8 - Life on Shipboard and in Garrisons

Summary

This chapter will broadly sketch the daily life of soldiers and sailors in the East, with attention to such subjects as their discipline, their image of the enemy, and their treatment of opponents. The story begins on the ships that maintained the connection between Europe and Asia, then focuses on conditions in Batavia before shifting to areas beyond Batavia, mostly the regional capitals and the imperial periphery or ‘frontier’ of small forts and isolated patrol vessels. The phenomenon of desertion will be discussed, and the final part of the chapter deals with two other aspects of the voc's military activities: how did their military personnel view European and Asian adversaries, how did they treat them, as well as Asian peoples more generally? Over the course of two centuries, did a distinct ethics of warfare develop that differed from Western Europe’s?

The Outward and Homeward Voyages

The voc's outward and homeward voyages were truly transoceanic expeditions. The ships sailed directly to their destination in the charter territory, usually Batavia, making at most one stopover. Even though the return ships were large by the standards of the time, people on board were still living cheek by jowl — especially when outward-bound, carrying about three times as many people as the homeward voyages. On an outward voyage the average living space on board was barely two square metres per person. In good weather, those on board lived on deck during the day. At night and in bad weather, the higher ranks stayed in the cabin or cabins at the stern. The lower ranks lived belowdecks before the mast, where the smell could be overpowering. The stench was especially bad during rough weather, when the hatches were battened down and the men were unable to visit the ‘head’ in the ship's bow to relieve themselves. Other foul odours rose from rotting food and the livestock kept onboard, usually pigs and poultry. Moreover, the clothes of the lower ranks were often dirty and sometimes ridden with lice. In principle, everyone was responsible for providing their own clothing. Among experienced sailors there was some standardisation in their reasonably functional clothing, but this was less the case with those working in other positions.