Simon van der Meulen

Since October 2024, I provide translation services for TracesOfWar. From childhood, WW2 and all events that preceded it and what followed shortly thereafter, has attracted my interest. That interest is also caused by the experiences of my father in the Dutch resistance during the German occupation, but also his post-war military career as an infantry officer in the (former) Dutch East Indies and the Netherlands. In my family were a lot of military officers, serving in all branches of the Dutch armed forces, including the former Royal Dutch East Indies Army, and each of them had to bear the hardship of WW2, be it in Europe or Asia. No surprise how I was brought up. In 1975, I enlisted with the Royal Netherlands Navy, albeit for two years only because I didn’t have the required respect for military hierarchy. Later, I graduated at Leiden University with a master in Sinology (Chinese Languages & Cultures) and afterwards pursued a professional career in the international banking sector. Retired as of 2021. Next to military history, wildlife photography throughout the world is my great passion.