Extract from the service record of H. N. A. Swart

Properties2
tagsdocument, record, military, dutch, knil, biography, aceh, 20th-century
aliasesSwart's service record, extract from Swart's stamboek, stamboek Swart, Staat van Dienst Swart

9 min read

The Uittreksel uit het stamboek (“service record”) van Henri Nicolaas Alfred Swart was the extract from the official service record of H. N. A. Swart, printed as an appendix to du Croo’s Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh. It gives the precise dates of his appointments, promotions, wounds and decorations from 1880 to 1922.

Personal particulars

Born 12 October 1863 at Tjibitoeng in the East Indies. Father: Klaas. Mother: Cornelia Maria Johanna Maria Gouay. Afflicted with myopic astigmatism of 3/4 D. in both eyes. Married on 22 May 1901 to Miss Victorina Maria Geertruida Stadlmair, then twenty-three years old. These notes on the Staat van Dienst were signed on 30 September 1918 by Lieutenant-General Van Rietschoten as army commander.

Netherlands service

Indies service

  • 7 May 1887: departed for the East Indies with the s.s. Zuid-Holland.
  • 17 June 1887: arrived at Batavia.
  • 22 June 1887: posted to the 6th Battalion.
  • 20 August 1891: transferred to the Korps Pupillen te Gombong, and in connection therewith carried à la suite of his arm.
  • 7 April 1892: 1ste Luitenant, with the stipulation that he remain posted to the Korps Pupillen and carried à la suite.
  • 27 October 1894: transferred to the Subsistentenkader at Semarang, and accordingly brought back from à la suite.
  • 29 March 1895: appointed adjutant to the 11th Battalion.
  • 11 December 1895: honourably relieved of his adjutancy and transferred to the Subsistentenkader at Batavia.
  • 23 January: transferred to the IInd Division of the Departement van Oorlog (Head Bureau of Infantry).
  • 24 July 1898: Kapitein.
  • 22 November 1898: transferred to the 7th Battalion.
  • 30 May 1899: transferred to the 12th Battalion.
  • 15 May 1900: transferred to the 18th Battalion.
  • 6 July 1900: granted a year’s leave to Europe for long service, with retention of claim to promotion.
  • 18 July 1900: departed thither with the s.s. Lawoe.
  • 21 August 1901: returned from leave with the s.s. Koning Willem III.
  • 17 September 1901: posted to the 12th Battalion.
  • 8 February 1902: transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion of Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden and in connection therewith à la suite of his arm.
  • 27 March 1902: charged with the government of the division of the XXV Moekims with the southern settlements (Afdeeling Groot Atjeh).
  • 17 July 1902: relieved of the government of the sub-division sagi of the XXV Moekims and southern settlements and charged with the government of the sub-division Poelò Raja with the title of Civiel Gezaghebber.
  • 12 October 1903: honourably relieved of the government of the sub-division Poelò Raja with thanks for the good services rendered by him to the Land; and charged with the government of the sub-division Lho’ Seumawè, Afdeeling Onderhoorigheden van Atjeh, the commission to be regarded as temporary.
  • 24 October 1903: extraordinarily promoted Majoor, for outstanding deeds and for extraordinary military talents demonstrated in action.
  • 4 June 1904: his transfer to the 12th Battalion approved.
  • 3 March 1905: temporarily charged with the Civil and Military Authority in the residency of the South and East Division of Borneo, and in connection therewith carried à la suite of his arm, at a salary of 1,250 guilders a month and the further lawful advantages attached to the post of resident of that province, with the stipulation that he exercise those functions under the title of Civiel en Militair Resident der South and East Division of Borneo, and that for the duration of the commission his military income stand still, free medical treatment for himself and his family remaining assured.
  • 3 April 1905: honourably relieved of the government of the sub-division Lho’ Seumawè with thanks.
  • 24 October 1905: Luitenant-kolonel, with the stipulation that he remain temporarily charged with the Civil and Military Authority in Borneo and carried à la suite.
  • 9 July 1906: by virtue of the power referred to in article 43 of the Reglement op het beleid der Regeering in Nederlandsch-Indië, temporarily charged with effect from 3 September 1906 with the Civil and Military Authority in the Gouvernement Celebes en Onderhoorigheden, at a salary of 1,500 guilders a month, with the title of Civiel en Militair Gouverneur van Celebes en Onderhoorigheden and simultaneously Military Commander of Menado and Timor en Onderhoorigheden.
  • 4 May 1908: with thanks for the many and weighty services rendered by him in Celebes, appointed Military Commander of Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden and simultaneously Governor of that province, at 1,500 guilders a month, with the title of Civielen en Militairen Gouverneur van Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden.
  • 10 June 1908: assumed the government of Atjeh.
  • 31 March 1909: extraordinarily promoted Kolonel, for outstanding military deeds and extraordinary military talents demonstrated in action.
  • 18 November 1911: Generaal-Majoor.
  • 6 September 1912: Luitenant-Generaal.
  • 12 August 1918: appointed with effect from September 1918 Vice-President of the Raad van Nederlandsch-Indië, and honourably discharged from Her Majesty’s military service with thanks, with a pension of 9,000 guilders a year, suspended for the duration of the Vice-Presidency.
  • 4 January 1922: honourably discharged at his own request from the service of the State, with renewed thanks.

