1940 Royal Netherlands Navy HQ

[Marc Parren]

Find attached a naval cover addressed to Captain, to become Rear Admiral Kelly (1886-1956) who was on duty at the American Legation, The Hague as United States Naval Attaché and naval attaché for air when the Germans invaded the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. He was ordered by the Navy Department to return to the United States on 12 July 1940. At the backside we see the address: 21A, Portman Square which was the address of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in London at the time. I checked with some Dutch contacts on the initials in the tombstone which is what I believe to be CHB (can anybody confirm) from R.N.N. H.Q. Attaché at the time was LTZ1 A. de Booy (Dutch Naval Liaison Officer). After 14 May 1940 it was vice admiral Furstner. De Booy was supported as from 12 May by a civilian (Grootenhuis), vice consul W.J.D. Philipse, res lt wn G. Leverland, LTZ2 M.J. Vos en LTZ1 K.J.F. Krediet. So no one of them fits the initials CHB. So it might be a British liaison officer also by the fact that a British tombstone was applied. Where can I found out who CHB was in that case? Was it normal to send naval covers from London and have the machine cancellation RECEIVED FROM H.M. SHIPS applied? I hope somebody can shed some light on this