The images traditionally associated with war are of fierce battles, bombardments and troops marching. While the Indonesian war of independence was very much that kind of a war, after a while people resumed their daily lives and focused on the future, albeit an uncertain one. That applied to both Indonesian and Dutch soldiers and civilians. They went to work or school, held parties, fell in love and got married. They did their shopping in the pasar (markets) and prayed in the mosque, temple or church. Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Ramadan continued to be celebrated.

Even so, the war was never far away. The need to maintain morale was a constant throughout the war. However, as this selection makes clear, the approach taken differed. People varied too in their views on the future of Indonesia. While the Netherlands tried to maintain some kind of colonial or postcolonial relationship any way it could, a new era started for Indonesia that was geared to independence.

The focus in this theme is on everyday life during the war. The selection shows what this meant in practice for freedom fighters, schoolchildren, government officials, nurses and soldiers, and how they experienced the war when away from the fighting. These sources show that war and life are two sides of the same coin, certainly in 1945–1949.

6.1 Our Hearts are With Them

The National Effort for Welfare in the East Indies (Nationale Inspanning Welzijnsverzorging Indië, NIWIN) was a charity for the welfare of the Dutch troops in Indonesia. With its slogan ‘Our hearts are with them’, the organization offered the soldiers moral support, for example by sending Christmas packages with luxury items such as cigarettes and chocolate. It was expensive sending such packages given the shortages and austerity of the post-war period, so donations were needed. The packages were intended to boost the morale of the Dutch troops stationed so far from home and give them a touch of the Netherlands. Preaddressed cards were sent with the packages so that the soldiers could thank the home front personally.

6.2 Invisible Danger

This army information service (Legervoorlichtingsdienst) poster illustrates the risks that Dutch soldiers encountered in the tropics.