The Airborne Museum was closed for two days last week for a thorough cleaning of the permanent exhibition. All objects were removed from the display cases, cleaned, and those that had not yet been photographed were professionally captured. Everyone was busy in the exhibition hall, making it especially convenient to have our collection data readily available on our phones using the software from Double Dig IT ( Bert Degenhart Drenth and Daan Kuijper). We are still in the testing phase of the system, but all data and images are already accessible. This allowed us to quickly check object locations and enabled the photographer to prepare based on a previously taken object photo.

The most exciting part of working closely with the collection is discovering surprises. In the permanent exhibition, the story of the Oosterbeek doctor, Dr. Gerrit van Maanen, is told, partly through an overpainted Dutch combat helmet. The original green color had been replaced with white, featuring a red cross on top. Once removed from the display case and cleaned, we noticed an inscription written in pen on the leather interior: “KAPITEIN Mr. DOORNBOS.” Using the Double Dig IT software, we could immediately check on-site whether this inscription had been previously noted and recorded in the object file. Surprisingly, it had not!

It is likely that this Captain Mr. Doornbos was the original wearer of the helmet. After some research in digitized officer records, it turned out to be Joan Willem Ubbo Doornbos (1896-1976). Until May 1940, he was a reserve captain in the Royal Netherlands Army. In February 1940, he was appointed president of the Court Martial in Utrecht. During the war, Doornbos served as deputy district judge, lawyer, and prosecutor in Arnhem. Both men belonged to the upper circles of Arnhem and its surroundings and may have known each other. At some point during the war, the helmet was passed on to Dr. Van Maanen and repainted. Van Maanen himself served as a reserve directing medical officer 3rd class until the capitulation, with twenty years of service to his name. Had he lost his own helmet during the war? During the Battle of Arnhem, he was at least able to make good use of Mr. Doornbos' repainted helmet while working at the emergency hospital in Hotel de Tafelberg.

Not only are the display cases and objects in the museum now in pristine condition again, but these days have also resulted in an enriched understanding of a collection piece!