Von Fultzingslöwen (Ridder von Fultzingslöwen) was the delegate of the Dutch Red Cross (Vereeniging Het Roode Kruis) who accompanied the second Aceh expedition of General van Swieten and distinguished himself by courage and self-sacrifice throughout the campaign. Brooshooft records that his actions won the gratitude of hundreds, and that he was decorated by the King with the Knight’s Cross of the Military William Order.
Service during the Second Expedition
The second expedition (1873–1874) was notable for the heavy toll of cholera and battle casualties. After describing the establishment of the permanent garrison and the state of the medical service (under health officers Heyligers, Perk, Bernaerd and Jorritsma), Brooshooft wrote:
“Bijzondere vermelding verdient nog de afgevaardigde van het Roode Kruis von Filtzingslöwe, koopman en suiker-fabrikant te Soerabaia, die de tweede expeditie vergezelde, door zijn moed en zelfopoffering de dankbaarheid van honderden heeft verworven en door Z. M. den Koning daarvoor is onderscheiden met het ridderkruis der Militaire Willemsorde.”
Von Fultzingslöwen was thus a civilian, a merchant and sugar manufacturer at Soerabaja, who accompanied the expedition as Red Cross delegate; he won the Military William Order — a combat decoration — for his conduct under fire.
Later
By 1886, when Brooshooft published his popular history, he wrote that after von Fultzingslöwen’s departure the Red Cross’s efforts at Atjeh had “considerably slackened,” and that the main burden of comforting the soldiers had been taken up by the beloved army chaplain pastoor Verbaak.
See Also
- Verbaak
- Red Cross
- Second Aceh Expedition (1873-1874)
- Van Swieten
- Military William Order
- Atjeh War
- Surabaya
- 1873
- 1874
Source
Brooshooft, Mr. P. Geschiedenis van den Atjeh-oorlog 1873–1886. Utrecht: F. B. van Ditmar, 1886, Hoofdstuk VI, p. 111 (p. 123 of the OCR); Hoofdstuk X, p. 279 (p. 297 of the OCR).