On May 4th, the Netherlands commemorates war victims, and on May 5th, the nation celebrates living in freedom. The National Committee for 4 and 5 May guides the ways in which the remembrance of WWII is honored and the meaning of freedom is celebrated.
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima attended the ceremony, and a wreath was laid on Dam Square in remembrance of all civilians and military personnel who lost their lives in Southeast Asia during or shortly after WWII, including those who perished during the colonial conflict in Indonesia due to resistance, internment, violence, exhaustion, starvation, or forced labor. Notably, since 2019, the Dutch East Indies have been explicitly mentioned in the observance.
Joost van Bodegom, former chairman of the 15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation in The Hague, and Isabella (Jessy) Keasberry-Chevallier, retired proprietor of the Indonesian restaurant Djokja in Amsterdam, joined by their granddaughters, laid a wreath in honor of civilians who died in Asia. Chef Jeff Keasberry, Jessy’s son, now serves as vice-chair of The Indo Project board – a non-profit.*
Ditte, a granddaughter of Joost van Bodegom, former chairman of the National Commemoration Foundation on 15 August 1945, spoke the following words:
“Both my grandfathers survived the Japanese concentration camps and then the Bersiap. My grandfather Willem is unfortunately no longer alive today my grandpa Joost is laying a wreath and then think of all the innocent civilians killed in Asia in World War II and after I am aware of it through the stories of my grandfather that passing on and continuing to commemorate are very important.”
Kimberly, granddaughter of Isabelle (Jessy) Keasberry-Chevalier said:
“My grandmother’s father and uncles survived the Japanese internment camps. She, with her mother, was barely able to survive outside the camps. In memory of all those who suffered during the Second World War and died in the Dutch East Indies and areas in Southeast Asia, she lays a wreath today. Also, so that we remember the sacrifices they made, and that we should never take our freedom for granted.”
Liberation Day, or Bevrijdingsdag, on May 5th, is a public holiday in the Netherlands celebrating the end of German occupation during WWII—distinct from the liberation of the Dutch East Indies. Originally, both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies observed liberation on August 31, but in 1946, Queen Wilhelmina changed the date to avoid coinciding with her birthday.
On May 5th, the Netherlands celebrates the absence of war, the restoration of the rule of law following WWII, and the freedom that enables Dutch citizens to live in peace. Festivities occur nationwide throughout the day.
The national celebration begins with the Fifth of May Lecture, an event organized by the National Committee for 4 and 5 May. Each year, an invited speaker delivers a powerful address that reflects on the importance and fragility of freedom, both in the Netherlands and globally. This lecture inspires discussion and contemplation on maintaining and cherishing freedom for all.
While the Netherlands celebrates its liberation on May 5, we must remember that the liberation of the Dutch East Indies came months later. WWII finally ended with Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945, as Emperor Hirohito announced it on the radio, ending three years of occupation. This date, August 15, is often regarded as the world’s saddest Liberation Day. Each year, this day is observed solemnly at the Indies Monument in The Hague to remember the victims of the Japanese occupation and its immediate consequences.
Unlike the exuberant celebrations in the Netherlands on May 5, where Dutch celebrities fly by helicopter from festival to festival, August 15 holds a somber tone. Instead of celebrating, it commemorates the suffering endured under Japanese occupation and remembers a world lost: the Dutch East Indies.
August 15 is bittersweet not only because it could have been a day to celebrate a nation that no longer exists but also because it marked the beginning of four years of chaos, conflict, and ultimately painful repatriation for many.
Liberation in the Indies was vastly different from that in the Netherlands. There were no joyous parades with Allied troops, no American or Canadian jeeps greeted with relief. As Rudy Verheem poignantly put it, it was a “liberation without liberators.” With few Allied bases on distant islands, Java and much of the colony remained a dark void, left to an uncertain future.
Some sources used: Nationaal Comitee 4 & 5 mei, Nationale Herdenking 15 August post, Wikipedia and Ewmagazine.
To report on this event, an article has been posted on May 4, 2022 on theindoproject.org.
*The Indo Project (TIP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the unique heritage and culture of the Indo community—people of mixed European and Indonesian descent, often with roots in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Founded by individuals passionate about Indo history, TIP seeks to foster understanding of this community’s experiences, particularly focusing on the challenges faced during WWII, the Indonesian struggle for independence, and the subsequent migration of Indo people to countries around the world, including the Netherlands, the United States, and beyond.
