Hermanus Jan Hendrik DAANEN
Date of Birth: 21 December 1916
Place of Birth: Vlissingen, Vlissingen Municipality, Zeeland, Netherlands
Rank: Eerste Luitenant Vlieger-Waarnemer [First Lieutenant Pilot-Observer]
Unit(s): Transport Afdeeling [Division] ML. KNIL. No. 18 Squadron NEI [Netherlands East-Indiës]
Group(s): Militaire Luchtvaart. Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger [ML.KNIL.] [Military Aviation. Royal Dutch Indian Army]
Awards: Vliegerkruis (VK) [Airman’s Cross] Oorlogsherinneringskruis (OHK) [War Commemorative Cross].
Died: 7 September 1944
Age: 27 years
Buried: Cairns War Cemetery – Plot A – Row E – Grave 1 (Coll.)
Hermanus Jan Hendrik Daanen was born in Flushing in the Provence of Zeeland to Roelof Daanen, a stoffeerder [upholsterer], and Jacoba Elisabeth van Loef.
On 24 August 1941 Hermanus Jan Daanen was a passenger on the Pan American Anzac Clipper, a flight from Manila, Philippines to Treasure Island Airport, San Francisco. On the passenger manifest his address was Depot ML Airport Andir, NEI [Netherlands East-Indiës]; age 24 and his destination was Honolulu but was crossed out and Guam written in.
Jan Daanen sailed on the SS Matsonia which departed Honolulu 5 September 1941 and continued to San Francisco arriving 12 September. His occupation was listed as Aviator; age 24 and 9 months; father, Rudolf Daanen, Nievwe Plain 4; of fresh complexion, brown hair and gold eyes; last residing at Bandoeng, NEI.
In early 1942 when the Japanese began occupying the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) many Dutch civilians and military personnel were evacuated or escaped to Australia. Some of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) vessels of the fleet also escaped to Australia.
Hermanus Daanen was a pilot with the N.E.I.T.S. [Netherlands East-Indiës Transport Service].
During the war the 1 N.E.I.T.S. [Netherlands-East Indiës Transport Service], provided a regular twice a week route to Merauke from Melbourne via Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns. It was a four-day round-trip with overnight stays in Brisbane and Merauke.
Royal Netherlands East-Indiës Air Force C-47 Dakota DT9-41 was on the return leg when it left Merauke air base, Dutch New Guinea Thursday 7 September 1944 bound for Cairns, a flight that usually took about four hours.
On board were 18 Dutch nationals and 2 Australians.
The four crew members of the N.E.I.T.S were Luitenant Hermanus J. H. Daanen, Captain; Sergeant-majoor Willem A. Torn, Co-pilot; Sergeant Jacques F. Damwijk, Engineer; Sergeant Eugene Kerdijk, Wireless Operator.
Members of 120 Squadron NEI-AF who were on their way for some rest and relaxation in Australia: Luitenants Bernard van Aken, Rudolf Braakensiek, Hendrik P. Levy, Otto Leyding, Robert J. Salm and Jan S. Zwart and Sergeant Abraham C. Scholte. Sergeants Martinus J. Straub and Marinus Boogerman of the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service.
Two other pilots who expected to be on the Dakota were reassigned to fly their Kittyhawks to Canberra for maintenance but, their luggage remained on board the Dakota.
Luitenants Robert E. J. Boereboom and Samuel Jacob were Royal Netherlands-East Indies Army officers who were part of the NEFIS [Netherlands East-Indiës Forces Intelligence Service].
Luitenant Commander Joseph R.L. Lebeau of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Two women civilians, Mevrouw [Mrs.] Waas and Mevrouw [Mrs.] Wakemau who were reported to be with the Red Cross.
The Australian military officers: Squadron Leader Leslie Dawson R.A.A.F. [Royal Australian Air Force] and Lieutenant Hector W. H. Armstrong A.A.S.C. [Australian Army Service Corps].
The crew of the Dakota radioed they would be landing in 10 minutes at Cairns but nothing more was heard from them. They were experiencing bad weather when approaching Cairns in the late afternoon. It was thought the plane crashed into the sea.
An extensive search for the missing plane was undertaken by the Air Force over the sea and land, and were supported by the army, police, and scores of civilians in remote areas. No trace of the plane could be found, and the search was called off after three weeks by the Dutch authorities.
Records from the Ministerie van Defesie [Ministry of Defence] show that Hermanus received the Vliegerkruis [Airman’s Cross].
The bravery award was granted by Royal Decree on 9 December 1949, posthumously awarded. He was with the 18 NEI [Netherlands East Indiës] Squadron (B-25 Mitchell N5-147 bombers) and had flown successful missions – 39 operational flights (234 flying hours).
Citation: “During the war with Japan from 1943-1945 he bravely and persistently served as a member of an aircrew. He carried out at least 39 operational flights with a total of 234 flying hours, during these flights he caused the enemy considerable damage.“
Hermanus was also awarded the Oorlogsherinneringskruis (OHK) [War Commemorative Cross], a service award.
Posthumously awarded in 1949 with the clasp “War flights 1940-1945”.
The clasp “War flights 1940-1945” was awarded to those who actually fought against the enemy, aboard airplanes, and were in active service in an area of war for at least six months.
Wreckage of the plane was discovered 45 years later in January 1989 by seven members of the Australian New Zealand Scientific Exploration Society (ANZSES) when they were collecting plant specimens on the mountain peaks north-west of Mossman, North Queensland.
They contacted Air Force officials in Canberra about their find. The registration markings still visible on the tail confirmed it was the missing plane.
News of the discovery was sent to The Hague in the Netherlands and so began the difficult task of tracking down and notifying the next of kin.
Permission was given on Tuesday 24 January 1989 for a recovery mission to retrieve the remains of the passengers and the many personal items from amongst the crash debris. Access to the site was only accessible by helicopter. The operation was conducted by No. 27 Squadron with the helicopter support from No. 35 Squadron, Townsville. The mission concluded on Saturday 11 February 1989.
On Saturday 29 July 1989 the remains of the 20 crash victims were laid to rest together in a large single grave in the Cairns War Cemetery with full Military Honors.
The armed honor guard at the monument consisted of special units of the Australian land, air and naval forces.
Relatives, especially from America, Netherlands and Australia that had traveled to Cairns, were highly impressed with the ceremony.
In 1993 all were registered in the Queensland Birth Death and Marriage register with the death recorded as 7 September 1944.
Online Resources
Awards to the Dutch before the Second World War
Australian War Memorial – SS Mariposa
AFC and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division Cairns Branch
Military Aircraft Crashes in Australia during WW2-Oz At War
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
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