + 1 map folio + 11 digital carriers + 6 sound/av carriers)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Special Collections (Manuscripts)
Introduction
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises the papers and memorabilia of Dutch World War II veterans who migrated to Australia. This material was collected by Edith van Loo as part of the Dutch War Veterans in Australia Oral History project. The bulk of the collection comprises papers of Dutch war veteran Paul Couvret. There are also papers of Dutch war veteran Jacobus Johannes (Jack) Dalmayer, together with other material collected during the project.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as 'Dutch War Veterans Archive', National Library of Australia, MS 10405, [series/file/item number(s)]'.
Finding Aid Source
Please note: This finding aid may comprise or contain descriptive information provided by donors, researchers and/or volunteers.
Biographical Note - Paul Couvert
Originally a Dutchman, Paul Couvret was born and educated in Batavia (present day Jakarta). When war broke out in the Pacific he joined the Dutch Fleet Air Arm as a Cadet Pilot Officer. In March 1942 he was evacuated from Java to continue training at Pearce Airfield in Western Australia. However, two days from Fremantle, his ship was captured by the Japanese and he was taken first to Macassar and in October 1942 transferred to Nagasaki where he worked in a shipyard as a prisoner of war. He survived the rigours of prison camp and finally the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. After liberation he spent a month in Okinawa and three months in the Philippines before being repatriated to Holland. Couvret arrived in Australia with the Dutch Fleet Air Arm in December 1945 to assist with the evacuation of prisoners of war from the East. Both his parents had been killed in Indonesia in the war, and Couvret applied to live in Australia. He was accepted and arrived at Cowra Migrant Camp in February 1949. It was here he met and married his wife Hilja, an Estonian refugee. They had four sons. He joined the NSW Department of Education and taught for 17 years in country towns before coming to Sydney in 1966. He was elected to Warringah Shire Council in 1973 and completed seven terms in local government, including four as Mayor. He retired in 1995, but continued to work tirelessly promoting peace and the abolishment of nuclear weapons, taking interest in Dutch War Veterans in Australia, as well as local and community issues. Paul Couvret died in 2013.
Item Descriptions
Series. Papers of Jacobus "Jack" Dalmayer
Written in Dutch and English
5 pocket diaries of Jack Dalmayer;1945,1946,1947,1948,1974, 1945-1974 (File 1) - Box 1
Written in Dutch and English
Captioned photographs;Kampeerkaart (Camping Card) of Jacobus Dalmaijer;newspaper clipping on Casino camp; papers in Dutch relating to war volunteers, 1945-1946 (File 2) - Box 1
Arriving in New Zealand, arrival Australia, Victory Camp Casino, funerals of Simon Snepvangers and Kees Van Esch,LSK volunteers, Het Camp Casino, sea voyage home with survivors from Japanese POW camps in Indonesia; in Parramatta
Captioned photographs of Jack Dalmayer; uniform flashes, pins, badges and identity disc; postage stamps featuring Jack Dalmayer; list of Ex Victory Camp personnel who have died, 1921-2009 (File 3) - Box 1
Photographs of childhood, Camp Casino, Victory Campers reunions
Camp Newsletters 'Awakening Organ'; correspondence with Ministry of Defence Netherlands, 1946-2004 (File 4) - Box 1
Series. Miscellaneous papers
Series. General papers - Paul Couvret
Hilja is the wife of Paul Couvret
Ilmar Seitam's papers, 1991 (File 13) - Box 3
Manuscript 'From Karu to Cowra' the autobiography of Estonian born post-war migrant
Papers and correspondence relating to tracing the Couvret family tree, 1980s-1990s (File 14) - Box 3
Papers, photographs and correspondence relating to the Couvret family tree, 1980s-1990s (File 15) - Box 3
4 small scrapbooks and leather jewellery box containing pin, Comitas Gentium medal and WW2 ribbon bar, 1945-1950 (File 16) - Box 4
After liberation in the Philippines; Arrival in Australia; Honeymoon logbook; Military theory
Cards and correspondence for Diamond Wedding Anniversary; Eulogy and copies of the funeral service of Paul Couvret, 2011-2013 (File 17) - Box 4
Cards from the Governor General, Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister
Documents and papers relating to Dutch prisoners of war in Japan, Thailand; copies of school magazine from Batavia 1938-1939;photographs of Paul Couvret, 1950s-2005 (File 18) - Box 4
Peter Thysee, John Franken, Pieter Tromp, Johannes Budding, David Brandon, Ben Brodie, Peter Couvret
Series. Nagasaki - Paul Couvret
Footprints of Nagasaki'; 'The Records of the Atomic Bombing in Nagasaki'; 'We of Nagasaki'; 'The Atom Bomb'; 'Last Stop Nagasaki'; 'Peace Ribbon Hiroshima'; 'Nagasaki Under the Atomic Bomb'; 'A Song for Nagasaki'; 'The Meaning of Survival'; 3 Japanese language books
Books collected by PC on Nagasaki; notes, clippings and speeches given by PC in Japan at Peace Conferences, 1990s (File 21) - Box 5
