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Wiebbe Hayes (born ) was a Dutch soldier known for his leading role in the suppression of Jeronimus Cornelisz's massacre of shipwreck survivors in 1629, after the merchant ship was wrecked in the Houtman Abrolhos, a chain of coral islands off the west coast of Australia.
Almost all that is known of the shipwreck and aftermath stems from a book by the expedition's commander, Francisco Pelsaert, who quickly absented himself after the shipwreck and reached safety before returning with the to rescue the survivors.
On the night of 3 June 1629, the was running under full sail when the look-out thought he saw breaking whitewater over shallows. He warned the skipper, Ariaen Jacobsz, who decided not to change course, believing that it was a reflection of the moon. Shortly afterwards, the ran aground at full speed on a coral reef near the Wallabi Group of islands. Attempts to refloat her failed, and she subsequently broke up.
It was at this point that Hayes was noticed by the VOC chief merchant, Francisco Pelsaert. As sailors and soldiers helped in the process of ferrying people to the nearby islands, Hayes was there helping passengers down, passing supplies, offering soothing words, directing commands and doing whatever was needed to be done to accomplish the hazardous tasks as safely as possible.
At some point early in the shipwreck, a hardy and loyal group of soldiers had spontaneously gathered around Wiebbe Hayes. Hayes was an ordinary soldier, but during the events and hardships they had just experienced, he must have shown uncommon qualities of natural leadership and courage, which had earned him the respect and trust of his comrades. Records show that Hayes had stepped out of obscurity to become a rallying point for many survivors.
Hayes' leadership qualities did not go unnoticed by Cornelisz and his followers. Arguing that the survivors lacked space and resources at Beacon Island, Cornelisz hand-picked Hayes, along with about 20 other men including a number of soldiers, to explore for fresh water on two large nearby islands, now known as West and East Wallabi Islands. Cornelisz persuaded Hayes and his associates to leave behind their weapons before conducting their search. He assumed the men would not find water, and that they would either die of thirst or return unarmed and unsuspecting to Beacon Island, whereupon they could be easily disposed of.W.A. Government (2008). Batavia History . Retrieved on 22 May 2008.
With his potential opponents out of the way, Cornelisz and his followers subsequently began a reign of terror on the island, raping, murdering and terrorizing the helpless passengers and crew who were not part of their conspiracy. Nearly three weeks after Hayes' departure to the "high islands," a smoke signal was received from one of them; Wiebbe Hayes and his soldiers had found fresh water. This complicated matters greatly for Cornelisz, who had believed the stranded group were either dead or dying. First, it meant they had a means to survive. Secondly, he was in danger of their warning any rescue ship approaching. Initially, Cornelisz ignored the smoke, and Hayes wondered why no one came to their island. Then, in the days that followed, a small group of survivors from Cornelisz's reign of terror began to drift across the lagoon to Hayes' location on makeshift rafts with stories of atrocities including rape, murder and massacre.
Despite being outranked by two cadets and other VOC officials, Hayes took command of the group and acted quickly to organise a defence of the island. He improvised weapons such as cudgels, pikes, and planks from the Batavia wreckage with carpenter's nails driven through them. On the top of a slope, which the attackers would have to climb after landing, he used dry stones to build a small fort, erected near the freshwater well. Within the enclosure, his men piled up a large heap of heavy rocks and sharp stones to hurl at the attackers should they attempt to storm the fort.Godard, Philippe (1993). The first and last voyage of the Batavia. Perth: Abrolhos. . .
During August and September, Cornelisz's gang made three attempts to take the island, but were repelled each time. On the third attempt, Cornelisz himself was taken prisoner and his best three lieutenants were killed. As a result, the rest of the mutineers fled in panic. On 17 September, the mutineers made a fourth and final attempt to take the island armed with two muskets and were winning the battle by firing from a distance. In the very midst of hostilities, however, a sail unexpectedly appeared on the horizon—that of the small VOC ship under the command of Pelsaert, who had returned. Hayes once again acted more quickly than the mutineers, and organized a party to row to the rescue ship, warning them of the mutineers' intentions. When the mutineers reached Pelsaert's vessel, they found their scheme had been discovered, and surrendered without a fight, some of them breaking down and spontaneously confessing to horrendous crimes.
The record of the promotion is also the last time Hayes is mentioned in the Dutch archives, and therefore nothing is known of his subsequent fate. He is remembered by his actions that bear witness to his strength of character, military ability, natural leadership, good judgement and courage. The remnants of and stone shelters built by Wiebbe Hayes and his men on West Wallabi Island are Australia's oldest known European structures.Dept. of the Environment and Heritage (2006). Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area 1629. Retrieved on 22 May 2008.Australian Broadcasting Company (2003). Shipwrecks: Batavia. Retrieved on 22 May 2008. Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area 1629 (2008). Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved on 24 May 2008.Elder, Bruce (2005). The Brutal Shore. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 24 May 2008. The Wiebbe Hayes Stone Fort and the well can still be seen to this day.
In the 1970s, the wreck of the Batavia was located and many artifacts were salvaged. Some of them are now on exhibition at the Batavia Gallery in Fremantle, Western Australia.VOC Shipwrecks (2008). Batavia. Retrieved on 22 May 2008.
Henrietta Drake-Brockman (1995). 9781920694722, University of Western Australia Press. . ISBN 9781920694722 After Pelsaert departed for help, Hayes and the other soldiers constructed shelters and set up a small piece of sail in such a fashion that it both provided shelter from the wind and collected whatever rain might fall, funnelling it down into a waiting barrel. Hayes also organised a systematic search for water on the island.
Aftermath
Pelsaert promoted Hayes on the spot to the rank of sergeant at a salary of 18 Dutch guilder per month—twice his former wage—and placed him in charge of all surviving soldiers. Upon arriving at Batavia, Wiebbe Hayes became a national hero, was decorated by the VOC and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, with another significant increase in pay.
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