Willem Henri van Helsdingen
editWillem Henri (W. H.) van Helsdingen (4 March 1888 - 3 November 1985) was a colonial administrator in the Dutch Indies.
Biography
editHe was born in Ambon, the Dutch Indies, to Carel Christiaan van Helsdingen, a teacher, and Susanna Henrietta Jellesma. He moved to the Netherlands as an infant to be raised by his grandmother after his mother had died while his father returned to the Indies. There he went to school in Amersfoort, after which he obtained his law degree in Leiden in 1912. Subsequently, he obtained a degree in indology by 1914.
In 1929, he came back to the Netherlands to marry Anna Maria Eerdmans. By 1930 they together returned to the Indies. Together, they had two sons and a daughter. After Anna's death in 1935, he married Johanna Philippina Boelmans in Spill in 1962, the Netherlands. They did not have any children together.[1]
Career
editVan Helsdingen quickly followed in the footsteps of his two brothers, that became governor and member of the People's Council in the Dutch Indies, by starting his career there as well. First, he worked as a court clerk in Batavia, after which he became a commies-redacteur (editor) for the ministry of Onderwijs en Eredienst (education and religion). In 1920, he became the vice secretary to the Dutch Indies People's Council. He became the secretary in 1927 and stayed in his position until 1932.
In 1932, he became the mayor of Soerabaja, the biggest portal city in the Indies. This came as a surprise to many as he - despite his popularity in the People's Council - did not seem to have fitting experience. Consequently, his time as the mayor was not very successful, as he clashed a few times with the Indo-European Covenant.[2]
In 1939, he retired and moved to the Netherlands to become a publicist of several issues about the Dutch-Indies. He (co-)wrote several books such as Daar werd wat groots verricht... Nederlandsch-Indie in de XXste eeuw (Something great was carried out there... the Dutch Indies in the 20th century) in 1941, which was translated in 1945 under the title Mission Interrupted. In 1946 he published the sequel Hecht verbonden in lief en leed (Closely tied in joy and sorrow).[3]
the Indonesia Question
editAfter the German and Japanese capitulation mid-1945, van Helsdingen became the chair of a commission. Its goal was to investigate Dutch public opinion regarding the Empire's colonies. This advice would then help the government decide on how to proceed in the ‘issue’ of the Dutch East Indies[4].
The commission was installed by the minister of Overzeesche Gebiedsdelen (colonies) which was announced by the Queen in her speech in 1942. At the same time, van Helsdingen was installed as the official council to the ministry [5]. However, when this investigation in the form of two volumes was published by van Helsdingen in late 1946, they were deemed to be outdated. Considering the escalations that had already started oversea, his advises no longer seemed to fit the situation[6].