Era Books & Reading
BOOKS
1.) "Celluloid Colony: Locating History and Ethnography in Early Dutch Colonial Films of Indonesia" by Sandeep Ray (2021). While primarily a text, it discusses digitisation efforts and how to access colonial film archives.
2.) "Malang: Beeld van Een Stad" ("Malang: Image of a City") by A. van Schaik
Published in 1996 by Asia Maior in Purmerend, Netherlands, this Dutch-language hardcover spans 160 pages and features numerous black-and-white photographs. The book provides an in-depth exploration of Malang’s local history, architecture, and urban development, highlighting the contributions of prominent architects such as Karel Bos. This publication is part of the Indische stedenreeks (Indonesian Cities Series) by Asia Maior, which also includes volumes on Batavia, Soerabaya, Semarang, and Bandoeng. The series is renowned for its rich visual documentation and scholarly insights into Dutch colonial urban history in Indonesia.
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3.) "Kota di Djawa Tempo Doeloe" ("Cities in Java in the Past") by Olivier Johannes Raap (my new Facebook friend :) Great book full of photos (vintage old postcards.)
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4.) "Malang Tempo Doeloe: Telusuri Dengan Hati" ("Malang Tempo Doeloe: Explore With Your Heart") (2023) by Dwi Cahyono. Detailed historical data and references. Cultural and tourism guides (addresses, phone, fax, email, GPS coordinates.)
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5.) "Arsitektur Di Nusantara" ("Architecture in the Archipelago") by Obbe Norbruis. Lots of information about the architecture (& architects) of old Java.
MEMOIRS/SURVIVOR ACCOUNTS
1.) Sam (via Gerry van Zijll Langhout’s account) Sam, initially interned in Semarang, was later sent to Kesilir. He survived a torpedo attack en route and then endured harsh conditions at the camp. A Dr. Marien saved him from malaria . After Kesilir, Sam was transferred to Bandung .
2.) John K. Stutterheim – The Diary of Prisoner 17326. A detailed diary memoir dedicating Chapter 7 to Kesilir (pages 41–48) .
3.) Harryet Marsman – “Klapperolie voor Kesilir” (Moesson magazine, 1996) A narrative detailing everyday life, agricultural efforts, and prisoner coping mechanisms in Kesilir .
4.) J.G. Wackwitz – Kesilir, July 1942 – September 1943 As the Dutch camp leader, Wackwitz offers an organizational perspective in Moesson (1988), recounting camp structures and prisoner life.
5.) Although Kesilir-focused memoirs are fewer than other camps, these accounts highlight life there.
6.) Ernest Hillen in The Way of a Boy recounts childhood internment in Java camps—including train transfers, though not explicitly Kesilir.
7.) Elizabeth van Kampen describes her internment in East Java (Semarang, Malang, and others) – while not Kesilir, her testimony adds valuable context to the era .
8.) Other memoirs (Jungle Journal, Song of Survival) detail Japanese camps on Java but don’t mention Kesilir explicitly.
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9.) Gerbong Maut - Bondowoso Death Train.
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10.) My Dad Was A Soldier in Indonesia (1946-1949) includes sketches and reflections from Dutch soldiers, offering perspective on the Indonesian National Revolution.
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11.) "FOUR YEARS TILL TOMORROW Despair and Hope in Wartime Dutch East Indies" (Vanderheide; Sheri G. Tromp, Editor.)
Shared by cousin, Ingrid Hendrik, whose dad (my dad's cousin) was put in an internment camp at approx. 13 years old.)
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Explore Further
1.) KITLV Digital Collections — holds photos, letters, and oral histories from internment camps in Indonesia.
2.) NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies — archives with testimonies and documents on Japanese occupation camps.
3.) YouTube and Dutch public broadcasters sometimes have documentaries with survivor interviews or historical footage about internment camps in Java.