This photo gives a glimpse of the start of the Indonesian war of independence. After Japan capitulated, the British were given the task of restoring order in Indonesia. To do this, soldiers from British India were deployed. This included Gurkha brigades, elite units consisting of soldiers from Nepal. It resulted in a situation in which colonial troops from one colonial power (Britain) were used to defend the colony of another colonial power (the Netherlands). Eventually, this led to a bloody clash on 10 November 1945 between British and Indian troops on the one hand and Indonesian fighters on the other. This confrontation, the Battle of Surabaya, has entered the history books as the most savage fight of the Indonesian war of independence.
Soldier of the 3rd Royal Gurkha Rifles talks to a Dutch child. Batavia, 1945. Photograph taken by Netherlands Indies Government Information Service (NIGIS). KITLV 6760.