Who was the collector?

On August 1, 1936, a beautiful series of postage stamps was issued featuring an image of Queen Wilhelmina. She was adorned with a veil. Court photographer Franz Ziegler took this photograph of Wilhelmina in mourning following the death of Prince Hendrik in the autumn of 1934 at Het Loo Palace. He produced an entire series of photographs in which Wilhelmina stands on the stairs in the vestibule. The graphic artist and draftsman Fokko Mees, born in Batavia, used the photographs to create a design for a postage stamp. The series of stamps, produced using plate printing by Joh. Enschedé & Zonen in Haarlem, was issued in Curaçao and Suriname. The stamps were produced in two sizes, with a slightly larger format for the so-called high values. Between 1940 and 1951, Military Police Troops were stationed on Curaçao. These troops were present primarily due to the strategic importance of the oil refineries on Curaçao and Aruba. One of the soldiers was Infantryman First Class W. Kuenen. He was stationed in Rio Canario in 1947. He regularly wrote letters that were sent to the Netherlands by airmail. A few envelopes have been preserved. The envelopes are affixed with stamps from the "Wilhelmina with Veil" series. But was the affixed stamp indeed the rate for the airmail shipment? The first envelope, sent on April 2, 1947, is affixed with three stamps, totaling a value of 28½ cents. The note "please lightly stamp" was added. A request that could only have come from a person who was either a collector themselves or intended to send the letter to a collector. The envelope was also carefully opened. Was the addressee, Mr. Kuenen of Beverwijk, the collector? The second envelope, sent on May 3, 1947, bears five stamps, totaling a value of 57 cents. Double the amount of the first letter, therefore. Was that letter heavier? That can no longer be determined. However, it is true that the envelope, now addressed to Mrs. G. Kuenen-Roelofwaard, was roughly opened at the side. Fortunately, the stamps remained undamaged. Was it the collector? The third envelope, previously sent on December 11, 1946, leaves almost no room for an address. This envelope is affixed with no fewer than 18 stamps from the Islands series, issued on February 1, 1943. Two blocks of four are affixed to the back of the envelope. The total value affixed amounts to 45 cents. Here too, the note reads: please lightly stamp. The addressee is Mr. G. Kuenen of Beverwijk.

Mr. G. Kuenen in Beverwijk

The fact that the envelopes have been preserved proves that we were definitely dealing with a collector here. But who that was? I don't know!