Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

- 238-
equipment to cut down trees. 29 They informed residents living within a kilometre eastwards
of the Waterline to prepare themselves for possible evacuation of their houses in case of
invasion, which would see the region inundated with water. 30 The military immediately
emptied several houses near the town of N aarden and then destroyed them. 31
While the "state of war" declarations in August 1914 had clear strategic purposes,
the reasons for announcing the "state of siege" on 29 August 1914 were more ambiguous. 32
On the 26th, the Commander of the Field Army, Buh1man, had complained to Snijders that
the "state of war" gave him insufficient jurisdiction to deal with neutrality transgressions on
the Belgian border, as his appointment required him to do. 33 He cited reports from Gennan
officials that Belgian civilians were crossing into the Netherlands after shooting at Gennan
soldiers. 34 If the reports were true, these actions violated Dutch neutrality since a neutral
state could not be a base for hostile activities. 35 Of greater concern for Buhlman was the
possibility that Gennans might pursue the Belgianfranc-tireurs into the Netherlands and
cause an even more serious neutrality violation. What also worried the Field Army
Commander was that locals owned a vast array of hunting guns, and these might find their
way into Belgian hands. The "state of war" did not allow him to take action against the
rumoured crossings, nor to remove weapons from locals. hnposing a "state of siege" in the
region, however, would achieve both these things.
Snijders passed the commander's suggestion to the cabinet, and urged it to upgrade
the southern frontier from a "state of war" to a "state of siege". 36 Buhlman also identified
other neutrality problems better addressed by a "state of siege". For example, the border cut
the town of Putte in half. He requested that the street marking the frontier be patrolled
29 Utrecht en de Oorlogstoestand p. 20.
30 Ibid. p. 30.
31 Pictures appeared of evacuated families in Het Leven Gei'llustreerd. 9, 32, Tuesday 11 August 1914, p. 1029.
32 Staa tsb lad. no. 435, 29 August 1914.
33 Commander-in-Chief, "Bijzonder Instructie voor den Commandant van het Veldleger, geldende van 10 Augustus
1914 tot nadere kennisgeving" [Extraordinary instructions for the Commander of the Field Army, applicable from 1 0
August 1914 until further notice] 10 August 1914, in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star' entry no. 2.l3.70,
inventory no. 1; Commander of the Field Army to Commander-in-Chief, 26 August 1914, in ARA, "Archieven van
de Generale Star' entry no. 2.l3.70, inventory no. 95.
34 Oberst-Lieutenant Galtus to Commander of Maastricht, 22 August 1914, in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale
Star' entry no. 2.l3.70, inventory no. 95.
35 Article 1 ofthe neutrality regulations, see: Appendix 5, p. 455.
36 Commander-in-Chiefto Minister President, 27 August 1914; Commander-in-Chiefto Commander of the Field
Army, 27 August 1914, both in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star' entry no. 2.l3.70, inventory no. 95.