F. F. L. Lingen was a Dutch military physician (first-class medical officer, dirigerend officier van gezondheidsdienst 1e klasse) who served in the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL). He belonged to the so-called “Atjeh-party” (Atjeh-party), the group of KNIL prisoners of war who were dispatched by the Japanese during the occupation to work on the Pakan Baroe railway (P. Baroe spoorbaan) in Sumatra. Lingen was repatriated to the Netherlands on 21 June 1950.
Service with the Atjeh-party
The “Atjeh-party” was one of several groups of Dutch and Allied prisoners of war used as forced labour on Japanese military construction projects. After initially being held in Atjeh, this group was sent to P. Baroe (Pakan Baroe) in central Sumatra to work on the railway line that the Japanese were building to connect the east and west coasts of Sumatra. Despite the lack of medicines and instruments during the internment period, Lingen provided such extensive medical care to his fellow internees that many lives were saved.
Later career
After the war, Lingen served as a territorial physician in the East Coast of Sumatra region before his repatriation.
Source
Oostkust van Sumatra-Instituut Mededeling No. 37: Deli-Figuren uit de jaren 1950 t/m 1952, compiled by Ir. F. J. J. Dootjes (Amsterdam, 1953).