Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Kapitein der Infanterie (Captain)

Awarded on:

September 13th, 1947

Citation:
"Performed acts of courage, skill, and perseverance against the enemy. Captain van Hemert, along with three other soldiers, escaped from the Wagele POW camp (West Burma) on October 4, 1942, after refusing to sign the declaration requiring them to promise not to escape (since escaping after signing would result in execution not only for those who might have escaped, but also for several of their neighboring barracks mates, something that had already happened once in their presence to eight Australians).
After trekking through the primeval forests for 12 days, they encountered a pro-British Katar tribe, who guided them to the center of the Karen district, 34 miles away. Because it was learned that the Japanese were searching for them everywhere, they went into hiding for the time being; moreover, joining Allied troops was not possible for the time being. In September 1943, they joined a band of robbers at Makatoh, 11 miles southeast of Moulmein, which was armed with R.E. rifles and brens.

Captain van Hemert reorganized this band into a regular guerrilla force, after which they regularly raided Japanese posts and transports. Many weapons were seized, vehicles destroyed, and enemy losses were also inflicted.

In July 1944, they were finally surrounded by Japanese patrols, along with pro-Japanese Burmese, from which cordon escape proved impossible. One of the soldiers mentioned above had previously separated from the group and was murdered by the population. Captain van Hemert and the other two soldiers, after being chased through the woods for days, in pouring rain, without food, and suffering from severe malaria attacks, were finally so exhausted that further resistance was futile.
They were captured on July 31, 1944, and after severe beatings, transported to Bangkok, where the Japanese Kempeitai sentenced Captain van Hemert to life imprisonment and the other two to 15 years of hard labor. Imprisoned in the notorious Outram Gaol in Singapore, Captain van Hemert died of famine on June 10, 1945."

*One of these soldiers was Soldier Richard Hofmann.

Royal Decree No. 20
Awarded posthumously
2114th Award.