Abstract

In 1935 an article appeared in several Dutch newspapers in the Netherlands East Indies about the Dane Martin Herman Heinrich Flammé who had served in the Dutch colonial army KNIL. The reason was that he celebrated his 80 years birthday at the “Indies Bronbeek.”

The Indies “Bronbeek” was a local home for old men who had served in the KNIL. It was named after the castle of the same name north of Arnhem. Which served as a home for old men who had served in the KNIL. Today the castle has a double function as a home for old people who had served in the Dutch armed forces. And as a museum that commemorates the KNIL.

A quick search in the Danish National Archives gives no result. Also, a bigger surprise is that a search in the Dutch National Archives does not deliver much more. The only thing which shows up is the papers concerning his death in a Japanese Internment Camp. Nothing about his service in the KNIL. Which leaves us with the question “Who was Martin Herman Heinrich Flammé?”

Early life

Martin Herman Heinrich Flammé was born in Copenhagen on 16^th October 1855. His father was Herman Carl Ludvig Flammé who was educated pastry chef and had his own shop. His mother’s name was Henriette Christine Restorff. He also had a little sister Athalia Henriette Anne Flammé.¹

His father Herman Carl Ludvig Flammé was born in Plön in Holstein which until 1864 was part of Denmark. During the war in 1848-1850 Holstein was on the site of the insurgents against Denmark. Although he had the age it is not known if he fought in this war. Or if he participated in other ways.

In 1868 when Martin was 13 years old, he moved to Germany. Here he got an education as a pastry chef so he could go in the footsteps of his father. Unfortunately, his father passed away two years later in 1870. Which forced his mother and sister to move and give up the shop.²

 ¹ The information came from the churchbook and the homepage  https://www.olhus.dk/

²According to the census of 1880 his mother and sister lived in another part of Copenhagen

Military career in the Danish West Indies

⁹ Det Danske Søofficerskorps 1. januar 1801 – 19. september 1919 side 119.

¹⁰ Den Vestindiske Rekruttering Talruller 1876-1879 page 22.

¹¹ Den Vestindiske Rekruttering: Af- og tilgangslister 1871-1886 page 142.

¹² His firstname is also seen spelled as Heinrich like in “Guvernører, Residenter, Kommandanter og chefer” by Kay Larsen. Eggers wrote his memoirs from Mexico “Erindringer fra Mexico” in which he quiet interesting mention that beside himself two other Danes served in Mexico.

¹³ He had actually taken part in the bayonet charge and battle at Sankelmark.

¹⁴ The Royal Library NKS 4908 kvart ”Optegnelser fra Frederik Madsens tid som menig soldat i den vestindiske hærstyrke på St. Croix 1894-1900 m.m.”

¹⁵ Den Vestindiske Rekruttering: Register til straffeprotokol (1870 - 1892), page 108.

All this changed in October 1878 when unrest took place in Frederiksted on St. Croix. There had just been a change of command. Captain Rosenkrantz had left for St. Thomas where he was to take over command of 1^st Company. 1^st Lieutenant Eggers had assumed command of 2^nd Company with 2^nd Lieutenant Ole Peter Ditlev Ditlevsen who had joined the company earlier. Leaving the force with a strength of:

1^st Lieutenant....................................................................................................................... 1

2^nd Lieutenant....................................................................................................................... 1

Auditor.................................................................................................................................. 1

Garrison Doctor.................................................................................................................... 1

Musical leader...................................................................................................................... 1

Writer.................................................................................................................................... 1

Hospital Sergeant................................................................................................................. 1

Command Sergeant ............................................................................................................. 1

Sergeant................................................................................................................................ 3

Corporal................................................................................................................................ 3

Lance Corporal..................................................................................................................... 4

Musician............................................................................................................................... 2

Private................................................................................................................................. 68

After the abolition of slavery in 1848, new legislation was made, the Labor Regulations of 1849, which aimed to regulate the now free workers. The law dictated, for example, what the daily wage should be and that the workers could only change places one day a year on the so-called change day on 1^st October.

It meant that after 1848, the former slaves were employed as workers on the same plantations were before they were slaves. Their living conditions did not improve significantly - either in terms of housing, health, education, or finances. During slavery, the plantation owner was obliged to support older and

incapacitated slaves. He did not have the same obligation to the workers. The same was true of health care. Before 1848 the slave owner had paid for the slaves’ doctor visits, while expenses after 1848 passed to the free laborer. However, the worker's salary was so low that it was almost impossible to try for themself and their family to pay for these benefits.

