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Simon Everhardus Hendrik Sanches (9 August 1915 – 16 August 2002) was a Dutch navy nurse and laboratory technician who planned to commit a coup d'état in Suriname on the night of 7 to 8 November 1947. The coup was betrayed, and he was sentenced to seven months imprisonment and was later
In 1947, Sanches decided to return to Suriname, but could not find employment. He joined up with army veterans and disgruntled serving personnel. On the night of 7 to 8 November, they had planned to capture the Memre Boekoe barracks, and use the tanks and weapons which were at the barracks, to capture the police station, the telephone station, the Gouvernor's Palace, and Fort Zeelandia. A curious detail is that Sanches wanted to replace the statue of Queen Wilhelmina with a statue of 
On 16 February 1948, Sanches was convicted to seven months imprisonment by the civil court. The police officer was found not guilty. The prosecutor filed an appeal on 28 February. The soldiers were tried by
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
ed.
Biography
Sanches was born on 9 August 1915 in Ambarawa, Java,Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
(nowadays Indonesia). He spent his youth in Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, and moved to the Netherlands in 1934 to study medicine. He ran into financial difficulties, and joined the Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
in 1940 as a nurse.
Sanches' navy career was cut short by the German invasion of the Netherlands, and he studied to become a medical laboratory technician in Utrecht. During this period, he became politically active. He met several Surinamese army volunteers who were also stuck in the Netherlands, and often had difficulties making a living. After graduation, he started to work for the National Institute for Public Health.
In 1947, Sanches decided to return to Suriname, but could not find employment. He joined up with army veterans and disgruntled serving personnel. On the night of 7 to 8 November, they had planned to capture the Memre Boekoe barracks, and use the tanks and weapons which were at the barracks, to capture the police station, the telephone station, the Gouvernor's Palace, and Fort Zeelandia. A curious detail is that Sanches wanted to replace the statue of Queen Wilhelmina with a statue of Anton de Kom
Cornelis Gerhard Anton de Kom (22 February 1898 – 24 April 1945) was a Surinamese resistance fighter and anti-colonialist author. He was arrested in Suriname and the protest against his arrest resulted in two deaths. De Kom was subsequently ...
.
The wife of one of the conspirators told her priest who contacted the military command. 15 people including Sanches were arrested on 6 November 1947. Soldiers stationed in Paramaribo were gathered to guard the Gouvernor's Palace. Sanches soon confessed his plan to overthrow the government. By 18 November, Sanches, five soldiers and one police officer remained in custody.
On 16 February 1948, Sanches was convicted to seven months imprisonment by the civil court. The police officer was found not guilty. The prosecutor filed an appeal on 28 February. The soldiers were tried by court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
on 6 March. Three conspirators were sentenced to one year and three months, two others to six months imprisonment. On 5 April, all six conspirators were pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
ed by Gouvernor Brons
Brons, named after Jan Brons, was a Dutch engine manufacturer in Appingedam that existed from 1907 to 2004. The company made more than 4000 engines for large machines such as ships, tractors, and busses. The company is notable for its early s ...
for the main sentence, i.e. the dishonorable discharge remained for the military personnel.
Sanches moved to the Netherlands, and never returned to Suriname. He worked as a civil servant for the city of The Hague. In 1964, he moved to Leiden where he started to work at the Leiden University Medical Center as a laboratory technician. During the 1960s, Sanches was chairperson of the Leiden branch of the Pacifist Socialist Party.
Sanches died on 16 August 2002 in Leiderdorp, at the age of 87.
See also
*Frans Killinger
Frans Pavel Vaclav Killinger (14 November 1875 – 1936/1962) was a military officer and police inspector in Suriname who planned to commit the first coup d'état in Suriname on the night of 25 to 26 May 1910. The coup was betrayed, and he was sen ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanches, Simon 1915 births 2002 deaths Royal Netherlands Navy personnel Dutch scientists People from Semarang Regency Surinamese rebels 20th-century Dutch politicians Pacifist Socialist Party politicians