You may wonder why a Dutchman memorises the name of an English mailboat. The reason is an obituary I saw in one of our newspapers back in 2015. It announced the death of Esther Henriëtte Ranchita Sprangers. When reading the name Ranchita, I wondered where it came from, as I had never heard of it before. But fortunately, the obit also mentioned her place of birth: 'on board British ship Ranchi Ind'. And that made it clear that she was named after the ship on which she was born. The fact that she was born in 1950 made me think this ship had something to do with the independence of Indonesia and the sudden/forced return of many Dutch nationals living in what was shortly before a Dutch colony. So I decided to look into this matter to find out what happened.
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| Obit of Ranchita born on the SS Ranchi |
Like several other European countries, the Netherlands also had colonies in both the Americas and the Far East. By far the largest one was present-day Indonesia, or the Dutch East Indies as it was known before its independence. Until that happened in the second half of the 1940s, the East Indies (partly) had been Dutch "property" ever since the 16th century. Depending on whom you ask, the change of government took place either in 1945 or 1949. The Indonesian and Dutch governments differ on this subject. In any case, the political change led to widespread violence. Between 1945 and 1955, over 300,000 people had to leave the country, most of them in a hurry, and many to a country they had never visited before: the Netherlands. Also, the vast majority travelled to Holland by boat. During the decade I mentioned, almost 300 steamers carried all these 'refugees' to Amsterdam and Rotterdam. 1950 was the peak year with 95 departures carrying over 100,000 passengers. The SS Ranchi, chartered by the Dutch government, made two trips from the port of Djakarta: Tandjong Priok.
Our Ranchita was born on the voyage that departed from Indonesia on August 29, 1950. The passenger manifest, which I found in the Dutch National Archive in The Hague, lists 973 persons. The majority of this trip consisted of local military staff, their wives and children. They never visited Holland before...
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| The P&O S.S. Ranchi, 16,600 tons gross |
The remarkable thing about this trip was that the passenger manifest only showed 936 passengers when the Ranchi departed from Tandjong Priok. So, how about adding the names of 37 passengers to the passenger list? Did the captain discover stowaways? Or did he pick up crew members of a sunken ship? The answer to both questions is negative. The cause of this increased number of passengers was a large number of pregnant wives, 35 to be precise! During the 4-week trip, they all delivered a baby, and two of them appeared to have carried twins! My investigation in the National Archive revealed that all these pregnant women had been grouped together on purpose. And that the ship's medical facilities had been adapted accordingly. So for many families, this was a happy trip. Obviously, the captain was well aware of all these new passengers. At the end of the voyage, he informed all on board as follows.
“I trust that all passengers, especially the little Ranchis and Ranchitas will remember this voyage to Amsterdam with pleasant recollection. I noticed since Aden, the local storks have been very interested in this ship. I have personally seen dozens, which probably accounts for the additions to our passenger list.”
The captain mentioned 'little Ranchis and Ranchitas'. In fact, 13 babies were (also) named after their place of birth. Nine times Ranchi, twice a Ranchita, a single Ranchis and another Ranchia. So that is how Esther Henriëtte got her third name, Ranchita.
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| Esther Henriëtte Ranchita Sprangers when she was young |
Based on the Ranchi archive, I could identify the 70 parents of the 37 newborns. There was also a list with the date and time of birth. This information, combined with the known cruising speed and the route of the Ranchi, allowed pinpointing the approximate place where each baby was born. The result is drawn on the map below.
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| The Ranchi route from Indonesia to Amsterdam with the marks of the birthplaces of the 37 babies |
It was 2015 when I looked into this Ranchi trip. A few years later, I was contacted by a pressman who also ran into this Ranchi matter. I was able to supply him with a lot of information, which you may read in my 2015 blog. Together with a small museum in Amsterdam (near the Ranchi port of arrival), the idea was developed to organise a get-together for the 37 grown-ups to celebrate their 70th birthday in 2020. During that occasion, I had the opportunity to meet a number of them, which was very special!
I trust you will agree with me that 37 babies, all born between departure and arrival, can certainly be regarded as 'something in the way'. And in case you disagree, there is the Sepia Saturday site with more interpretations of this week's slogan.
Wow, what an interesting true story! And your statistical information just adds the extra twist…as well as the follow-up of the 70th birthday gathering. Thanks so much for posting this!
ReplyDeleteBRAVA! I am so glad I read this. I could see this being turned into a movie - could go the way of a comedy almost! I am also glad to see a lovely portrait of the young lady. Thank you for all your hard work!
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting story. I briefly lived in Indonesia and like learning more of its history. Bravo for your research.
ReplyDeleteSusan
What a fascinating history! I was first attracted by the mention of Newcastle on Tyne as my husband’s ancestors sailed out of nearby South Shields. Then it was good to add to my knowledge of the origins of the P&O name - I never knew that. Then the story of the babies born on board ships. Lots to like there!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting & fun post. You did a lot of research which really paid off in publishing the story! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of babies! I wonder if any of the families kept in touch.
ReplyDeleteI am not aware of that, Kristin. In any case, not with me right now. However, sometimes, after years, they contact me via this blog. And that I appreciate very much.
DeleteFantastic work, Peter. I'm very impressed that you undertook such a formidable project to track down 37 children/people and even record the longitude/latitude of their birth. I loved reading the comments on the earlier story from travelers and decedents of that voyage. In research on one of my recent stories I came across a 1910 census record for a black man living in Ohio who listed his place of birth as "Ocean". This was only a few decades after the end of slavery.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see an obit or other publication with a special place of birth or death, I keep a copy.
DeleteA well-known Dutch sailor drowned in the North Atlantic during the Volvo Ocean Race. The obit mentioned the ocean name and 46.59,51 N - 38.29,59 W.
And a man, living in the former Dutch East Indies, was born in 'Koba, 3 piles from Muntok'. A pile is a local measure of length.
One day, I'll write a blog about these specials.