For this reason, dissatisfaction grew. On the day of the change, 1^st October 1878, many of St. Croix’s workers gathered in Frederiksted. There was both partying and drinking. After some tumult in the street, the police intervened hard and sent, among other things. a farm worker named Henry Trotman at the hospital. The riot continued in the streets, however, and it was rumored that Henry Trotman had passed away after the harsh treatment of the police. Thereafter, the dissatisfaction escalated. He was not, however, but the police and military had to retreat to the fort in Frederiksted away from the angry crowd. The workers began to storm the fort, but they did not succeed in penetrating. A rider was sent off towards the town of Christiansted at the other end of St. Croix to alert the colonial power and ask for assistance. During the night, many houses in Frederiksted were set on fire and shops looted.

About 50 plantations and most of Frederiksted was burned down. It is after this burning that the unrest got its name “Fireburn.”¹⁷ Lieutenant Herman Rudolph Leopold Osterman who commanded the first force which came to the rescue later wrote about it:

“… I was ordered by the company commander to lead the patrol, which consisted of 6 riders and 18 men infantry on 2 carriages. (…) I should as far as possibly rescue the fort in Frederiksted, where the police should be under sieged. From Kingshill we could see fires clearly in the direction of Frederiksted (…) and the closer we came the clearer it became for us that the whole town burned. On the outskirts of the city, we heard a loud noise and the scream mixed with the spout of conch shells and the bangs of the bursting rum and petroleum barrels.

It started to get daylight. I moved the infantry forward together in front ready to give salvos [shoot] and the riders immediately after with orders to attack.

There were quite a few Negroes standing along the road, but they disappeared into the sugar cubes, and we moved without resistance into the fort and occupied it. The Negroes gathered outside, and we moved out with the infantry and delivered a salvo. Then we moved into the city and delivered salvos in the streets where it was needed. The Negroes were driven out but gathered all day in heaps of 3-500 men. […]

3-400 prisoners were brought in the following days. As a deterrent, the most active Negroes were sentenced to death and shot."¹⁸

 For Martin his six years of service ended on 11^th February 1882.¹⁹ He received a 10,00 kroner bonus but he was in no hurry to return home to Denmark. Instead, he worked his way back to Denmark as a cook onboard different vessels.²⁰ First, he went to St. Thomas where he sailed to Jamaica. From Jamaica, he continued to London where he got a place onboard a ship named “Odin” to Copenhagen.

¹⁶ Crouching was a military punishment in which the convict had his neck and foot iron chained together so that he sat in a crouched position. Here he was to sit the time he had been sentenced. Also, for public viewing.

¹⁷ Translation from the homepage of the National Museum

¹⁸ Translation from https://historielab.dk/. Lieutenant Herman Rudolph Leopold Osterman had been transferred to the 1^st Company on St. Thomas by Governor decreet on 14^th March 1878 according to Vestindiske Rekruttering Talruller page 252. And according to page 255, he was expected to take up command on 2^nd May 1878.

¹⁹ Den Vestindiske Rekruttering Stambøger 1874-1886 page 16.

²⁰ LEGER EN VLOOT. Oud-strijder vertelt. Deen M.H.H. Flammé.. "De Indische courant". Soerabaia, 09-10-1935, page 15.

Military career in the Netherlands East Indies

²¹ One of them was Poul Hagen Reumert who had been mentioned as the most important Danish actor in the 19^th

century. He gave name to the most important prize given to Danish actors every year the “Årets Reumert.”

²² 2.10.50 Inventaris van het archief van het Ministerie van Koloniën: Stamboeken en pensioenregisters van Militairen KNIL in Oost- en West-Indië, 1815-1949 (1954), NL-HaNA/2.10.50/207/0164

²³ Royal Netherlands Indies Army is Koninlijke Nederlandsch Indië Leger or KNIL in short which will be used here.

²⁴ Reumert Slægten, dens historie og stamtavle by Emmelik Reumert page 36.

²⁵ ”Twaalf jaren koloniaal” by T. R. L. Oehmke.

²⁶ "De locomotief". Semarang, 04-10-1935 page 14.

