Vice-Admiral A. de Booy

Vice-Admiral Alfred de Booy

Born Buitenzorg [Bogor], Java May 29, 1901 - Died 1990

Alfred de Booy was the first naval attaché in London since Captain K.F. Sluys had been withdrawn in 1922. As such, he was invaluable by maintaining close contact with the British Admiralty during the mobilization period (September, 1939 - May, 1940), when for example, a very unneutral arrangement was made with regard to a direct line of communication between the Dutch naval staff an the British Admiralty.

A relatively large contingent of ships and personnel managed to escape to Britain in May 1940, where they continued the fight against the Germans. In the absence of Admiral Furstner during the first few days after May 10, 1940, De Booy acted as "deputy Commander in Chief" and as such, made numerous arrangements with the Admiralty, which eventually led to a fruitful alliance between the Netherlands and British Royal Navy

Later, when a more permanent command structure had been organized, De Booy and Furstner manage to remove most of the distrust of the Royal Navy. There were numerous (mostly untrue) stories of betrayal and socalled "5th column activities" during the German invasion. From that point onwards, the Royal Netherlands Navy became a valued ally against the Germans. De Booy's untiring efforts were recognized later in the war, when he was given command of the frigate Johan Maurits van Nassau, later combined with the command over the 37th Escort Group, even though De Booy hadn't been to sea in years.

After the war, De Booy would eventually reach the highest post achievable, that of Commander-in-Chief of Dutch naval forces (Bevelhebber der Zeestrijdkrachten, or BdZ).

Ranks
Midshipman September 6, 1918
Sublieutenant August 18, 1921
Lieutenant August 18, 1923
Lieutenant-Commander August 21, 1931
Commander (acting) February 11, 1942
Commander August 16, 1942
Captain (acting) March 2, 1946
Captain May 1, 1946
Commodore (acting) July 1, 1949
Rear-Admiral March 1, 1951
Vice-Admiral (acting) August 10, 1951
Vice-Admiral March 1, 1953
Retired March 28, 1956

Postings
Gunnery Officer, pre-dreadnought Zeven Provinciën August, 1921 - February, 1922
Naval Barracks Oedjong February, 1922 - November, 1922
Submarines K IV, K V and K I 1922 - 1923
Armored cruiser Gelderland 1924 -
Pilot Boat Loodsboot No.6 -
Destroyer Kortenaer January, 1928 -
Detached as observer to K.N.I.L in Bandoeng May, 1931 - June, 1931
Light cruiser Sumatra 1931 - 1931
Minelayer Krakatau - 1932
Investigator of mutiny on board Zeven Provinciën
(then Deputy Chief of Staff, Surabaya Naval Base)
1933 - 1933
Student High Naval Academy 1934 - 1936
Dutch Naval Attaché, London May 8, 1936 - June 14, 1943
Dutch Liaison Officer to the Admiralty May 10, 1940 - June 14, 1943
Commanding Officer, frigate Johan Maurits van Nassau June 14, 1943 - October 23, 1944
Commanding Officer, 37th Escort Group November 14, 1943 - October 23, 1944
Liaison Officer to Senior Naval Officer, Antwerp October 23, 1944 - April 3, 1945
Liaison Officer, Allied Headquarters, London June 14, 1945 - June 30, 1945
Naval Staff, The Hague June 30, 1945 - February 2, 1946
Commanding Officer, escort carrier Karel Doorman March 20, 1946 - November 21, 1947
Chief of Staff, C-in-C Naval Forces N.E.I. January 27, 1948 - May 31, 1949
Deputy Chief of Staff, Ministry of Naval Affairs July 1, 1949 - March 16, 1951
Commanding Officer, Training Squadron No.5 on board Hr.Ms. Tromp April 16, 1951 - July 6, 1951
Chief of Staff, Ministry of Naval Affairs August 1, 1951 - March 28, 1956
Commander in Chief, Dutch naval forces August 1, 1951 - March 28, 1956

Other activities
Director, later Vice-President, Verolme Verenigde Scheepswerven (Verolme United Dockyards) 1956 - 1966

Awards
Dutch Commodore in the Order of the Dutch Lion (April 24, 1953) (NL.2)
Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (January 30, 1941) (ON.4)
War Remembrance Cross, with 2 bars (October 12, 1949) (OHK.2)
Honorary Sign for Order and Peace (March 5, 1951) (OV)
Service Cross for naval officers, for 30 years' of service (December 6, 1951) (XXX)
Foreign Officer of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (December 18, 1941) (OBE.4)
Commander in the Legion of Merit of the USA (March 10, 1956) (LM.4)
Commodore 1st class in the Order of Danebrog of Denmark (June 24, 1952) (DB.2)
Grand Officer in the Order of Francisco de Miranda of Venezuela (February 6, 1956)
Grand Officer in the Order of the "Merito Naval" of Brazil (August 22, 1958)

Sources
Ph.M. Bosscher "De Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog" vols 1 and 3, Franeker, 1990
Klaassen/Van 't Haaff "Gedenkboek Adelborsten-opleiding te Willemsoord 1854-1954", Bussum, 1954

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