Military Police of Orange / Side by side

One of the new exhibitions at the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee Museum focuses on the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, who played a unique role during World War II. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee consisted of over 1,200 professional personnel. A quarter of them escaped to England in May 1940.

 

This is how some Marechaussees end up in the Royal Air Force and commando units, while a few even train as secret agents. Others perform a typical Marechaussee task within the Princess Irene Brigade, guarding members of the royal family in exile. The Marechaussees who remain in the Netherlands face a dilemma: work under the German occupiers or resign?

 

The exhibition "Marechaussees van Oranje" (Marechaussees of Orange) highlights the individual choices made by Marechaussee soldiers during World War II, illustrated by a number of characters. Some chose to continue working under the occupying forces, others resisted. But there were also those who more than sympathized with the Germans.

 

The exhibition "Side by Side" focuses on female military police officers. For forty years, women have been permitted to work in operational roles for the Royal Military Police.

 

The Memento Mori is designed as a memorial space for the sacrifices that were made.

 

Kloosterboer was responsible for the construction of the new exhibitions in the museum.