Nai Rasmus Havmøller
The couple’s gravestone at the so-called new graveyard in Dråby by Ebeltoft. Translating to Roman letters from the Thai phonetic alphabet is difficult. Therefore we notice different spelling suggestions of both names and places, here Boon Sri’s name. Although commoners, the family had a Coat of Arms – as can be seen
At Egsmark Strand, a few kilometers from the town of Ebeltoft we find this copy of a Thei Wat (Monastery), en miniature. It housed the exhibition in the 1930ties. In the background ‘Lille Siam’ can be seen. The buildings are situated next to the family’s private residence ‘Bakkehuset
The work in Siam continued and it seems that there were always jobs to find, big game to hunt and items to collect. During this period he started to work as mining engineer and got a part in a tin mine. The mine seemed to be quite lucrative for a period, then came 1929. His last job was as travelling representative for Siam Cement Plc. 1929-33.
the days of the Absolute Monarchy dating back to King Chulalongkorn, we know it was forbidden to take especially religious (e.g. Buddha images) items out of the country. Hunting for elephants and their tusks were also forbidden. I could imagine that ‘authorities’ took their toll of the collection. I dare to doubt whether they are to be found at the shelves in the museum or went somewhere else. Maybe the donation is the reason why the collection in Ebeltoft is carried by artifacts, arts and crafts plus magnificent representatives of the zoological world.
The Great Depression, time to leave In late October 1929 the American Stock Market on Wall Street crashed and triggered a 10 year long economic and political world crisis and depression. As seen before Siam was not hit immediately, but when realities reached the Bay of Siam the punch became double hard, also since the country had been mismanaged for years, especially during the reign of Rama VI. The coffers, all controlled by the court, were absolutely empty and the middle class came under severe strain. Then the price of commodities, such as rice and many locally mined minerals such as tin started to fall sharply.
The political situation in Siam deteriorated further, culminating in the so-called ‘Revolution of 1932’, when the Absolute Monarchy was finally abolished. Ministers and civil servants of Royal blood were arrested. King Rama VII later went into exile in Great Britain. For many years the sentiment towards ‘the foreigners’ had been growing in Siam, this animosity was seemingly backed by the King. And in a troubled situation the highest in the land will always look for scapegoats. It was time also for Rasmus and Boon Sri to leave; they were not protected by one of the major foreign trading houses. During these years very few Danes arrived in the country. Later in 1933 the numerous camphor boxes with what was left of the collections, gathered through all the years, were shipped. A small cash fortune was furthermore secured and brought to Denmark. A big part of the collection was given to The National Museum in Bangkok. The Parliament of Siam enforced ‘The Act about Antiquities’, only in 1934. But already in
The Personal Decline Like so many others, just to mention Admiral Richelieu, Rasmus Havmøller had on certain stage attracted malaria and that seemingly in its most severe form (the form caused by parasites Falciparum). There was no real treatment at that time and without going into details, this malaria crippled the patient’s whole life, since the attacks were frequent and left the person unable to take any care of himself. The malaria followed Rasmus to his death.
Back in Egsmark the elegant ‘Little Siam’ was built for the exhibition. Entrance fee 0.35 Crowns. Rasmus was in attendance, a qualified guide, when the malaria allowed. Later the house was used as guest House and the collection was placed in a building trying to resemble a small Siamese Temple, a Wat. Finally, in 1937, the couple opened a small restaurant in the building. Furthermore Rasmus gave talks and showed slides about Siam. He wanted to go back to Siam where he still had economic interests, but he never did or could. It is also doubtful whether it would have possible to get means of any substance out of that cash strapped country. After the Germans invaded Denmark 9th of April 1940 the number of tourists to Djursland and Ebeltoft ebbed out. If not for other reasons then because petrol was rationed. As mentioned earlier, Rasmus Havmøller died in December 1940, 50 years old.
Boon Sri Just south of Bangkok inner city, Chao Phraya River forms a big loop where the river almost meets itself again. On
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