Simon Spoor

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simon Spoor

Simon Hendrik Spoor (born January 12, 1902 in Amsterdam , † May 25, 1949 in Batavia ) was the commander of the land forces in the Dutch East Indies / Indonesia from 1946 to 1949. He was the son of Andreas Petrus Spoor, concertmaster and conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra , and Catharina Petronella Jautze.

Career

Sworn in as an officer in 1923, Spoor made a career in the Royal Dutch Indian Army (KNIL) . In the meantime he was a teacher at the Royal Military Academy in Breda for some time . In 1943 he became director of the Dutch Military Intelligence Service (NEFIS) in Australia. His appointment as army commander in Indonesia with the rank of major general (temporarily lieutenant general ) took place in January 1946. In this capacity he directed the operations against the Indonesian nationalists, of which the police operations of 1947 and 1948 are the best known.

On May 20, 1949, Spoor had lunch in the restaurant of the yacht club in Tanjung Priok ; three days later he developed serious heart problems, which he succumbed to after another two days. He was only 47 years old. Spoor's dinner companions, his adjutant Rittmeister Smulders and the chief military pastor Verhoeven , had also become seriously ill after lunch. Smulders was in a coma for three days and Verhoeven was taken to the Netherlands in the troop transport "Grote Beer" for further treatment. The other guests, who had eaten exactly the same thing, complained of no consequences. Accidental bacterial food poisoning was therefore ruled out. Since Spoor's body was not dissected, his death remained surrounded by rumors that it was related to the "Ensign Aernout Affair," a corruption investigation at the head of KNIL.

At the time of Spoor's death, it was already becoming apparent that the Dutch presence in Indonesia would soon end. Shortly before his death, he had been promoted to four-star general .

Marriages

Spoor was married three times:

  • 1. on December 22, 1923 with Louise Anna Marie Ooms (divorced March 31, 1938).
  • 2nd on October 6, 1938 with Rika Cornelia Kroeze (divorced March 24, 1947).
  • 3. on April 3, 1947 with Hermanna Trijntje Dijkema .

There is a son from the first marriage, André Spoor .

Awards

Bust of General Simon Hendrik Spoor National Indian Monument 1945–1962 Roermond

General Spoor has received several awards including:

The medals were donated by his widow in April 2009 to the Bronbeek Museum , where his uniform was already on display.

In Ermelo there is a General Spoor barracks, in which the 45th Panzer Infantry Battalion, the Regiment Infanterie Oranje Gelderland (RIOG) and the 400th Medical Battalion are located.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Spoor, Simon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spoor, Simon Hendrik (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch soldier, commander of the land forces in the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia from 1946 to 1949
DATE OF BIRTH January 12, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam
DATE OF DEATH May 25, 1949
Place of death Batavia