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43 ZVE (43rd Indepedent Reconnaissance Squadron) Regiment Huzaren van Boreel was called
up in March 1949, in the
Prins Willem-III barracks in Amersfoort.
The Squadron was formed in June 1949, supplemented by military personel
ex earlier drafts and some other units.
It departed for the then Dutch
Indies on 28th September under the command of Cavalry Captain R.O.
van Manen per troopship "Volendam".
It was the last cavalry unit to be
sent to the
Dutch Indies. 1ste Lt. P.J. van der Bijl was the deputy squadron
commander.
Platoon commanders, respectivily deputy platoon commanders were
conscripted
cornets
C.H.Verwey, L.Rombouts, 1ste platoon
F.Broedelet, A.C.Vogel, 2nd platoon
W.S.E. Verbeek van der Sande (quarter-master)
M. ten Have, 3rd
platoon
J.Faber, storm platoon
M.H.van der Werff (2nd Lt), maintenance platoon.
A month later the
"Volendam" moored in Tandjong Priok harbour on 28th October 1949 and
the Squadron disembarked next day
and was moved to Bandoeng by train.
Following a tropical training that took place South of
Bandung the 43rd ZVE
was split up over various tea plantations in the Patoeha area. The
squadron
left the Patoeha area during the period January-May 1950 and the
platoons
were mooved to Bandoeng, Buitenzorg and Batavia.
The Squadron staff and the service platoon settled at the Poentjak
pass. A
good number of patrol activities were carried out to protect convoys
from
Bandoeng to Tjimahi, Garoet, Poerwakarta, Tji Kampek and Batavia.
After a relatively quiet perod of a few month when the Squadron
platoons
occupied various out-posts, the 1st platoon was transferred to Batavia
and housed in the barracks
of the 10th Batalion Infantry.
On 12th September 1950 4 hussars of this platoon were transferred to
Semarang where they were incorporated with the Platoon Armoured Cars
"Middle-Java" Hussars of Boreel.
28th September the 2nd and 3rd platoon rallied
in Batavia to be transferred to Soerabaya commanded by the Squadron
Commander, to take over from the 42nd ZVE Boreel Hussars Regiment.
They sailed for Soerabaya by M.V. "Kota Inten" where they disembarked
on 1st October
1950.
Both
platoons were housed in the Military Police barracks.
The platoons importantest task in Batavia as well as in Soerabaya
became
the prevention of irregularities between KNIL-soldiers and the TNI.
In
view
of these tasks many patrols were carried out in both towns in
cooperation with the MP.
In the week before Christmas 1950 the 3rd platoon went to Malang
for "Jeep" patrols and to accompany transports of KNIL personel to
Soerabaya .On 7th April 1951 the 3rd platoon returned to Soerabaya .
Her both they and the 2nd platoon started handing over equipment to the
TNI. Between end 1950 and April 1951 bit by bit the
Squadron was repatriated to the Netherlands,
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by vessel such as
"Dorsetshire","Chitral","Nelly", "New Australia", "Ormonde" and
"Zuiderkruis", and through the air per Constallation, the
"Tilburg"
( PH-T.E.T) and per DC4, the "Edam" ( PH-T.C.E ) .
Part of 43 ZVE
were amongst the last members of the Dutch military forces returning
home.
As from 1952, so shortly after our
return home, three refresher training
exercises were held, lasting more than 100 days (!) all in all. The
first
from 21-04-1952 till 14-06-1952 in Amersfoort, the second from
22-11-1954
till 23-12-1954 in Amersfoort and Elsenborn (Belgium) en the last one
from 16-10-1956
till 08-11-1956 in Mill (N.Br.) and Vogelsang (Eifel area).
Originally
the
unit comprised 281 men, 6 of these lost their lifes in the Dutch
Indies, 1
died in the Netherlands as a result of his stay in the Indies.
From 1964 reunions were organised in 1964.
As a rule this meetings are held in a barrack in Amersfoort, first
in the Willem-III, later in the "Bernhard" except one reunion was
held in the
"Kumpulan-Bronbeek" near Arnhem, 50 years after our departure to
Indonesia.
During our reunion of 28the September 1991 the reunion commission
received
the Regimental Medal in Silver from the then Cavalry Commander
Lieutenant-Colonel
J.H.Eleveld for "their devotion to maintaining the mutual ties that
began forty years earlier in Indonesia
"This they did with extreme enthusiasm by organizing reunions,
cycling-events
and the publication of an information booklet forming the basis for the
strong mutual ties still in existence today".
Our hotline was a method
for informing others of the death of an army
friend. This falicitates the tendering of the last respects.
One person phones two others, etc, the message spreading through
the whole of the Netherlands like a rapid "tam-tam". These methode is in 2006 exchanged for in e-mail and post
Our annual 4 days cycling-event is perhabs unique in the "veteran"
world.
This event has been taking place since 1988 centered on a camping-farm
or groupaccomodation.
For 4 days 30 to 40 members of our Squadron experience the cordial "the
way
it was then " atmosphere, one has to sleep on the old 1949 metal framed
beds, the original reveille blares loudly-sadly now mechanically and
again too early- and the meals are prepared by our then chefs.
Cycling is not considered as the object but more as a means. If
possible, also
other activities are organized. The annual day of remembrance in
Roermond on the average is attended by some 20 old members of 43rd ZVE.
2004 and 2005 the 43rd ZVE took part in the march past of the Veterans in Wageningen, from 2006 in the Hague.
Our contact-publication " Huzarenstukjes" appears twice per
year.
The symbol of 43rd ZVE is the "Busby" hat
An image of this symbol adorned both our metal sleeve as
well
as our motorised transport.
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