The Koninklijke Militaire Academie (KMA) — the Royal Military Academy at Breda — is the principal officers’ training school of the Dutch army, founded in 1828 and housed in the aloude Bredasche kasteel (the old castle of Breda). The KMA trained officers for all arms of the metropolitan army and for the Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger; from 1869, under the new law on the regulation of instruction at the Academy, the four-year course was reduced to a two-year course for officers of all arms (with an additional one-year applicatiecursus for artillery and engineer officers from 1872). As a transitional measure, in 1869 and 1870 cadets were admitted to a three-year course for all arms. Among the graduates of the KMA in this transitional cohort was Generaal C. J. Snijders, who entered in September 1869, graduated on 14 July 14 July 1872 as No. 1 of his four-man rotatie of engineers, and later returned to the KMA as Hoofd van Onderwijs (Head of Instruction) in the Genie-wetenschappen from 1887 to 1894.
The KMA of 1869–1872
The cadet Snijders entered the KMA on 3 September 3 September 1869 as a “jonker.” Cadet life was then a strict internal regime — no Easter or Christmas leave, no weekend home visits. Snijders kept somewhat in the background — his meagre cadet pay, not supplemented from home, kept him from many festivities — and was a member of the fencing society “Arena” in his first year and of the shooting society “Attila” in his second. In his oldest year he served on the redaction committee of the Kadetten-Almanak, contributing the year-verslag of 1871 — his first published work. Academically he was No. 1 of his class from first to last; when the four-man rotatie passed the officers’ examination on 14 July 14 July 1872 he was awarded two honorary prizes: a portrait of King Willem III in a gilded frame for excellence in linear drawing, and a revolver with inscription in a case for excellence in practical aptitude.
The Snijders Succession at the KMA
Snijders returned to the KMA as a teacher of versterkingskunst, pionierkunst, geniereglementen, and lijnteekenen from 1876 to 1880 (under his old superior W. Badon Ghijben as Hoofd van Onderwijs); he then served as Hoofd van Onderwijs in the Genie-wetenschappen from 1887 to 1894, succeeding W. Cool. His Handboek der Pionierkunst voor het Nederlandsche Leger, in twelve parts published from 1880 to 1887 (with a second edition in 1903–1908), was introduced as the official textbook for the cadets of all arms at the KMA. His later co-workers included P. C. J. Noorduyn, P. Huffnagel, and F. R. van Roijen.
The KMA Centenary of 1928
The KMA celebrated its centenary at Weltevreden in the Indies in October 1928, in the course of Snijders’s second Indies journey. Snijders, who was then on his Indies tour for the opening of the K.N.I.L.M. lines, attended the centenary celebration on 18 October 18 October 1928.
Maréchaussée officers trained at the K.M.A.
the 1930 jubilee number of Het Nieuws van den Dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië records two officers of the Korps Maréchaussée as having passed through the Koninklijke Militaire Academie at Breda:
- W. V. Rhemrev, who received his education at the former Gymnasium Willem III at Weltevreden and at the K.M.A., and became an officer in 1902
- L. Dersjant, born 23 April 1877, who after completing the K.M.A. was appointed second lieutenant of Infantry in 1900 and placed with the Korps Maréchaussée in February 1903, being pensioned in due course as colonel
See Also
- Cornelis Jacobus Snijders
- Korps Ingenieurs, Mineurs en Sappeurs
- Bataillon Mineurs en Sappeurs
- W. Badon Ghijben
- W. Cool
- Hoogere Krijgsschool
- Vereeniging ter beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap
- Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger
- Franco-Prussian War
- Breda
- Weltevreden
- 1869
- 1872
- 1876
- 1887
- 1894
- 1928
- Het Korps Maréchaussée in Atjeh (Jubileum-nummer 1930)
- Korps Maréchaussée te voet in Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden
- W. V. Rhemrev
- Dersjant
- Gymnasium Willem III
Source
D. van den Berg, Cornelis Jacobus Snijders (1852–1939): Een leven in dienst van zijn Land en zijn Volk (Voorburg: September 1944), pp. 15, 37–39, 49–50, 135. Koninklijke Bibliotheek shelfmark 0301 4872.
