War Love Child

The story of John Sopaheluwakan and his sister Elly Hahijary

When I was  6, 7 years old, I lived with my mother and my two brothers near a military camp. Adrie Vermeulen, one of the soldiers stationed there, came around a lot on our door for a couple of weeks. And suddenly, after five weeks, he did not appear anymore. We asked his friend: "Where is Adrie?" “He’s gone”, he said, “he's back to the Netherlands.” Later we learned that my mother had become pregnant of my sister Elly. Father Adrie has never given a sign of life ever after.

Dear all,

I would like to share with you that we visited our half-sister Edwina and her children and grandchildren in Indonesia. Last year we heard of each other’s existence for the first time. We combined this very exciting meeting with a holiday in Indonesia. The last four days of our holiday we stayed at home with Edwina, which was fun. All in all, we know each other pretty well now.

At the age of 48 years, in 1996, Henk urgently needed to hand over his genetical family history because of possible complications following a serious car accident. Only then his younger brother confessed that Henk and his twin brother Vincent have a different, unknown father. Everything is described in a diary of the man they thought was their father. Until that unforgettable moment.

The story of son Jan Tigchelaar

Our story is the reverse of that of the Indonesian warlovechildren. When my father went to the Dutch Indies as a young soldier at the end of 1945, my sister and me were already born. Maybe my father met a girl overthere, because he has never come back to the Netherlands. My mother was left alone with two young children. I've never seen my father ever since.

Unlike most of his military comrades who returned home with the promise to their warlove girls to take care of them and bring them to the Netherlands, 1st class soldier Jan does not want to leave his pregnant girl behind. When the troops leave, Jan stays with her ​​in Indonesia. Only after their baby is born, they can make the trip to the Netherlands together.

A week ago, in August 2011, my mother called me with the words: "There is a child in Indonesia, from your father." She had just heard it from a cousin who was visiting her. I've always felt that there was something peculiar about my father’s military service period in Indonesia, and now it suddenly became a reality. It probably is a boy. Since this telephone call, I am looking for my half-brother.

The story of Dora and the search for her half-brother

In Bandung

Not all our quests for warlovechildren in Indonesia ran smoothly. When we were in Bandung, the city in Indonesia that I know best, we decided to follow a tip from the Netherlands to check on a child of a Dutch soldier. It should not be that difficult to find him? Indeed, we have found his home. But what happened next …

Annegriet Wietsma and Jean Hellwig were traveling in Indonesia in October 2009 for the filming of the documentary Tuan Papa, that was broadcast on Dutch television on July 1, 2010. While they were looking for warlovechildren and soldiers' sweethearts in Java and Bali, they filmed each other to keep the audience posted about their production developments.

Love in wartime. During the colonial war in Indonesia 1946-1949, Dutch soldiers maintained extensive contacts with Indonesian girls. Often they fathered children as a result of their ‘war romances’. Many of these warlovechildren never met their fathers. They kept looking for them all their lives and would like to get in touch. Is there any family in the Netherlands? Fathers also decide, sometimes after sixty years, to search for their withheld children. And children of Dutch marriages may want to meet their unknown Indonesian half brother or half sister.

Are you looking for a father, warlovechild, half brother or half sister? Or are you curious to read the stories of others?

See the quests in Your Search or start a quest yourself. In Information you can read how to undertake a personal search yourself. For stories about love and war, go to:

Warlovechildren in the Netherlands | Warlovechildren in Indonesia | Daddy Soldiers |
Family & kin | Soldiers Sweethearts in Indonesia |
Soldiers in love | Persevering lovers

(Also read Andrea's personal story:  I like the term Warlovechild)

Dear people of the Warlovechild,

I will try to tell you how I came to know about the history of my father. As descibed in ‘stories’, I only knew his name. Luckily I knew the name of my half brother, whom I contacted. Through him I got my father's name and birth date.

Ten years ago I watched television with my wife, the program ‘Spoorloos’ (‘Without a trace’). We always liked watching that program. My wife made a cup of coffee in the kitchen. When she came back in the living room, there were two guys on TV, a twin of almost 50 years old, who sought their father. The boys were born in Surabaya. My wife looked at me and said: 'that boys could be yours...'. In some way or another she saw a resemblance. And then suddenly, my name appeared on screen ...