Welcome readers to todays offering from The Philatelist. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. We have an interesting story of rival Dutch Admirals who have now mellowed into history until they can be sister(ships).
The stamp today is from an interesting time. The stamp is from the Netherlands, from the time during World War II when it was under German occupation. The stamp shows no markings to indicate German control, and the figure on the stamp was a long ago figure from Dutch history. From the situation on the ground in 1943, it might have seemed the war was over for the Dutch.
The stamp is issue A54, a 7 and a half cent stamp issued in German occupied Holland in 1943. It is part of a seventeen stamp issue. The stamp depicts Admiral M. A. de Ruyter, a Dutch Admiral from the 17th century. The Scott catalog lists it’s value as 25 cents cancelled.
Admiral de Ruyter was born into a modest background and began serving as a sailor at age 11. His maritime service was not stricktly naval. The Dutch were on the high seas mainly for trading and this was true of de Ruyter as well. He was involved with trade with the Irish and in the Mediterranean. The issue for the Dutch was that since there trade was so lucrative it often drew the hostile attention of the British, the French, the Swedes, the Barbary pirates and privateers from Dunkirk.
De Ruyter had proven very adept when called in to the situations described above. Even in his civilian work, he had done much to free Christians held as slaves by the Barbary pirates, often by paying the ransom out of his own pocket. A statue of de Ruyter stands in Hungary today honoring him for saving some Hungarians that had fallen to the Muslim pirates. His help in freeing the German/Polish city of Danzig from the Swedes may be directly linked to why the German occupiers of 1943 Holland thought him worth, and safe to remember.
As I stated though, he was not a man of noble background. Many of his rivals in the Dutch Navy were. There was much pushback when it was attempted to promote de Ruyter above more prominent people with more seniority. de Ruyter did not seem much interested in these political squabbles and often turned down assignments.
Things came to somewhat of a head when a Dutch Admiral named Tromp was killed in battle. His son, Cornelis felt he was deserving of inheriting his father’s position. The Dutch Navy thought otherwise and de Ruyter was appointed to a special rank that only he ever held and moved to Amsterdam. This was okay because at sea de Ruyter was referred to as the Commodore, a rank that does not even exist in the Dutch Navy. Regular sailors referred to him has the bestevear, which does not mean the best ever but is an old Dutch way of saying grandfather.
The trumping of Tromp junior proved only temporary. First came a non-fatal stabbing at the front door of his house. This crime was committed by a disaffected Tromp supporter. Later when de Ruyter was killed in battle leading a Dutch/Spanish fleet against a French/Italian fleet, he was succeeded by Cornelis Tromp. The Dutch navy today still ties together de Ruyter and Tromp by having sister ships named after them. As is usual, the Tromp is the flagship.
Well, my drink is empty and so it is time to open up the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.