Campaigns and wounds

Campaigns recorded: operations against Atjeh in 1890, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904 and 1905; operations in the Doesoen and Dajak lands in 1905 and 1906; operations in Celebes in 1906, 1907 and 1908; operations in the Gouvernement of Celebes en Onderhoorigheden in 1908; operations in Atjeh in 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915 and 1916.

Wounds:

Decorations and rewards

  • Knight 4th Class of the Militaire Willemsorde, for his conduct at various encounters with the enemy in Atjeh during 1890, royal decree of 30 August 1891 no. 2.
  • Eereteeken voor belangrijke krijgsbedrijven: Atjeh 1873–1890; Atjeh 1906–1910; South Celebes 1905–1908; Lesser Sunda Islands 1905–1909.
  • A sum of 825 guilders as reward for translating into Malay the Uittreksel uit de Recrutenschool with the principal duties and rules of conduct of the soldier and of the group commander in action, decree no. 13 of 15 September 1898.
  • Knight 3rd Class of the Militaire Willemsorde (“Military William Order”), for distinction in the operations in Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden from 1 June 1899 to 31 December of that year, royal decree of 13 July 1900 no. 29.
  • The distinguishing mark for long Netherlands service as an officer, awarded 6 December 1901.
  • Commander of the Militaire Willemsorde, for distinction in the operations on the island of Soembawa between 16 February and 9 May 1908, royal decree of 2 September 1909 no. 41.
  • Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, royal decree of May 1909 no. 7.
  • Adjutant in Extraordinary Service to Her Majesty the Queen, royal decree no. 65 of 7 April 1916.
  • Grand Officer in the Orde van Oranje-Nassau, royal decree of 27 August 1921 no. 49.

The three citations

First distinction, as second lieutenant. Attached as 2e luitenant to the expeditionary 6th Battalion Infantry at Idi. “On 11 June 1890, during the attack on the enemy positions on the left bank of the Idi river, he was the first to force his way into the fortification situated on the summit of the Roembia and defended almost to the last moment; a moment later he was wounded — a shot through the muscles of the left upper arm — had himself bandaged and immediately thereafter, at the head of his section, again took part in the further operations.” Appointed Knight of the M.W.O. 4th Class.

Second distinction, as captain. The capture of the enemy positions behind the Pasei river, as commander of a company of the 12th Battalion Infantry. “On 21 June 1899, during the operations at Geudong in support of the marechaussee, being sent with his company to the foremost line and coming up against the heavily swollen Pasè river, he at once took energetic measures for the river crossing despite the violent enemy fire delivered at short range. He then crossed the river and, having gathered some seventeen soldiers about him on the right bank, drove the superior enemy with great skill and daring out of his more southerly position by a flank attack, inflicting heavy loss, and afterwards maintained himself in the captured position while awaiting the arrival of further troops.” And the capture of the enemy position on the Glé Risé: “On 21 November following, leading his company with judgement and with great intrepidity in the attack on the very strong position stubbornly defended by the enemy.” Appointed Knight of the M.W.O. 3rd Class.

Third distinction, as colonel. “For the manner in which, in the years 1905, 1906, 1907 and the beginning of 1908, he acquitted himself of the heavy task of Civil and Military Resident in the South and East Division of Borneo and of Civil and Military Governor of Celebes and Dependencies, and for the outstanding deeds of courage, judgement and loyalty shown by him as commander and general leader of various operations and engagements in those provinces.” Appointed Commander of the M.W.O.

Significance

The stamboek extract is the documentary skeleton of du Croo’s biography and the source of all its precise dates. It also fixes the discrepancy over Swart’s initials: it gives the name as Henri Nicolaas Alfred Swart, though other sources render the initials differently.

See Also

Source

Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh (“General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh”), by M. H. du Croo, Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with the collaboration of H. J. Schmidt, Titular Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with a foreword by His Excellency Lieutenant-General K.N.I.L. (retired) G. K. Dijkstra (Maastricht: N.V. Leiter-Nypels, 1943), Appendix: Extract from the service record of H. N. A. Swart, pp. 171–175.

Graph View

Backlinks