For anyone researching the Dutch presence in Australia during the Second World War, one book stands above all others: Dr Jonathan (Jack) M. Ford’s Allies in a Bind: Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War.
Originally published in 1996 by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association (NESWA), the book remains one of the most comprehensive studies ever written on the wartime relationship between Australia, the Netherlands Government-in-Exile and the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile.
Based on Jack Ford’s doctoral research at the University of Queensland, it combines military history with political, diplomatic, economic and social history, demonstrating that the Dutch wartime presence in Australia extended far beyond the better-known stories of Dutch submarines, No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron and merchant shipping.
A pioneering historian
Jack Ford devoted much of his academic career to documenting a largely forgotten chapter of Australian history.
Working extensively in Australian, Dutch, British and American archives, he reconstructed the complex relationship between the two countries from 1940 until the aftermath of the Pacific War. His work remains remarkable for both its breadth and its depth.
He examined not only military operations, but also:
- the establishment of the Netherlands East Indies Government-in-Exile in Australia;
- Allied strategic planning;
- the role of Camp Columbia;
- the activities of NICA and NEFIS;
- Dutch merchant shipping;
- intelligence operations;
- Australian foreign policy towards the Netherlands East Indies;
- and the growing political tensions surrounding Indonesian independence.
Many of these subjects had received little detailed attention before Jack began his research.
More than military history
One of the great strengths of Allies in a Bind is that it looks beyond the battlefield.
Jack demonstrated that Dutch–Australian relations evolved from close wartime cooperation into increasing political disagreement as the war progressed. Financial disputes, competing strategic priorities and fundamentally different ideas about the post-war future of the Netherlands East Indies gradually strained the relationship between the two governments.
His work therefore provides not only an account of military cooperation, but also one of Australia’s earliest attempts to develop an independent foreign policy within Asia.
Continuing relevance
Although first published nearly thirty years ago, Jack’s work remains highly relevant.
Many of the themes that historians investigate today—including governments-in-exile, Allied coalition politics, decolonisation, intelligence cooperation and Australia’s changing relationship with Indonesia—were already being explored in his research.
His book continues to provide an indispensable starting point for anyone interested in the shared wartime history of Australia, the Netherlands and Indonesia.
A new edition
Jack never stopped researching.
Following publication of the original edition, he continued refining his work for almost another three decades, identifying corrections, incorporating newly available archival material and expanding many sections of the book. By 2022 he had completed a substantially revised manuscript.
Sadly, Jack passed away in June 2025 before seeing this revised edition published.
The Dutch Australian Cultural Centre (DACC) is now working closely with Jack’s widow Brenda Ford and his daughter Leela Ford to prepare a new edited edition. The project seeks to preserve Jack’s original scholarship while incorporating the revisions and additional research that he prepared during his final years.
Rather than producing a simple reprint, the aim is to publish an updated edition that remains faithful to Jack’s work while making it more accessible to contemporary readers. Historian Dr Liam Barnsdale has joined the project as editor.
Jack Ford’s legacy
The DACC regards Jack Ford’s research as one of the principal foundations for its continuing work on Dutch–Australian wartime history.
Many of the articles published on the DACC website and by the Camp Columbia Heritage Association build upon Jack’s pioneering research while incorporating newly available archival material, Dutch sources and more recent scholarship.
Future articles in this research series will continue to acknowledge Jack Ford’s contribution while exploring individual themes in greater depth, ensuring that his life’s work continues to inform and inspire new research into the shared history of Australia and the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Book review: Dr Jack Ford’s study of Dutch–Australian wartime relations
Translated summary of the book review in Dutch by A. van der Moer.
The book was presented to ZKH Prins Bernard on 14 March 1997.
This book review discusses the unpublished dissertation of Dr Jack Ford, an Australian historian who specialised in the history of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) and Dutch wartime operations in the Pacific. His study, The Role and Operations of the Netherlands East Indies and Dutch Forces in the South-West Pacific Area, March 1942 to August 1945, later expanded into broader research on Dutch–Australian relations from 1940 to 1946, represents one of the first comprehensive attempts to place the Dutch contribution within the Allied war effort in the Pacific.
Ford immersed himself in Dutch, Australian, American, and British archival sources—many previously unused. By comparing these with other historical accounts, he reached original conclusions about the collapse of the NEI, the fate of ABDACOM, and the strained relationship between the Dutch and their Australian hosts.
Key findings
Ford highlighted how ill-prepared the Dutch forces were in the late 1930s. The Depression delayed rearmament, and orders for modern equipment often went undelivered as Allied production was directed elsewhere. When Japan invaded, Dutch units were under-armed, scattered across the archipelago, and largely without air defence. Their defeat, however, was not uniquely poor when compared with Allied setbacks in Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
He showed how misplaced reliance on the “impregnable fortress” of Singapore left both Australia and the Netherlands vulnerable, with promised reinforcements arriving too late and in insufficient numbers. The creation of ABDACOM under General Sir Archibald Wavell, with Admiral Conrad Helfrich in naval command, did little to overcome these structural weaknesses, and the NEI collapsed within weeks.
