Murder Of Allied Troops

Hi Keith...

I'm in the process of moving and all my research materials are in storage, so this is mostly from memory.

There were actually quite a few murders of not only Allied troops, but also Dutch government officials once it became clear that Dutch rule on the NEI was loosening. The Javanese and Achanese (Sumatra) were the most hostile toward the Dutch, the former thanks primarily to nationalistic fervor, while the latter just wanted to be independent (as they still desire today) of outside rule.

In addition to the Perth crewmen I have read about multiple instances of small groups of Allied soldiers being killed by natives; virtually all of these murders took place on Java in late February/early March 1942. I believe several men from the Houston were also killed following her loss in the Soenda Strait although I could be mistaken. Three Dutch airmen from the PBY Y-63 were killed by villagers on Java after they had survived for several weeks after being shot down by Japanese aircraft. A number of Dutch sailors were also killed in the interior of Borneo by Dyak tribesmen (headhunters), although I don't know the circumstances (i.e. if they were anti-Dutch, protecting their territory against outsiders or if perhaps they were just hungry). Nor was it particularly uncommon for local Dutch officials in the interior to be killed as Dutch colonia rule collapsed.

It was definitely a sorry situation if you were a Westerner wandering around alone on Java...or even in a small group. If you were in a large group you probably wouldn't be attacked; being armed probably didn't hurt your chances. Nonetheless, the odds were extremely high that the Javanese in particular would turn you into the Japanese. Even if you happed into a pro-Dutch village it wasn't uncommon for Allied troops to receive a cold shoulder. The villagers often wanted them to move along ASAP since being caught by the Japanese with white soldiers often meant serious trouble for the locals. And even in "friendly" villages the threat of being turned in remained high since the Japanese promised a cash reward for any Allied soldiers.

In Northern Sumatra virtually the entire province of Atjeh was in revolt following the surrender of the Allies on Java, although some 9,000 Dutch troops continued to resist. I suspect that the Japanese sent in groups of pro-independence agitators to get the locals torqued up. Either way, I believe the Atjanese rebels killed a few Dutch civilians and government officials.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Tom