H. B. Stenfert was a Dutch marine lieutenant whose name was listed honourably in the royal decree of 6 October 1874 and who was decorated with the Ridder Militaire Willemsorde (Knight, fourth class) for his participation in the Atjeh expeditions of 1873 and 1874 — the first phase of the Aceh War. The award citation, in the standard formula of the decree, named the campaign under which the decoration was granted as “Oorlog tegen het rijk van Atjeh, 1873 en 1874” (“War against the realm of Aceh, 1873 and 1874”).
Service in the Korps Mariniers
Stenfert served as a marine officer in the Netherlands Marine Corps — the Dutch naval-infantry corps that supplied the amphibious assault forces for the Atjeh landings of 1873–1874. He took part in several amphibious assaults along the Atjehnese coast during the early phase of the war. The source — the history of the Korps Mariniers — does not provide further biographical details beyond his award citation.
Recognition
The royal decree of 6 October 1874 was the formal instrument by which the Dutch crown recognised the officers — and the junior officers in particular — who had fought in the first Atjeh expedition. Stenfert’s inclusion in the list reflects the broad acknowledgment by the Dutch crown of junior marine officers in the early Atjeh campaigns. His award exemplifies the Dutch practice of honouring individual officers for distinguished conduct in the war against the Atjeh Sultanate, reinforcing the prestige of the Ridder Militaire Willemsorde.
See Also
- Korps Mariniers (Netherlands)
- Ridder Militaire Willemsorde
- Royal Decree of 6 October 1874
- Atjeh Expedition 1873-1876
- War against the Aceh Sultanate (1873–1874)
- Captain D. C. W. Sutherland
- Aceh
Source
De geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Korps Mariniers van 1665–1945, in 20260707_232246_DLP-55-De_geschiedenis_van_het_Nederlandsche_Korps_Mariniers_van_1665_1945_OCR.txt, p. 128 (honourable mention in the royal decree of 6 October 1874) and p. 185 (citation of the Ridder Militaire Willemsorde 4th class, with the operational rubric “Oorlog tegen het rijk van Atjeh, 1873 en 1874”).