door During the First World War (1914–1918), tens of thousands of foreign soldiers and civilians were interned in neutral countries, including the Netherlands. Internees were often refugees or soldiers who, after escaping from hostile armies, crossed the border into a neutral country and were held there to prevent them from rejoining the war effort. In the Netherlands, a country that carefully guarded its neutrality, these soldiers were housed in internment camps, such as the one in Harderwijk. Despite their forced stay, the internees were granted certain freedoms, including the right to send letters to their families. However, the use of mail by these internees was strictly controlled and regulated through the use of special internment stamps, a unique philatelic phenomenon now prized by collectors.
Dutch Internment Camps and Mail
The Netherlands, neutral during the war, took in many foreign soldiers, mainly Belgians, who had crossed the border in 1914 after the German invasion. These soldiers were accommodated in internment camps spread across the country, with the Harderwijk camp being one of the largest and most well-known. To prevent these soldiers from returning to the front, they were kept in the Netherlands for the duration of the war.
Communication with the outside world, particularly with family members, was limited but not entirely forbidden. The authorities allowed internees to send letters and postcards under strict conditions. However, in early 1916 this was only permitted using special adhesive stamps known as internment stamps. These stamps, such as the green stamp issued in 1916, were used only for a limited time and did not have a printed value. Rather than functioning as regular postage, they served as a means of control for the authorities.
The Certification of the Internment Stamp
In a certification issued by the Dutch Association of Stamp Dealers (NVPH) in 1985, the authenticity of a green internment stamp from 1916 was confirmed. This stamp, designed by A.P.W. van Starrenburg and printed by the State Printing Office, features an image of the Dutch Maiden and a lion, symbols of strength and national pride. The use of this stamp was strictly limited to the month of February that year, and it could only be used by interned soldiers.
The certification specifically states that the examined stamp, which remains unused on an envelope, is deemed genuine. However, the stamp shows some rust spots, a common issue with old documents, caused by the oxidation of iron particles in the paper or ink. This certificate provides an important guarantee, especially given the existence of dangerous forgeries of these stamps, which are sometimes difficult to distinguish from genuine ones.
The Front of the Envelope: A Rejection
The front of the envelope bearing the internment stamp tells its own story. The envelope is addressed to Madame Mathilde Jager at Rue Verte 69 in Jette-St-Pierre, a suburb of Brussels, Belgium. The letter was sent from the Harderwijk internment camp, as evidenced by the purple stamp of Internment Camp “4th Division Harderwijk” clearly visible next to the green internment stamp.
What stands out most, however, is the purple ink stamp in German that reads “Zurück, weil unzulässig“, which translates as “Returned, because not permitted“. This stamp indicates that the letter was returned to the sender because the dispatch to Belgium was not authorised, likely due to wartime circumstances and German postal censorship. The pencil cross drawn over the address on the envelope further suggests that the letter was rejected and returned.
The Reverse Side: A Glimpse of the Sender
The back of the envelope reveals more about the sender: Pierre Jager, a soldier of the 3rd Chasseurs à Pied, a Belgian infantry regiment, who was interned in the Harderwijk camp. His address is neatly written as Camp Harderwijk, Holland, with an identification number No. 338. This number likely refers to his personal camp number, indicating that Pierre Jager was one of many Belgian soldiers interned there, trying to reach his family in Brussels.
The fact that this soldier had the opportunity to write to his family, even though the letter was ultimately returned, provides a human face to the often impersonal history of war. The strict regulations surrounding mail and the censorship imposed by the involved countries highlight the complex circumstances faced by both the internees and their family members.
Conclusion: A Piece of History
The history of internment stamps and their use is a fascinating chapter in both postal history and the broader history of the First World War. This envelope, with its returned letter and certificate of authentication, offers a tangible reminder of the soldiers who were held in Dutch camps, far from their families, yet still permitted, under restrictions, to communicate with them. The story of Pierre Jager and the letter sent back to Brussels is just one of many stories preserved by these stamps and documents, illustrating how mail served not only as a means of conveying information but also as a symbol of hope in times of uncertainty.
Internment stamps are more than mere collectibles; they are a window into a forgotten aspect of wartime history, where letters like those from Pierre Jager played a vital role in maintaining connections between soldiers and their families, despite the walls of neutrality and war that separated them.