Footprints of Nagasaki'; 'The Records of the Atomic Bombing in Nagasaki'; 'We of Nagasaki'; 'The Atom Bomb'; 'Last Stop Nagasaki'; 'Peace Ribbon Hiroshima'; 'Nagasaki Under the Atomic Bomb'; 'A Song for Nagasaki'; 'The Meaning of Survival'; 3 Japanese language books
Series. Personal effects - Paul Couvret
Monogrammed leather pouch containing notebook, PC's mothers leather spectacles case; slim handmade cloth-bound diary from war years; chest x-ray 1949; 2 small notebooks, 1940s-1965 (File 23) - Box 6
loose diary entry (in Dutch)dated 14 August 1945 - the day Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies
Series. Department of Education - Paul Couvret
Series. Special format carriers - Paul Couvret
VHS-Bathurst Cowra Hartley to Cowra Migrant Centre, 2 x videos of B Hilbrink Uitvaarty ZKH Prins Bernhard Deel 1 & 2; DVDs - DVA Australian at War Film Archive Discs 1-5, Temora Aviation Museum interview with PC; CDs - BE20EK Stas, It's ok to mention the war ABC RN recording 2006, 3 x discs Interviewproject Nederlandse Veteranen PC with Edith van Loo; Micro cassettes history interview tape with PC 1,2 and 3
3 x VHS tapes; 6 x DVDs; 5 x CDs; 3 x micro cassettes (File)
VHS-Bathurst Cowra Hartley to Cowra Migrant Centre, 2 x videos of B Hilbrink Uitvaarty ZKH Prins Bernhard Deel 1 & 2; DVDs - DVA Australian at War Film Archive Discs 1-5, Temora Aviation Museum interview with PC; CDs - BE20EK Stas, It's ok to mention the war ABC RN recording 2006, 3 x discs Interviewproject Nederlandse Veteranen PC with Edith van Loo; Micro cassettes history interview tape with PC 1,2 and 3
Temora Aviation Museum Unsung Heroes Paul Couvret (Item NLA.MS-DM000730) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Australians at War film archive disk 1, 2004 (Item NLA.MS-DM000731) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim DVD-R 8X, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Australians at War film archive disk 2, 2004 (Item NLA.MS-DM000732) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim DVD-R 8X, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Australians at War film archive disk 3, 2004 (Item NLA.MS-DM-000733) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim DVD-R 8X, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Australians at War film archive disk 4, 2004 (Item NLA.MS-DM000734) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim DVD-R 8X, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Australians at War film archive disk 5, 2004 (Item NLA.MS-DM000735) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim DVD-R 8X, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)BE20EK stas C vd Knaap (Item NLA.MS-DM000736) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, Verbatim CD-R, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)It's ok to mention the war, 2006 (Item NLA.MS-DM000737) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, TDK, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Interview project Nederlandse Veteranen disk 1, 2011 (Item NLA.MS-DM000738) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, TDK, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Interview project Nederlandse Veteranen disk 2, 2011 (Item NLA.MS-DM000739) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, TDK, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Interview project Nederlandse Veteranen disk 3, 2011 (Item NLA.MS-DM000740) - Digital-Carriers-Box 26
1 item, TDK, Data CD (any content on recordable CD-R)Uitvaart ZKH Prins Bernhard Deel 1 (Item NLA.MS-SAV005917) - Shelf-Tall OH1-18-029
1 item, Memorex SHQ, Consumer formats - VHS, S-VHS etcUitvaart ZKH Prins Bernhard Deel 2 (Item NLA.MS-SAV005918) - Shelf-Tall OH1-18-029
1 item, Memorex SHQ, Consumer formats - VHS, S-VHS etcBathurst Cowra Hartley Royal Nat Park Sacksville Jindabyne Smiggins Orange Cowra (Item NLA.MS-SAV005919) - Shelf-Tall OH1-18-029
1 item, Consumer formats - VHS, S-VHS etc
History Interview tape Cr Paul Couvret (Item NLA.MS-SAV005920) - Cassette-Box 325
1 item, Sanyo, Microcassette / mini cassetteSeries. Plaques - Paul Couvret
1 plaque is of 'Ardenbraught', home to 280 officers and men of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Force who operated from the Catalina Flying Boat Base at Rose Bay from Dec 1945 to July 1947
Wooden plaque presented to PC by Vice Admiral van Aalst Inspector of the Veterans; Plaque presented by Lt Gen Zuiderwijk Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy; framed family photo, 1997 (File) - Box 9
1 plaque is of 'Ardenbraught', home to 280 officers and men of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Force who operated from the Catalina Flying Boat Base at Rose Bay from Dec 1945 to July 1947
Series. Books, reports and logs - Paul Couvret
Books - Zangzaad voor Kampeerders; De Gravenserie in Zuid-West Pacific; Luchtvaartwoorden; Omong Kosong; je-lah-je-rot Humor uit het Oude Indie; Die Kaapse Hugenote
Series. Political life - Paul Couvret
UFO report from Sydney University requested by PC 2006; map of Manila