'Kribbekist' (foot locker) W. van Vuurde
Below you can see a so-called “Kribbekist”. The Kribbekist was a lockable wooden box provided to the soldier. In this box, they could store both personal belongings and their military equipment. The krib box was usually placed at the foot of the bed or under the bed and was intended for use in the barracks. For privates and non-commissioned officers, Kribbekisten were usually of a standard model and were often painted black or green. The Kribbekist is approximately 58 cm long, 35 cm wide, and 28 cm high. Officers usually had a longer clothing box painted green. The box in this photo belonged to Conscript Willem van Vuurde with the conscription number 156. What makes this box particularly special is that it belonged to a soldier who served in the Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedisten in Dordrecht. Clearly visible on the box is:
W. v. Vuurde
Wap. No KL.No 156
Corps Pont. en Torp.
Schoolcomp. Pontonniers
Dordrecht.
The box was also reused. It was initially green, and although the letters are difficult to read, it can still be deciphered that the box originally belonged to Mr. W. Tempelaar Litz. The latter served in the 4th Depot Battalion - 7th Company. There is no further information about this soldier. However, there is information about Willem van Vuurde; he was born on April 9, 1909, in Rotterdam. Willem was called up on June 17, 1929, as a regular conscript from the 1929 draft from The Hague. He was assigned to the Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedists
- School Company Pontonniers.
