MEDALS, DUTCH (3) plus citation, photographs and documents.

(1-5) A framed British distinguished service citation, three Dutch bronze World War Two medals:
1.MEDAL, Bronzen Leeuw ( Bronze Lion), bronze cross with central circular shield with raised relief of the crowned lion of the Netherlands. The silk ribbon, originally alternating orange and dark blue vertical stripes is now faded to yellow and light blue.
2.MEDAL, Bronzen Kruis ( Bronze cross) with Honourable Mention (crown), Bronze cross with central 'W' surmounted by crown and circled by wreath. The silk ribbon, originally gold with a single central vertical stripe, has faded to pale yellow with light blue stripe.
3. MEDAL, Oologsherinnerings Kuis (Commemorative Cross of the War, 1940-1945). Bronze cross, with a 'W' on each arm with a central raised relief bust of Queen Wilhelmina surrounded by an oval garter bearing the words: 'VOOR KRIJGSVERRICHTINGEN', against a wreath background. The orange and green vertical silk striped ribbon is a bogenband style, a suspension ribbon arched at the bottom to form a “U”-shape. It has three bronze bars: (top) A general service bar reading: 'OORLOGSDIENST-KOOP_VAARDIJ/ 1940-1945' (Merchant navy), (middle) special operations bar: JAVA-ZEE 1941-1942, (bottom) A general service bar reading: 'OOST-AZIE-ZUID PACIFIC, 1942-1945'.
Note, original record recorded stated 'Attached with the medals is a bar with three stars for dress uniform'. This is missing.
4. CERTIFICATE, British distinguished service citation. Under gold embossed royal coat of arms the certificate reads, printed in black and hand written red ink: 'By the KING"S Order the name of/Mr Aadrian Abraham Brevet,/Second Engineer Officer, mv. Ordina (sic),/ was placed on record on/14 April, 1943,/as mentioned in a Despatch fo distinguished service./I am charged to express/His Majesty's high appreciation./ (signed) A.V. Alexander/First Lord of the Admiralty.
5. PICTURE FRAME, glazed, plain gloss black frame with acid browned card mount. Top window frames citation certificate. Three swing mounted medals (L-R 1, 2, 3) fixed individually to mount board below.
6. CERTIFICATE, for the award of the Commemorative Cross of the War, 1940-1945. White (now cream) rectangularcard printed in black, grey, green and orange. top left corner features picture of the medal and ribbon. Below, certificate reads in part: 'TOEGEKEND AAN/ (typed:) DE HEER/ADRIAAN ABRAHAM BREVET/ GEBOREN 8 DECEMBER 1909 TE UTRECHT/ ID.NO. 112130'. Right half reads in part: 'MINISTERIE VAN VERKEER EN WATERSTAAT; GELET OP HET KONINKLIJK BESLUIT VAN/ 6 JANUARI 1948, STAATSBLAD No I 6;/KENT TOE/AAN (typed:) ADRIAAN ABRAHAM BREVET/ (printed:) 'HET OORLOGSHERINNERINGSKRUIS/ MET DE GESPEN/ (typed:) "OORLOGSDIENST KOOPVAARDIJ 1940-1945" (Merchant navy)/ "JAVA-ZEE 1941-1942"/ "OOST-AZIE-ZUID PACIFIC, 1942-1945"/ S-GRAVENHAGE, 17 Februari 1953/ DE MINISTER VOORNOEMD/ (signed) (undecipherable).
7. POSTAL ENVELOPE, for Commemorative Cross Certificate. Reads in part: 'DIENST/ MINISTERIE VAN VERKEER EN WATERSTAAT/...no.822/DIRECTORAAT_GENERAAL/ SHEEPVAART/...Aan; (hand written in ink:) Mr A. A. Brevet/c/o. Norseman Gold Mines/ Norseman/ (Australia)'.
8.FORM LETTER, A5 thin paper, stating bars awarded to accompany the award of the Oologsherinnerings Kuis (Commemorative Cross of the War, 1940-1945). Letterhead reads: 'MINISTERIE VAN VERKEER EN WATERSTAAT. Letter eads in part: 'No.5668/KAB/1006/1006/12/betreffende; A.A Brevet/Oorlogs-Herinneringskruis;/(Id.no. 112130)/' S-GRAVENHAGE, 18 Februari 1953/AAN de Heer A.A.Brevet/c/o Norseman Gold mines/NORSEMAN.-(Australia)...'(Printed) Oorlogsdienst Koopvaardij 1940-1945 (Merchant navy 1940-1945)/(typed) "Java-Zee 1941-1942"/"Oost-Azie-Zuid-Pacific 1942-1045"/DE CHEF VAN HET BUREAU ZEEMANSZORG, signed /(A.MOL).
9. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss. Side shot of oncoming MV Ondina at sea.
10. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss. Battle damaged bow of MV Ondina, moored at Fremantle, 1942, showing two shell holes and scorched peeling paint in bow plates. Back of photo is stamped with puple ink stamp that reads: 'Commonwealth of Australia/ DEPARTMENT/ OF/ INFORMATION'. Scribbled in pencil is number; '13664'.
11. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss, Battle damaged bridge (?) area of MV Ondina, moored at Fremantle, 1942, showing shrapnel holes in superstructure and debri on deck. Back of photo is stamped with puple ink stamp that reads: 'Commonwealth of Australia/ DEPARTMENT/ OF/ INFORMATION'. Scribbled in pencil is number; '13667'.
12. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss, group of Ondina's officer's and gun crew? on the bridge? deck of MV Ondina. Identified is Ondina's Second Engineer Adriaan Abraham Brevet (Dutch) (back row wearing glasses, fifth from left)
13. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss, on decorative (art deco-like) grey mount card. Ondina's officers and gun crew and a large group of Allied servicemen (Dutch, British and Australian), civilians and religious clerics seated or standing around a silver service set table at a formal dinner at the Flying Angel Missions to Seamen, Fremantle?, honouring Ondina's personnel. Identified in the photo are: Ondina's Third Engineer H. Leys (Dutch)(standing first from left); Ondina's Second Engineer Adriaan Abraham Brevet (Dutch)(standing seventh from left); Ondina's gun layer, M. Visser (Dutch)(standing in far corner, eleventh left); W. M. Nichol (British), Royal Artillery gun crew (standing rear fourth from right); gun layer B. Hammond Royal Australian Navy (seated mid extreme right of photo dressed in RAN uniform with 'gunner' badge on right lower shoulder). On back wall are the Netherland's flag, Ondina's improvised banner, originally hung from it's 4 inch gun, reads: '1 RAIDER/2 AIRCRAFT' and a dark banner with a flying angel motif that reads: 'THE MISSIONS TO SEAMEN'. Rectangular white sticker on bottom right corner of mount reads: 'PHOTOGRAPHY/ by/ SIVYERS/ 106 WILLIAM ST/ PERTH/ WA/ B 8677.' Handwritten on back of mount in biro is; 'Padre to Mission of Seamen?/ Archdeacon Collick/Ex Kalgoorlie Padre?'
14. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands unveiling a plaque at a ceremony on Ondina in port in Melbourne.Either side of him are groups of naval officers with a cameraman to the right. On back hand written in biro: 'Plaque unveiled in Melbourne'.
15. PHOTOGRAPH, B&W, gloss, on plain cream rectangular card mount. Six medal recipients from the Ondina's crew (L-R Second Engineer Adriaan Abraham Brevet, Third Engineer H. Leys, Radio Operator L. Van Gelderen, Quartermaster, A H Kung (possibly Ah Kong), Gun layer, M. Visser (possibly Visseler), Quartermaster Ko Pingkui stand to attention behind two senior Dutch naval officers (L-R Luitenant-Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich, GNL, KCB and Captain ? Koops) dressed in full uniform seated behind Dutch flag draped table. On the wall behind is draped L-R: Large union jack, banner that reads: 'NEDERLAND ZAL HERREIZEN' (the Neterlands shall rise again), large Dutch flag. Hand written in Indain ink on lower right corner is:'Illustrations Ltd./ Perth'. On back are written the names (as above) of those featured in the photo.
16. PASSPORT, Netherlands, Navy blue covered, water damaged. Reads (in part) inside: [p1] 'No.551066, [p3] (Name of bearer)/ [hand written] Brevet/ Adriaan Abraham/...(Profession) [hand written] Machinist/ (Nationality) [ink stamped] NEDERLANDER...[had written] Replaced by passport/No A 20069... [p4] Place and date/ of birth [hand written] Utrecht/ 8 December 1909...[stamped perferation] NL' Includes B&W rectangular passport photograph and signature of A A Brevet on p5.
17. JOURNAL Shell House Journal: Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, Vol.14, No.1, Feb. 1943 containing articles on ship "Ondina", six photos of the ship "Ondina" and its crew, two photos of the crew of "Ondina" mounted on cardboard.

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History Collection

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