We got up. Walked
back to the hospital. Wounded people had been brought in. The nasty smell of
blood attacked our noses. There was no time to waste. Dr Warouw started sewing
up the wounded. I drew threads through needles and handed them to him.
“Is this war?”
This question came up and whirling in my mind. It came over and over. “These
people are innocent. They earn their bread in a hard and honest way. And they
became the first victims!”
I could not stand
the cigarette smoke for days. Scenting it made me sick.
From that day on,
the allied plane did not leave us alone. They came again and again...They flew
mostly at night, at a full moon.
In my room, my
Red Cross uniform was always at hand. As soon as the sirens whistled, I put my
Red Cross blouse and trousers almost automatically. Then I grabbed my bicycle
and cycled to Stella Maris hospital. The hospital was situated on the beach
road. No wonder it was an excellent landmark for the allied planes.
On some occasion,
the alarm sounded while I was still on my way. I usually called on the Saelans,
a respected Indonesian family whose house was near the hospital. I knew they
were awake and I was always sure of a welcome.
Standing at the
entrance of the Hospital. My eyes looked at the moonlit sea, the Bay of
Macassar. I could not help crying silently. God’s creation was so beautiful, so
peaceful... Why should it ruined by the horrible disturbance caused by the
Tenno Heika. A war against the world in order to be the Master of the whole
Asia!
When the all-clear alarm had sounded, I slowly cycled back home intensely enjoying the
beautiful moonlight and the empty streets.
One night,
however, the aerial attack was more than terrible! Incendiary bombs were
scattered over several places. The hospital got
about twenty such bombs! I saw some were still burning. So, I ran to throw sand
over them. Where were the others? I was alone! Even the patients had fled.
The available amount of sand was all used up. I ran into the garden. With my bare
hands, I grabbed as much sand as I could. When the greater part of the burning
firebombs had been extinguished, a Japanese from our Health Department turned
up, “ Soh-san,” he exclaimed in great surprise, “Are you alone? Where are the
others?” I answered with tiredness in my
voice, “I don’t know.”
Gradually the
staff came back. They all fled and hid in the big ditches!
Our Japanese colleagues saw to it that the "due homage" was paid to my "heroic" action by inserting a full description in the local newspaper of the ravage this nocturnal aerial attack had made, especially to the Hospital Stella Maris, and my part in saving it from more than ten burning bombs single-handedly!
The aerial attack came more often. Full hits were stated at various places in towns. A distant relative of mine had left the town with his family. He gave me permission to live in his house. One day, while I was still at the office, the house was hit by a bomb. My furniture went missing, probably was taken by the gardener who took advantage of the situation. What could I do? Who would help me? I locked the doors and windows and moved to stay with friends at the edge of town.
More and more news of defeated came in. We were sure that the Japanese Army was losing now, although we did not really know about the Japanese unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945.
On August 17th, 1945, Soekarno and Hatta proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. We knew that there would be numerous difficulties. The Dutch would try their best to save their former colony, the Dutch East Indies. The United States was not in favour of this idea. It wanted colonialism to die with the war! The British, however, was also determined to save as many of their colonies as possible. I have no political sense.
All of the sudden, the Dutch was back in Makassar and in other islands like the Lesser Sunda Islands including Bali, the Moluccas, and even the New Guinea!
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