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Tette "Ted" Meines (25 September 1921 – 24 December 2016) was a
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in the
Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dut ...
and an activist for veterans' rights. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, he was a member of the Dutch resistance and helped Jewish families, for which he was awarded the title
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to s ...
by Israel. After the war had ended, Meines saw active service in the
Politionele acties ' ( en, police actions) refers to two major military offensives undertaken by the Netherlands on Java and Sumatra against the Republic of Indonesia during its struggle for independence in the Indonesian National Revolution. In Indonesia they are ...
. During and after his military career, he became involved in veteran affairs and was instrumental in the setting up of several veterans organizations. He is considered the founder of the Dutch veteran affairs policy.


Early life and World War II

Meines was born on 25 September 1921 in
Huizum Huizum is a residential area of the municipality of Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland, Netherlands. It has approximately 9,000 inhabitants. Huizum was formerly part of Leeuwarderadeel and incorporates a former village. Description Huizum has ...
. He grew up in a Reformed Christian family in
Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
and had four sisters. His father worked for the railways and was a local and provincial politician for the
Anti-Revolutionary Party The Anti-Revolutionary Party ( nl, Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Protestant conservative and Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1879 by Abraham Kuyper, a neo-Calvinist theologian and mi ...
. He wished that his son would obtain a political position and thus helped him get a job at the municipality. He belonged to the class that would be called up for military service in June 1940. During the German raid the month before, he tried to enlist early or leave the country. During World War II, at age 22, Meines joined the Dutch resistance. He arranged for
ration cards A ration stamp, ration coupon or ration card is a stamp or card issued by a government to allow the holder to obtain food or other commodities that are in short supply during wartime or in other emergency situations when rationing is in forc ...
, sought safe hiding places for children and moved them there. Amongst other places he worked in Limburg and Twente. Meines was a member of the . In 1942 Meines was arrested, but was rescued by resistance members before he could be deported to a
concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...
. Afterwards Meines had to take another alias, and took that of deceased minister Sjoeke Nutma. Due to Meines still being wanted he was forced to also act like a minister. In this role Meines delivered sermons to full congregations. During the war Meines joined the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten. Of his original group of twenty resistance members only four survived until the liberation of the Netherlands on 5 May 1945.


Later career

Although exempt from military service, Meines enrolled as a war volunteer in August 1945. He was trained as an officer in England between 1945 and 1947, finishing his training as a second lieutenant. Meines met
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , house = Lippe , father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe , mother = Armgard von Cramm , birth_date = , birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld , birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany , death_date = ...
during his time abroad. Inspired by
The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in n ...
the two decided to set up an association for veterans. In 1948 Meines became a professional soldier. In April 1949 Meines was promoted to first lieutenant. With the
Politionele acties ' ( en, police actions) refers to two major military offensives undertaken by the Netherlands on Java and Sumatra against the Republic of Indonesia during its struggle for independence in the Indonesian National Revolution. In Indonesia they are ...
happening in the Dutch East Indies Meines wished to serve there. However, his request was denied as he was deemed too valuable for the renewal of the Dutch armed forces. In September 1949 Meines saw his earlier request fulfilled and he was sent to the Western
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, Dutch East Indies. He returned to the Netherlands in October 1950. He subsequently served at the artillery school. From January to July 1952 he received training at
Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landma ...
, Oklahoma, United States. He was promoted to captain in 1954. In 1957 Meines started serving with the 43rd and later 12th Artillery Division. From 1959 to 1965 he held several military staff positions, and he was promoted to major in 1961. In 1965 he became part of the . And two years later was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. In 1969 Meines became head of the restructuring section. In 1971 he was promoted to colonel and became deputy commander of the 42e Pantserinfanteriebrigade. In May 1973 Meines was named to temporary deputy head of logistics. Ten months later he was promoted to brigade general and a subsequent two months later to major-general when he was assigned as deputy quartermaster-general. Meines retired in November 1976 as major general, aged 55. After his military career ended Meines became director of the , where he worked until 1986. At the Hartstichting he restructured the organization and made a money collection plan.


