Camille Van den Plas
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Camille Théodore Joseph Van den Plas | |
|---|---|
 Ernest Baert and Camille Van den Plas from Camille Coquilhat, Sur le Haut Congo 1882- 1886, Paris, 1888 | |
| Born | 5 January 1850 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium |
| Died | 15 March 1902 (aged 52) Brussels, Belgium |
| Occupations | Soldier, accountant, colonial administrator |
Camille Théodore Joseph Van den Plas (5 January 1850 – 15 March 1902) was a Belgian soldier, accountant and colonial administrator. He was active in establishing the intendancy in Congo Free State.
Camille Théodore Joseph Van den Plas was born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium on 5 January 1850. His parents were Pierre Joseph Van den Plas, a teacher at the Brussels Athénée, and Anne-Marie Holzemer. He studied at the Middle School of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Where he learned to speak and write French, Flemish, English and German. In 1865 he enlisted as a volunteer with the 8th Line Regiment. He was appointed sergeant in 1867 and sergeant major on 21 December 1868. On 31 December 1874 he left the army and then held several jobs as an accountant.[1]
First term in the Congo (1884–1887)
On 1 April 1884 Van den Plas was hired as an agent by the International Association of the Congo. He left Liverpool on the Roquette on 17 April 1884, bound for the Congo. He spent several months at Vivi, then on 31 July 1884, was appointed first commercial agent in Léopoldville.[1]
On 11 November 1884 Guillaume Casman left for Équateur in an expedition with three steamers: the Royal, A.I.A. and En Avant. The members included Charles Liebrechts and Van den Plas. They arrived at Equateur Station on 12 December 1884, where Alphonse van Gèle handed over command to Casman in a ceremony before the native chiefs.[2] Van Gèle then left for a visit to the Stanley Falls accompanied by Van den Plas and the Swedish lieutenant Edde Gleerup.[3] The mission reached the Falls on 26 January 1885, where they found a very precarious situation due to the actions of the Zanzibar Arab trader Tippu Tip. They managed to get Tuppu Tip to agree not to interfere with the Belgians, but he did not keep this promise.[1]
Van Gèle charged Van den Plas with establishing an accounting service in the Upper Congo. On 1 July 1885 Van den Plas was appointed head of Equateur station.[1] He replaced Casman, and in December 1885 was replaced by Edward James Glave.[4] On 28 December 1885 he was appointed commercial agent among the Bangalas. He was then responsible for leading a first contingent of 84 Bangala soldiers, with 11 women to Boma. He was responsible for training them under the orders of Lieutenant Léon Roget. In December 1886, as assistant to Lieutenant Henri Avaert, he took part in the expedition to Manyanga and was responsible for the evacuation of Vivi. He returned to Boma on 14 January 1887, embarked at Banana on 17 January 1887 and reached Belgium on 15 February 1887 at the end of his term of service.[1]