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The Johan Franco branch of the IJsselstein family
Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Beijen
 Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Beijen (11.4) was born in Barneveld in 1835. He was a son of Johan Franco Beijen (IV), one of the main characters on the page The Johan Franco's IV, V and VI, and his wife Anne H.F. Bogaard. Medical Officer in the Dutch East IndiesPieter became a military physician. In doing so, he combined the career choice of his older brother Johan Franco V and some of his uncles with that of his father and grandfather.In 1852, the Minister of Colonies admitted him to the State School for Military Physicians in Utrecht. Four years later, he was appointed a medical officer in the military medical service in the East Indies. He arrived in Batavia in early 1857. He first served on Celebes and, from 1860, at the Grand Military Hospital on Ambon. Care for the wounded on CeramIn 1865 and 1866, Beijen was present at battles on the Moluccan island of Ceram (now Seram), north of Ambon. In the nineteenth century, there were various uprisings on that island. The Dutch administration attempted to suppress them by sending military expeditions. One of those expeditions lasted from October 1865 to February 1866.In his assessment report his performance during that expedition was spoken of with great praise. During battles, he frequently bandaged wounded men struck by bullets or sharp bamboo sticks at the very spot and under enemy fire. The conclusion in his service record was: "In all of this, he demonstrated great composure and otherwise distinguished himself favorably through excellent care for the wounded." The Military Order of WilliamFollowing his actions on Ceram, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies proposed appointing Pieter Beijen as a Knight of the Military Order of William, the highest Dutch military distinction. Because in a somewhat similar case another medical officer had received only an honorable mention, some discussion arose regarding that proposal. Ultimately, the Ministers of War and Colonies concluded that the appointment as Knight of the Order of William was justified in the case of "the composure of bandaging the wounded under enemy fire." King William III followed this advice and appointed Pieter Beijen a Knight of the Military Order of William by decree of September 13, 1867. Above is a photo of the decoration that Pieter Beijen received in 1867. In 1999, his second cousin named after him, Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Hoynck van Papendrecht, entrusted the decoration to me as the 'family archivist'. Married to Carolina StrengnaertsIn 1867, Pieter Beijen married Carolina Jacquelina Christina Strengnaerts on Ambon. She was born in 1848 in Tjeringin on West Java as the daughter of the military officer Jean G.G.H. Strengnaerts and a 'native' woman. Beijen had undoubtedly met Carolina's father during the expedition on Ceram, where Strengnaerts was commander. The Beijen-Strengnaerts couple had no children.Other postingsIn 1868, Beijen was appointed to the garrison in Palembang on Sumatra, and in 1870 to the one in Salatiga on Central Java. In 1872, he received a two-year leave to go to the Netherlands. Upon his return, as early as late 1873, he was appointed to the garrison in Surabaya on East Java. In 1875, he was assigned to serve in the medical service in Aceh (North Sumatra), where the long and bloody Aceh War had begun two years earlier.Knight in the Order of the Netherlands LionIn Aceh, Pieter Beijen had to deal not only with many seriously wounded as a result of the fighting, but also with a large number of cholera patients. A report states: "With complete dedication, Mr. Beijen acquitted himself in an excellent manner of the very difficult task assigned to him for over nine months." and "Likewise, many fortunate recoveries are due to his careful and skillful treatment of so many highly serious and life-threatening injuries."In connection with this, Beijen received another high royal distinction: in 1877, he was appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. More postings and another leaveIn 1876, Pieter Beijen returned to the garrison in Surabaya. In 1877, he was appointed to the hospital at Fort Willem I near Semarang in Central Java. In 1879, he was appointed directing medical officer at the medical service of Celebes in Makassar, and in 1880 at the medical service of Sumatra's West Coast in Padang.In January 1881, barely two months after his move to Padang, Pieter Beijen was granted sick leave to go to Europe for two years. Pieter Beijen and his wife departed for the Netherlands in February 1881. They returned to Batavia in July 1883. Beijen was subsequently assigned to the military hospital in Surabaya. Return to the NetherlandsIn 1885, Pieter Beijen retired. At that time, he was awarded the rank of colonel.He returned to the Netherlands with his wife. They settled in The Hague. Pieter Beijen died there in 1909, his wife Carolina Beijen Strengnaerts in 1918. |
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