SOE van der Post, Laurens Jan

[John Robertson]

• SURNAME

van der Post​

• FORENAME

Laurens Jan​

• UNIT

Special Mission 43,Java​

• RANK

Lieutenant Colonel​

• NUMBER

EC 148089​

• AWARD

Commander of the Order of the British Empire​

• PLACE

Java 1942​

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

parent unit Intelligence Corps​

Laurens Jan van der Post​

born 13.12.1906 Philippolis, Orange River County, South Africa​

originally Lourens Jan van der Post​

son of Christian Willem Hendrik and Lammie van der Post​

educated Grey College, Bloemfontein 1918​

reporter, The Natal Advertiser, Durban 1925​

reporter, Cape Times 1929​

novelist​

dairy farmer, Gloucestershire, England​

British Army May 1940​

commissioned January 1941​

Intelligence Corps​

East Africa (Captain)​

Gideon Force, Abyssinia​

SOE Dutch East Indies​

Special Mission 43,Java​

POW 20.4.1942 Java​

retired from Army 1947​

awarded C.B.E. 1947​

postwar author, political adviser, educator, journalist, explorer, etc​

married Marjorie Edith Wendt 8.3.1928 Bridport, Dorset (died 1995) (divorced 1949) (2 children)​

married Ingaret Giffard 13.10.1949 (died 1997)​

died 16.12.1996 London, England​

ashes buried Philippolis, South Africa​

​