The Soldier of Orange

Siebren Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, born on April 3, 1917, in Soerabaja, Java, is now best known as the "Soldier of Orange." During World War II, he became a resistance fighter, war pilot, radio operator, and author. He was one of the so-called “Engelandvaarders”—young Dutchmen who secretly traveled to England to join the Allied forces.

From there, he took part in covert missions and maintained vital contacts with the Dutch resistance. Before reaching England, he spent a week in the Oranjehotel, the infamous prison in Scheveningen where many resistance members were held. According to the memoirs of François van ’t Sant, former head of Dutch intelligence, Hazelhoff Roelfzema was also involved in postwar politics. In 1947, he allegedly helped plan a coup, with support from former Prime Minister Pieter Gerbrandy, in protest against the expected recognition of Indonesian independence.

The plot, which targeted Labour leader Koos Vorrink, was never carried out. After the war, Hazelhoff Roelfzema turned to writing. His first book, The Snake Pit (1970), was largely overlooked. But in 1971, on his wife's suggestion, he re-released it under the title Soldier of Orange, featuring a foreword by Prince Bernhard. The book became a bestseller and cemented his legacy as one of the Netherlands’ most legendary resistance heroes. Today, he is widely remembered through the hit musical Soldaat van Oranje, which has been playing continuously since 2010 at the TheaterHangar in Katwijk.