Dutch–Australian tensions
Ford extended his research beyond military matters to Dutch–Australian political relations. After the fall of the Indies, the Australian government initially welcomed Dutch officials and exiled military forces. Yet from 1943 onwards the relationship cooled, marked by financial disputes, political misunderstandings, and diverging views on post-war Asia.
Australia became increasingly critical of Dutch colonial ambitions, especially as Indonesian nationalist movements gained momentum. Ford demonstrated that Australian attitudes toward the Netherlands eventually mirrored their scepticism toward Britain and the USA: support in principle but growing reluctance to back policies that clashed with emerging regional realities.
Contributions and criticisms
Ford gave particular attention to the Dutch merchant navy, which provided crucial shipping capacity for the Allied war effort. At the same time, he did not shy away from criticising both Dutch mismanagement and Australian misperceptions. His work exposed the limited appreciation in Australia of the Dutch contribution to the defence of Australia and to Allied logistics.
The dissertation bore the telling title The Duping of the Dutch, reflecting Ford’s conclusion that the Netherlands was encouraged to place excessive trust in Anglo-American promises that were never fully honoured. His study also drew attention to the lack of Australian understanding of Dutch positions, and the failure of Dutch authorities to adapt their diplomacy to their new circumstances in exile.
Assessment
The review praised Ford’s research as thorough, well-documented, and illuminating. It presented many details previously absent from the historical record and clarified the indirect but significant role of Dutch forces in the defence of Australia. The book remains of lasting interest for anyone concerned with the complexities of Allied cooperation in the Pacific War. Some noted that more detailed maps would have enhanced its value, but overall it was recognised as a deeply researched and highly worthwhile contribution.
See also: Australia and the Netherlands in WWII: alliance, mistrust, and betrayal
Overview of Jack’s publications
“The First Japanese Air Raid on Broome” in Sabretache, the Journal of the Military Historical Society of Australia, XXVI, 3 (July/September 1985), pp.14-18.
“The Dutch Navy in the South-West Pacific Area March 1942 to August 1945” in The Navy, the Journal of the Navy League of Australia, Vol. 47, No. 4 (October 1985), pp.31-37.
Military Museums of the Pacific Ltd re consultant historian’s report, History of Camp Columbia, Wacol. 1985.
The Dutch Wartime Presence in Australia. invited guest speaker to Nundah & Districts Historical Society, 5. November 1985.
The OPM & Irian Jaya to University of Queensland History Department, seminar presentation, 21 November 1985.
Game Research/Design company (USA), consultant historian’s report on “ Allied Order of Battle for the World War II Netherlands East Indies Campaign” for the company’s boardgame Banzai Blitzkrieg, 1985.
The Dutch Connection program on A.B.C. Radio: 1 October 1988 – We saw what war was about – Nasi Goreng for everybody, interview; 8 October 1988.
Australia and the Netherlands East Indies 1942-1945, Australian War Memorial’s “History Conference”, Work-in-Progress Session, Canberra, July 1990.
“Duping the Dutch” in World Review, Vol. 30, No. 2 (June 1991), pp.4-38.
Left in the Lurch: The A.B.D.A. Defence of the Netherlands East Indies 1941-42, Australian War Memorial’s “50th Anniversary History Conference”, Canberra, November 1991.
The Forlorn Ally – the Dutch Experience in 1942, Australian Historical Association conference, Canberra, September 1992.
“The Forlorn Ally” in War and Society, Vol. 11, No. 1 (May 1993), pp.105-128. (see below)
With Friends Like These – Australia and the Netherlands East Indies 1944-45, Queensland Studies Centre’s “War’s End” conference, Townsville, July 1995.
Camp Columbia Memorial at the Dutch Club, Durack, unveiled 10 December 1995 (text for).
Allies in a Bind (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen &Women’s .Association (Qld Branch), 1996 book & reprinted by N.E.S.W.A. in 1997. (Research is ongoing with a second edition planned)
The Dutch in Australia during World War II guest speaker at civic reception for Lieutenant-General A.P.M. van Baal, Inspector-General of the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces at 80b George Street, Brisbane, 16 February 2005.
“Banten Bay”, “Madoera Strait”, “New Guinea Campaign” & “Papua Campaign” entries in Encyclopedia of World War II: A Political, Social and Military History, [ed. Dr. Spencer Tucker], (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2004).
Dutch & Netherlands East Indies WW II War Memorial, unveiled in George Street, Brisbane City on 4 May 2004 (text for), [relocated to Roma St. Parklands in 2016].
The Floating Dutchmen: the Dutch Merchant Marine in the Papua Campaign. Brisbane History Group’s “LEST WE FORGET 1942” Milne Bay – Buna- Gona – Sanananda”, 10 September 2022.
