Meijlink, Robert Petrus Maria

Date of birth:: June 30th, 1924 (Breda/North Brabant, Netherlands)
Date of death:: May 21st, 1949 (Tebing Tinggi/Java, Dutch Indies)
Buried on:: Dutch War Cemetery Leuwigajah
Grave: I619.
Nationality:: Dutch

Biography

Sgt. OVW 1-4-RS

Robert was born on 30 June 1924 in Breda. He volunteered for military service with the Royal Netherlands Army in Nijmegen, where he was assigned as a sergeant to the 1-4 Battalion of the Stoottroepen (Assault Troops).
Due to the outbreak of revolutionary violence during the Indonesian struggle for independence, Robert was sent to the Dutch East Indies to help restore peace and colonial authority. On 14 May 1947, after two and a half months of training, he travelled to the East on the Volendam.
Less than a month later, Robert landed in the port of Belawan in North Sumatra and was stationed on the eastern outskirts of Medan. During the First Police Action from 21 July to 4 August 1947, Robert's battalion moved westward into the interior to provide rear cover for the brigade.
During the night of 23 to 24 July, the battalion successfully repelled a night attack by the revolutionary army on Medan. On the 30th, it was transferred to Loeboekpakam to secure the road between Medan and Tebing Tinggi.
In January 1948, after the signing of the Renville Agreement, the battalion was deployed to escort revolutionary soldiers to republican territory. In April, it was transferred to Padang on the west coast, where the battalion enjoyed a quieter period, but infiltrators still had to be fought north of the city.
During and after the Second Police Action from 19 December 1948 to 5 January 1949, Robert and his battalion were deployed on heavy patrols and purges through the interior of Sumatra. Afterwards, the battalion returned to the north and was stationed around Fort de Kock, where they again encountered fierce resistance from revolutionary guerrillas.
Despite the fierce fighting during this period, it was a tragic accident that proved fatal for Robert. On 21 May 1949, he was killed in a serious car accident in Tebing Tinggi. He was 24 years old and was laid to rest at the Dutch military cemetery in Leuwigajah, Cimahi.

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