Martin arrived in Atjeh in the middle of new changes was about to take place. On 19^th August 1884 Colonel Henrij Demmeni had been appointed both Civilian and military governor in Atjeh and its surrounding. A command he took up on 13^th September 1884. Also, the controllers in the subdivisions of Greater Aceh were abolished.

The function of assistant resident on the west coast of Sumatra (located in Melaboeh) and controller in Segli was taken over by the local military commander. The assistant resident on the north and east coast together with the controller in Samalanga together with the local military forces were withdrawn.

Another work that was in progress was the moving around of the troops. The posts contained between 75 and 150 men supported by two or three guns. A job which had to be done by 1^st March 1885 although everyone agreed that the Athjenese would not allow it to go on peacefully. That the Dutchmen pulled back to this new line of defense the Atjehnese saw as a victory. Those kampongs the Dutchmen retreated from were punished by the Atjehnese.

According to the newspapers Martin was stationed in Atjeh from 1884 – 1889.²⁷ It was not until 9^th November 1887 that he was transferred to the Garrison Battalion in Atjeh. So, before that, he can very well have made part of a field battalion that had companies in both Atjeh and Padang.²⁸

Being in Atjeh meant that Martin now was in a warzone. He still had to stand guard and participate in the improvement of positions while in camp. Being on patrol was tougher than he had been used to on St. Croix. Although it had been difficult to look through the sugarcanes it did not bring the same dangers as in Atjeh.

While patrols in Atjeh always brought a risk of ambushes. While the high sugarcanes on St. Croix had been a serious danger during the unrest. In Atjeh ambushes could be expected everywhere in the dense terrain. Also, the Beaumont rifle was not suitable for close encounters in Atjeh. They were also longer than he had been used to on St. Croix and used prisoners to carry the heavy loads.

In 1889 it was time for Martin to renew his contract with the KNIL which he did. But he did not stay on in Atjeh. Instead, he was transferred to the other end of the Netherland East Indies and ended up on Ambon and Ternate.

The Dutchmen never got complete control of the Atjeh. It continued to be a thorn in the eye of the Dutch for whom it became a training ground for counterinsurgency.²⁹ Ambon and Ternate on the other hand was another matter.

Ambon had been under Dutch influence since 1625. While Atjeh was a warzone Ambon was a recruiting zone. Many Ambonese were recruited for the KNIL. They were Christian, could be trusted, and were good fighters.

²⁷ De jarige oud-strijder M. Flammé. "De locomotief". Samarang, 18-10-1939, page 8.

²⁸ For instance, the 17^th Field Battalion had compagnies at both places.

²⁹ As late as 2003 the Indonesian government started pacification operations in the province after negotiations with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) broke down.

Retirement

After serving for 12 years Martin left military service as a private 1^st class on 6^th February 1895. He had received the war medal with the clasp for Atjeh 1873-85 for his participation. Also, he had received both the bronze and silver medal for faithful service. In the KNIL it was only possible to serve for two periods of six years when you were below the rank of sergeant major.

According to one of the newspaper interviews he gave he had a njaj (girlfriend). It was normal for a soldier to have a native girlfriend. Also, it was not uncommon that the girlfriend stayed behind. Found a new soldier or married a local man. Although he received a pension it was not much he only got f 200 a year. It was not enough to make a living for two.

From 1895 - 1907 he stayed in the Netherlands East Indies moving to Batavia on Java. In 1907 he returned to Europe onboard ss “Majono.” The trip was paid for by the government paid which he was entitled to according to his contract.

It is not known why he chose to return to Europe. Life in Europe was not easier than when he returned from the Danish East Indies. His mother had passed away in 1905 and his sister lived a happy family life. In 1909 he was back in the Netherlands East Indies. In 1923 he appeared in a booklet ”Bede om hulp”³⁰ published by the Non-Commissioned Officer Association of the KNIL which showed the simple life he was living:

 “The man lives in a bamboo hut, 2.70 m high and square, the floor consists of hard pounded earth. Ceiling is not to be seen, one looks at the roof that way, or rather, through the roof. Light and air must pass through the open entrance. The sleeping place consists of baleh-baleh on which a hump bag of 2 cm thickness, without a mosquito net. Its further furniture consists of an old lying chair, a rocking chair in the garden, while a box takes the place of a cupboard. For which he pays f 4 per month.

