Date of birth:

September 4th, 1924 (Breda/North Brabant, Netherlands)

Date of death:

June 10th, 1946 (Semarang/Java, Dutch Indies)

Buried on:

Dutch War Cemetery Candi
Grave: C227.

Nationality:

Dutch

Sold. ekl. 2-13 R.I.

Willem was born on 4 September 1924 in Breda and lived in Nieuwenhagen, Limburg. He volunteered for military service in the Royal Netherlands Army and was assigned as a soldier to the 2-13 Infantry Regiment. The battalion was formed in March 1945 in Mönchengladbach as a continuation of a guard battalion from the Heerlen region. In mid-September 1945, Willem left for Aldershot in the United Kingdom, where the battalion was equipped for its upcoming service in the Dutch East Indies. A few days after the Japanese surrender, Soekarno and Mohammed Hatta proclaimed Indonesia's independence. This marked the beginning of the chaotic Bersiap period, during which foreigners and declared enemies of the republic – Dutch, British, Japanese, Chinese and Dutch Indonesians – were the victims of extreme violence. Willem was sent to the Dutch East Indies as part of the Dutch army to restore peace and Dutch authority.
In mid-October, he left on the Alcantara; his battalion was the first to travel to the East. However, Admiral Lord Mountbatten, commander of the Allied South East Asia Command (SEAC), issued a landing ban for Dutch troops on Java and Sumatra with effect from 2 November 1945, much to the anger of the Dutch military. With this ban, Mountbatten wanted to prevent the situation from escalating into a large-scale war in which the British troops still present in the Dutch East Indies would become embroiled. The Alcantara therefore diverted to British Malacca, where it was temporarily stationed in Serdang near Kuala Lumpur. After the landing ban was lifted in March 1946, Willem went ashore in Semarang.
Willem was initially deployed to guard the southern access roads to Semarang. When the shock troops arrived a few days later, his battalion was also deployed to the front around the city for the coming months.
On 10 June 1946, Willem was killed in action during fighting around Semarang. He was 21 years old and was laid to rest at the Dutch military cemetery Candi in Semarang.

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• Photo 1: Oorlogsgravenstichting
• - Willem Ligthart | Oorlogsgravenstichting
  - Willem Ligthart | Brabantse Gesneuvelden
  

Helaas geen map gevonden.