The Koninklijke Militaire Academie (KMA) — the Royal Military Academy at Breda — is the principal officers’ training school of the Dutch army, founded in 1828 and housed in the aloude Bredasche kasteel (the old castle of Breda). The KMA trained officers for all arms of the metropolitan army and for the Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger; from 1869, under the new law on the regulation of instruction at the Academy, the four-year course was reduced to a two-year course for officers of all arms (with an additional one-year applicatiecursus for artillery and engineer officers from 1872). As a transitional measure, in 1869 and 1870 cadets were admitted to a three-year course for all arms. Among the graduates of the KMA in this transitional cohort was Generaal C. J. Snijders, who entered in September 1869, graduated on 14 July 14 July 1872 as No. 1 of his four-man rotatie of engineers, and later returned to the KMA as Hoofd van Onderwijs (Head of Instruction) in the Genie-wetenschappen from 1887 to 1894.
The KMA of 1869–1872
The cadet Snijders entered the KMA on 3 September 3 September 1869 as a “jonker.” Cadet life was then a strict internal regime — no Easter or Christmas leave, no weekend home visits. Snijders kept somewhat in the background — his meagre cadet pay, not supplemented from home, kept him from many festivities — and was a member of the fencing society “Arena” in his first year and of the shooting society “Attila” in his second. In his oldest year he served on the redaction committee of the Kadetten-Almanak, contributing the year-verslag of 1871 — his first published work. Academically he was No. 1 of his class from first to last; when the four-man rotatie passed the officers’ examination on 14 July 14 July 1872 he was awarded two honorary prizes: a portrait of King Willem III in a gilded frame for excellence in linear drawing, and a revolver with inscription in a case for excellence in practical aptitude.
The Snijders Succession at the KMA
Snijders returned to the KMA as a teacher of versterkingskunst, pionierkunst, geniereglementen, and lijnteekenen from 1876 to 1880 (under his old superior W. Badon Ghijben as Hoofd van Onderwijs); he then served as Hoofd van Onderwijs in the Genie-wetenschappen from 1887 to 1894, succeeding W. Cool. His Handboek der Pionierkunst voor het Nederlandsche Leger, in twelve parts published from 1880 to 1887 (with a second edition in 1903–1908), was introduced as the official textbook for the cadets of all arms at the KMA. His later co-workers included P. C. J. Noorduyn, P. Huffnagel, and F. R. van Roijen.
The KMA Centenary of 1928
The KMA celebrated its centenary at Weltevreden in the Indies in October 1928, in the course of Snijders’s second Indies journey. Snijders, who was then on his Indies tour for the opening of the K.N.I.L.M. lines, attended the centenary celebration on 18 October 18 October 1928.
See Also
- Cornelis Jacobus Snijders
- Korps Ingenieurs, Mineurs en Sappeurs
- Bataillon Mineurs en Sappeurs
- W. Badon Ghijben
- W. Cool
- Hoogere Krijgsschool
- Vereeniging ter beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap
- Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger
- Franco-Prussian War
- Breda
- Weltevreden
- 1869
- 1872
- 1876
- 1887
- 1894
- 1928
Source
D. van den Berg, Cornelis Jacobus Snijders (1852–1939): Een leven in dienst van zijn Land en zijn Volk (Voorburg: September 1944), pp. 15, 37–39, 49–50, 135. Koninklijke Bibliotheek shelfmark 0301 4872.
Het Korps Maréchaussée in Atjeh: De Atjehsche Garde, 1890 - 2 April 1930 (“The Corps of Maréchaussée in Atjeh: The Atjehnese Guard”), Extra Jubileum-nummer of Het Nieuws van den Dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië issued for the fortieth anniversary of the corps (1930), pp. 1-16. Offprint DLP-143, Bibliotheek KITLV, accession 621 116 794.