** The Last Convoy**

Bernard Dirk Meijer or Dicky Meijer as he was known to the family. Was born on June 19, 1922 in Manado, Celebes in the former Dutch East Indies. He was the son of Frans Meijer (born on 15 Nov 1896, son of Daantje Loho and Geertruida "Truitje" Meijer) and Albertina Korompis (16 Mar 1896 daughter of Dirk Korompis and Anganetje Londah). He was the oldest of six children: Bernard Dirk Meijer, Messiah Simon Karel Meijer (25 Dec 1924 Manado), Nellij Truitje Meijer (6 Nov 1926 Manado), Marie Rita Meijer (28 Jun 1928 Manado), Daantje Johan Meijer (22 Jan 1931 Pamekasan) and Henny Frans Albert Meijer (23 Aug 1935 Sorabaja).

Two times eleven boys in a row in the Second World War in England. Fifty years ago, these boys, who were not even 20 years old, left Java with the last convoy. First they went to Columbo and then they set course to England. Far away from their land of birth they were taught to become airplane telegraph receivers and gunners in the bombing planes. In B-25 Mitchell bombers of the 320th squadron of the RAF (Royal Air Force), they flew from south England missions to France and the Netherlands, and later from Belgium missions to south of the Netherlands and Germany to destroy strategic points, like railroads , fuel depots, dams, and bridges. A few of the boys ran operations on D-day, six of them did not come back. Half of the boys survived the Second World War, seven of them were decorated with the flying cross because of courage, skill, and persistence in war flights against the enemy. This is the story of two times eleven Dutch Indonesian boys who met each other the first week of March 1942 on a ship from Java to Columbo.

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Source: Article by Madeleine Gabeler