Date of birth:

August 10th, 1911 (Ginneken/North Brabant, Netherlands)

Date of death:

August 2nd, 1946 (Semarang/Java, Dutch Indies)

Buried on:

Dutch War Cemetery Candi
Plot: C. Grave: 216.

Nationality:

Dutch

Sld Ekl.St-T
KNIL

Antonius was born on 10 August 1911 in Ginneken, the fourth of six children of Cornelis Wagemans and Geertruida Boekhoorn. He was a soldier, but it is unclear whether he served in the KNIL or the Royal Netherlands Army. As a result, nothing can be said with certainty about his service in the Netherlands or the Dutch East Indies.

Two days after the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, Soekarno and Mohammed Hatta declared Indonesia's independence. When, shortly afterwards, the British and Dutch appear to be preparing to restore the old colonial authority, the period of the Bersiap (“be prepared”) begins, during which mainly foreigners and European and Indonesian Dutch people declared enemies become victims of violence and persecution. Antonius is deployed to restore peace and Dutch authority in order to fulfil his military service.

However, it is unclear whether Antonius was sent directly from the Netherlands or whether he was called up again from Japanese captivity. Admiral Lord Mountbatten, commander-in-chief of the South East Asia Command (SEAC), announced a landing ban for Java and Sumatra, much to the anger of the Dutch military.

His aim was to prevent the chaotic situation in the archipelago from escalating into a large-scale war in which the British troops still stationed there could become embroiled. Until then, Antonius was stationed in British Malacca, where he was assigned to the staff of the T-brigade established there.

At the beginning of March 1946, with the lifting of the ban, Antonius was able to disembark in Semarang, where the T-brigade took over the posts of British units and remained active for the following months. On 2 August 1946, Antonius was killed in Semarang. He is believed to have been killed in the fighting against revolutionary forces, but an accident cannot be ruled out. Antonius was 34 years old and was laid to rest at the Dutch military cemetery Candi in Semarang.

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• Photo 1: Oorlogsgravenstichting
• Photo 2: Oorlogsgravenstichting
• - Antonius Laurentius Wagemans | Oorlogsgravenstichting
  - Antonius Wagemans | Brabantse Gesneuvelden
  

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