Saved from the dustbin (2)

Under this title, a number of pre-1966 photographs have been and will be published in this blog. One way or the other, all are related to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. When possible, relevant details will be added. The origin of these pictures has been explained in 'dustbin #1'.


The KLM headoffice in The Hague has been designed by Dirk Roosenburg (1887-1962), an architect born and bred in The Hague. He knew KLM "founder" Albert Plesman since his youth and in 1936 Mr. Plesman asked him to make the office design. Much earlier, in 1919, the architect had been asked to make a design for the first KLM logo, which he did.
The first wing of the new headoffice was made available to KLM in 1940. During the war all building activities came to a stop but in 1946 building continued. At that time the picture below was taken. Today the building is owned by the Ministry of Traffic and Waterways.

The first wing of the KLM HQ in The Hague in 1946.
Further extensions have been built to the left.
The concrete structures alongside the road, are remains
from the war viz. anti tank obstacles.

As of August 1, 1947 KLM had a subsidiary in the former Dutch East Indies named the KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (KLM-IIB). It operated domestic routes, between the many islands in the archipelago. Most of them were without any airport facilities.  Therefore, the use of Catalina Flyboats does not come as a surprise. KLM-IIB was in fact the predecessor of Garuda Indonesian Airways. Garuda came into being in 1949.

Unloading baggage from the PK-CTD, a Consolidated Catalina.
Note the KLM logo on the aircraft's nose.

In the years after WWII, a lot of Dutchmen emigrated to other continents with Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA being the most popular destinations. Usually they expected that in those countries there were more opportunities for a better future. Among them the Van der Dussen family from Rotterdam. The family consisted of Daddy, Mummy and eleven children which, even by Dutch standards then, was considered to be a small crowd. They went to California. The fact they travelled to New York by air probably drew a lot of media attention. In those days most emigrants travelled by ship to their new homeland. 

Newspaper article from the Utrechts
Nieuwsblad April 23, 1947

The Van der Dussen family boarding the KLM Lockheed Constellation
PH-TAU "Venlo" at Schiphol Airport on April 24, 1947.
Note the KLM stewardesses carrying the cradles in which the baby twin was "seated". 

Almost all models manufactured by Douglas have been operated by KLM. That included the DC-2. The picture below must have been taken before December 9, 1936 as on that date the DC-2 named "Lijster" (thrush) with registration PH-AKL crashed near Croydon, UK. The second aircraft, the PH-AKT "Toekan" (toucan) was confiscated by the Germans on May 16, 1940 and transferred to Lufthansa. I am unable to identify the third DC-2.

Douglas DC-2 line up and boarding passengers at Schiphol Airport

Update March 9, 2012 After publishing the above post about the emigration of the Van der Dussen family from Rotterdam to California back in 1947, I successfully tried to make contact with family members there. Please click 'reacties' below for excerpts from emails written by Marianne Carter Vander Dussen.