Date of birth:

April 27th, 1918 (Heer, the Netherlands)

Date of death:

April 27th, 1993 (Maastricht, the Netherlands)

Service number:

stbkn 4510971 / MP nummer 20448

Nationality:

Dutch (1815-present, Kingdom)

Joseph Pieter "Pie" Weerts, together with his brother became a member of the Guard Troops of Maastricht in October 1944.
On 17 February 1945 he enlisted as a war volunteer (OVW) and was sent to London for his training as Assistant Aircraft Mechanic 3rd Class in the Dutch Royal Navy.
On April 1, 1946 he was promoted to Assistant Aircraft Mechanic 2nd Class.

In 1947 he was transferred to Hr. Ms. Piet Hein and he took part in the Police Actions in the Dutch East Indies. As a crew member on the Hr. Ms. Piet Hein he was involved in the following military actions:
- Watoe Dadel, Bali's narrow street (July 1947)
- Pasir Putih (July 1947)
- Tjilatjap (August 1947)

Pie was also stationed for a while on the Dutch 1st aircraft carrier Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman (QH1). This remained the ship that impressed him the most.

On April 27, 1993, Pie died on his 75th birthday from cardiac arrest.
After his cremation, his ashes were scattered over the sea.

On 17 June 2020, Pie was posthumously awarded by the Ministry of Defense with the Medal for Order and Peace after a detailed investigation by his grandson R. Bronkhorst.

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• Photo 1: Prive collectie R. Bronkhorst (1893-2020)
• Photo: Private collection R. Bronkhorst (1893-2020)
• - Personal file Dutch Royal Navy