The family of Jos van Raalte (1844-1926) still has regular contact with Damen Naval. Jos van Raalte was the very first general manager of Koninklijke Maatschappij ‘De Schelde’, the company from which Damen Naval originated. It is his bronze bust that is displayed proudly next to that of founder Arie Smit in the hall of the head office.

Further confirming the existing bond between her family and the company, Cathrien Harts recently made a special donation to Damen Naval. Cathrien is a great-granddaughter of Jos van Raalte. While tidying her attic, Cathrien came across a dusty pile of old documents about Koninklijke Maatschappij ‘De Schelde’.

There were articles from old, yellowed technical magazines about, among other things, the passenger ships that the Vlissingen-based shipyard built for De Rotterdamsche Lloyd in the 1920s and 1930s. Cathrien also found a beautifully produced booklet with photos and technical drawings describing the construction of the De Schelde head office, which became operational in 1914. She decided to donate the hoard of archives to Damen Naval. Managing Director Hein van Ameijden is pleased with the gift, which arrived on his desk 13 January.

Marian Roos at museum Scheldewerf Marian Roos at museum Scheldewerf

However, in order to make the historical materials accessible to a wider audience, he decided not to keep it in his own company archive, but to loan it to the Scheldewerf Museum (opposite the head office) instead.

The museum, which details the history of De Schelde, has gratefully accepted the documents. Hein van Ameijden: “Mrs. Harts told me that these documents were of little use to her. That is why she looked for another use for them. I think the museum is an ideal place to keep them. We can now show the documents to anyone interested in the rich history of De Schelde.”

The Harts family was from Vlissingen, until Cathrien Harts’ grandparents moved from the city on the Schelde to Wassenaar. Cathrien’s grandmother, Theresa Clara Louisa van Raalte, was one of Jos van Raalte’s two daughters. The Van Raalte family is described extensively in the book Joods Vlissingen [a book describing the history of Vlissingen’s Jewish population]. Joseph Ephraim van Raalte played an important role in the early days of De Schelde. He became general manager in the founding year of 1875 and, according to Hein van Ameijden, contributed greatly to the shipyard’s first successes. “It is special to realize that Van Raalte may have had these historical documents in his hands,” says Doeke Roos Jr. from the Scheldewerf Museum.

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