He sews and washes his own clothes, all despite his age of 68 years. His breakfast consists of a sandwich with a cup of coffee, which he buys from a native warong (shop). He pays for that coffee per month in advance to be sure to have it. That is an expense of 60 cents per month. His lunch consists of some rice with salty fish. He cooks this for days at a time. He usually wears a blue jacket with ditto trousers, as is often worn by the Chinese. Additional earnings are excluded. He is now supported by the support committee in Malang.”

Bronbeek was built early in the 19^th century. In 1845 the Dutch King William III bought it. He donated it to the Dutch state in 1859. His wish was that it became a home for disabled KNIL soldiers.³¹ On 2^nd August 1926, the “Indian Bronbeek” opened its doors in Bandung. Here Martin became the first former soldier of the KNIL to become an inhabitant of this new home. Here he became the darling of the newspapers, as they often carried stories from his birthday like in 1939:

“Monday was a big day for Martin Herman Heinrich Flammé. On the occasion of his 84^th birthday, this former fighter in the Indish Bronbeek was paid an appropriate tribute by the central management of this institution, in the presence of very many interested parties.

The local military commander at Meester Cornelis Colonel Berger had allowed the regimental music to take part.

With music in the lead, Flammé was greeted by the chairmanship of the Indish Bronbeek, in the form of the chairman Mr. A. C. Sandkuyl, the members Dr. H. Jansen and former Colonelr J. Biegel, as well as all veterans, were present. Here he was congratulated and complimented by Dr. Jansen, after which the “birthday child” was brought to the daycare center with music in front. Mr. Flammé entered supported by the arm of Colonel Biegel. He was addressed by Mr. Sandkuyl and then by Colonel Biegel. Twice, after the speeches, a “Long live Her Majesty the Queen” was instituted, and twice the music agreed to play the “Wilhelmus”, which was sung by all.”³²

Although the newspapers kept calling him a Dane through the years. And it does not look like he had any contact with the Danish community. Martin found pleasure in listening to Queen Wilhelmina’s speeches on the radio. And most likely considered himself to be a Dutchman.

But those days got an abrupt end when the war broke out in the Far East on 7^th/8^th December 1941. The Japanese advance went faster than expected. The KNIL not being used to fighting such an organized enemy capitulated on 9^th March 1942. For Martin, it meant he ended up in an internment camp.

³⁰ Page 5.

³¹ The inhabitants took their collections of 'souvenirs' with them. Turning the castle into a museum about the Netherlands East Indies. (It still functions as a home for former members of the Dutch military. It also serves as a museum for the Dutch military presence in the former Netherlands East Indies today Indonesia. As mentioned in the beginning.)

³² "De locomotief". Semarang, 18-10-1939.

Postscript

It is not known which camp Martin ended up in but he lived to know that the Japanese capitulated on 15^th August 1945. Unlike in Europe peace arrived very slowly in the Far East. At the Potsdam Conference, it was agreed upon that no territory was to be occupied before the official capitulation was signed in Tokyo Bay. Which did not take place until 2^nd September.

The Indian Bronbeek was used as an internment camp by the Japanese during the war. But it is not known if Martin stayed there or for how long. After the war, the Indonesians continued to use it as an internment camp. In January 1946 the 3/5^th Gurkha Rifles received evidence from a prisoner that a mass murder of 50 people had taken place there.³³

In the Netherlands East Indies, it meant that the nationalists with Sukarno upfront proclaimed independence on 17^th August. Starting what became known as the bersiap period. How Martin took all the hardship is not known. A thing that may have helped him is the simple life he was living at the time of the occupation.

What is known is that he passed away on 26^th November without any reason being mentioned. His family in Denmark most likely never learned what happened to him. In the papers from the Dutch Wargrave Commission next of kind is mentioned as unknown.

At first, he was buried at the cemetery Petamburan. But on 27^th October 1956, he was moved to the Honor Field Menteng Polo where he was reburied on 1^st November 1956.³⁴

³³ 2.13.132 Inventory of the collection of archives Armed Forces in the Netherlands East Indies, (1938 - 1939) 1941 - 1957 [1960] 1045 Daily operational situation reports of Headquarters 23rd Indian Division, January 2 - November 16. 1946, page 9 .
³⁴ 2.19.255.01 List of persons files War Graves Foundation 42732A Martin Herman Heinrich Flammé.