1. Dress Uniform Jacket - Koenraad de Munter

Here you will find the dress uniform jacket of Koenraad de Munter.

Koenraad de Munter was born on June 8, 1915, in Dordrecht. He is one of the sons of Anthonie Jacobus de Munter and Adriana Langeweg de Munter. He grew up in Dordrecht and became a teacher after completing his education at the teacher training school. On December 4, 1934, he was enlisted as an ordinary conscript in the 6th infantry regiment in Breda. There, he underwent non-commissioned officers training. On March 16, 1935, he was promoted to corporal, on July 20 to provisional sergeant, and on September 4 to sergeant. On September 3, 1935, he took a long leave and did not return until April 9, 1938. At that time, he still resided at 36 Houweningestraat in Dordrecht. In the same year, on July 30, he was appointed as a sergeant-capitulant for a period of six years. In August, he decided to move to Breda, presumably to live closer to his barracks. ¹

On April 11, 1939, he was called up as a B.O.U.V. (Extraordinary call-up for external security) and assigned to I-6th Border Battalion. This company, under the command of 1st Lieutenant M.L.G. Brogtrop, had its base in Princenhage near Breda. In the early morning of May 10, 1940, the received orders to destroy various objects, which was the intended role of the Border Battalions. Around 6:00 am, the order was given to advance towards Moerdijk to engage the German paratroopers. After several battles, it became clear that it was not possible to recapture the Moerdijk Bridgehead without reinforcements and heavy weapons. Subsequently, the battalion withdrew towards Wouwse Plantage and eventually to Antwerp. It was there that the war was over for the Netherlands.²

Military Record K. De munter

Sergeant de Munter emerged unharmed from the events of May 1940. After the events of May 1940, he went on long leave on June 3, 1940. In November 1940, he performed duties with the Dutch Reconstruction Service ( Nederlandse Opbouw Dienst ) at the Achterberg near Rhenen. This reconstruction service was established on July 15, 1940, by Reich Commissioner Seyss-Inquart as employment for many Dutch soldiers who were unemployed after the surrender. In Rhenen, Koenraad met his future wife, Angenieta ter Haar, and they got married on October 10, 1942 when he was 27 years old. He then lived in Rotterdam between February and November 1942, where he worked as a stationmaster for the Dutch National Railways. After that, he returned to Dordrecht and moved back to 36 Houweningestraat on November 19, 1942. This marked the return of the soldier from Dordrecht. Koenraad de Munter eventually resumed his career as a teacher, first in primary education and later in special education in Gorinchem. He was officially discharged from military service on October 1, 1955.

This photo of Sergeant de Munter was kindly provided by Mr. Bert-Jan Dierink from https://https//www.facebook.com/bertjansmuseum. ³

Dress uniform Sergeant de Munter

Below you can see the photos of Sergeant de Munter’s gala jacket. The gala uniform was worn during official events, as well as during mourning and wedding ceremonies. The dress jacket shown below is one of the infantry uniforms. The complete ensemble would have consisted of a black gala cap, the jacket and trousers, and a pair of neat shoes. Only the jacket of Sergeant de Munter has survived, with his name written on a label inside one of the pockets. Truly a piece of Dordrecht’s history!

The jacket was manufactured in Breda. The rank distinction insignia in the form of “banana peels” indicate that it is the jacket of a Sergeant. The black color and red piping without any further distinguishing marks clearly indicate that it is a Dress Jacket for an infantry military personnel. The name label inside confirms that this was Sergeant de Munter’s jacket. The jacket is in excellent condition.