Speech by Princess Margriet
Photo: Princess Margriet unveils the war monument De Boeg in Rotterdam - April 10, 1957
Speech by Princess Margriet – as Godchild of the Dutch Merchant Navy – at the Dutch Veterans Day
Ridderzaal, The Hague, 30 June 2012
Your Royal Highness, Prime Minister,
Mr Chairman, (merchant navy) veterans,
ladies and gentlemen,
At my birth, in the midst of the Second World War, in Canada, my parents asked the Dutch Merchant Navy to be godparent to their newborn daughter. My mother and my two eldest sisters had found safe refuge in Ottawa after they were forced to leave the Netherlands in May 1940, following the invasion by Nazi Germany.
With this request to the merchant navy, my parents intended to encourage the thousands of seafarers who were fighting on the Allied side. They saw the godparenthood of the Merchant Navy as a symbol and a sign of hope for a special group, namely the merchant seamen who were fighting in the war for the freedom of our country.
For me, this was the beginning of a lifelong bond, a thread that continued to weave me into the world of the merchant navy after our return to the Netherlands. That these bonds have not faded is evident from the fact that I may stand before you today, and I consider that a great honour.
The Dutch merchant fleet played a major role in the fight against the Germans and, from 1941 onwards, also against the Japanese. Merchant ships provided troop and evacuation transports, supplies of war materiel, raw materials and food, and served as hospital ships. The merchant navy was an essential link in the war effort and of great importance to the effectiveness of the Allied operations.
The Dutch government-in-exile had enacted the Sea Ships Requisition Act and the Ship Space Preservation Act, placing the ships that were at sea at the time of the German invasion under the authority of Allied warfare. Management of the ships was entrusted to the Netherlands Shipping and Trading Committee, commonly called “the Shipping”. But without crew there could be no shipping, and it is to these crew, some 18,000 in total, that we devote our special attention on this veterans day.
The fate and role of merchant navy personnel cannot be highlighted enough, and the respect due to the thousands of crew members is great. In my view, their fate has been underexposed.
The “Compulsory Service”, instituted by the government in exile, was a civilian conscription, yet even without this madatory measure most would have continued sailing. The human suffering that followed was immense.
“ … I was in the aft steering house with the mate when the first direct hit came. Everything shook. You stood with your head down, ready to jump away, only you did not know where. Everything was thrown about. The rudder jammed, the master clock flew out of its housing, compasses shattered. Cupboards, frames, everything came crashing down … Then it was over. The Pennland listed heavily to port and we had to abandon ship … Then came the first moment I was truly afraid, afraid that the German Junkers would strafe the lifeboats, because that is what those bastards do.”
A quote from the diary of Jan Kroesen, 4th mate on the Pennland of the Holland America Line in 1942.
Around 400 ships were lost, more than half the fleet. After all, there was little that could be done against aircraft raids, mines and torpedoes. In most cases, the ships were 'sitting ducks', even though they were eventually equipped with some armament. Sailing in convoy under escort of one or more warships offered only partial protection.
In total, more than 3,000 people lost their lives, and the number of wounded was equally considerable.
Imagine the tension on board. Day after day, for five long years, the threat from above and below the waterline. Away from home, many well before the outbreak of war, and for a long time without prospect or hope for a future. Not knowing how their families were faring, not able to watch their children grow up, forcibly separated from their loved ones. And at the same time, little room for emotion: everything revolved around the good cause, keeping the ships afloat, and survival.
How uncomfortable and often shameful it must have been when the seafarers finally returned home, sometimes only months after the signing of peace: there was barely any space to tell the story of the merchant navy’s ordeal and the suffering of those who had served under compulsory service.
That the merchant navy played a decisive role in the Allied victory was and still is rarely heard. In the post-war Netherlands, there was little room for processingg. The tide of reconstruction swept everyone up once again. Some were back at sea for months only weeks after returning home.
All of this placed a heavy burden on this profession and on their families.
To provide for the greatest needs of the survivors and their families, the Princess Margriet Fund was established. Thanks to fundraising efforts among the population, which had already begun during the war, the families of seafarers could be supported. After the war, the fund formed a financial and social safety net for them.
From my early childhood, a delegation from the Princess Margriet Fund would visit me on my birthday. This delegation usually consisted of children of seafarers who had become disabled or who had died during the war. They were called the “margrieten” (daisies). The children were shy, I was shy too. These were not informal encounters for either party!
These visits confronted me from a young age with the role the merchant navy played in the war and its human consequences.
An important moment that I will never forget was the unveiling of the monument of the war casualties of the Merchant Navy, 'De Boeg', on the bank of the river Maas (photo above – 1957). I was fourteen at the time and deeply impressed by the emotions of all those involved.
In many other ways, too, I have developed a deep and cherished bond with the merchant navy. At our wedding, Captain Mörzer Bruyn was my witness. With this I wished to honour him not only as a godfather but also as a veteran.
When our eldest son Maurits was born, telegrams with congratulations arrived from almost every merchant ship, and once again the merchant navy became godparent to our sun.
I believe it cannot be emphasised enough how extraordinarily important tthe contribution has been that the Merchant Navy made to the liberation of our country. There can never be enough appreciation or respect for the dedication, efforts and (traumatic) experiences of veterans.
Today, our thoughts and our sincere gratitude go to you, veterans, and in particular to the merchant navy personnel of 1940–1945.