Work for veterans

Meines was active in veteran affairs since 1950. He was the founder of ''Het Veteranen Legioen Nederland''. In 1988 he became the first chairperson of the newly founded ''Veteranenstichting''. Meines was instrumental in the creation of the ''Veteranenplatform''. The platform united dozens of veteran affairs organizations. Meines led the platform until 1998. During this time he managed to persuade Defence Minister
Relus ter Beek Aurelus Louis "Relus" ter Beek (18 January 1944 – 29 September 2008) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from 11 May 1971 until 7 November 1989 when he became Minister of ...
to form a more active veterans policy. Which culminated in an annual veterans day since 1995 and a Veterans law in 2012. The Veterans Platforms instituted a Ted Meines Prize when Meines left the organization. In 1994 Meines was promoted to titular lieutenant-general. Meines has stated that
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld , house = Lippe , father = Prince Bernhard of Lippe , mother = Armgard von Cramm , birth_date = , birth_name = Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld , birth_place = Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Germany , death_date = ...
told him shortly before his death in 2004 to take care of the veterans of the Netherlands. In 2010 Meines was the parade commander at the yearly parade of veterans in
Wageningen Wageningen () is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of in , of which many ...
. In December 2013 a bust of him was revealed at a military base in
Doorn Doorn is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. History In a document from 885 to 896, the settlement is called "Thorhem", dwelling of Thor, the God of Thunder. Vikings quart ...
. On his 93th birthday, in 2014, he was effectively promoted to lieutenant-general. He was given the promotion for his services to the
Armed forces of the Netherlands The Netherlands Armed Forces ( nl, Nederlandse krijgsmacht) are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy (), the Royal Netherlands A ...
and especially his work for veterans. In 2016 Meines spoke before the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, where he argued for
Soestdijk Palace Soestdijk Palace ( nl, Paleis Soestdijk ) is a palace formerly belonging to the Dutch Royal Family. It consists of a central block and two wings. Although named after the village of Soestdijk, which is largely in the municipality of Soest, the ...
to be converted in a center for veterans. Later that year Meines had to cancel his appearance at several meetings due to health reasons. On his death Defence Minister
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert Jeanine Antoinette Hennis-Plasschaert (born 7 April 1973) is a Dutch politician and diplomat serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq since 1 November 2018. She is a member of t ...
called Meines "the founder of the current veterans policy".


Awards and decorations

On 6 July 1992 Meines was recognized as a
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to s ...
by Israel for his work in saving Jewish people in World War II. In 2015 he was awarded honorary citizenship of Israel. Meines was a Knight in the
Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...
and an Officer in the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
with swords. He was also awarded the
Ereteken voor Orde en Vrede The Decoration for Order and Peace ( nl, Ereteken voor Orde en Vrede) is a military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established on 12 December 1947 by royal decree of Queen Wilhelmina. The medal commemorates at least three months of servi ...
,
Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis The Mobilisation War Cross (Dutch: ''Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis'') is a Dutch medal awarded for service during World War II. Establishment and criteria The Mobilisation War Cross was established on 11 August 1948 by royal decree of Queen Wilhelm ...
and Decoration of Merit in gold.


Personal life

Meines met his wife, Doreen de Veer, in the Dutch East Indies. The couple returned to the Netherlands in 1950 and later had a son and daughter. Apart from his friendship and confidency with Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Meines also had a friendship with Bernhards grandson,
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beat ...
. Meines cited a meeting with
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
in 1952 as important in his life, with King Jr. telling him: "Be yourself, be good and tell it". Meines died in his home town of
Leidschendam Leidschendam () is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. History The town's name has been in use for centurie ...
on 24 December 2016, aged 95.`


Galery

File:Ted Meines Indië Herdenking Roermond 2013.jpg, Lieutenant General Ted Meines Indies commemoration Roermond 2013 File:Ted Meines Generaal Indiëherdenking Roermond 2015.jpg, Lieutenant General Ted Meines Indies commemoration Roermond 2015 File:Luitenant Generaal Ted Meines Indiëherdenking Roermond 2015.jpg, Lieutenant General Ted Meines Indies commemoration Roermond 2015 File:Ted Meines Indië herdenking Roermond 2016.jpg, Lieutenant General Ted Meines Indies commemoration Roermond 2016


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meines, Ted 1921 births 2016 deaths Dutch activists Dutch humanitarians Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch resistance members Dutch Righteous Among the Nations Dutch veterans' rights activists Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau People from Leeuwarden Recipients of the Decoration of Merit Royal Netherlands Army generals