When Royal Netherlands Navy Lieutenant Commander Bert Montsma sailed into port on the HNLMS Willem van der Zaan last weekend, he had more than rest and recreation on his mind.

On behalf of his fiance me and fellow naval officer, Sub. Lt. Danielle Muriel Gage, his mission was to bring back a copy of a newspaper article about her great grandmother, Mrs. Muriel Tatem Leighton, which appeared in The Royal Gazette in 1918.

What he left Bermuda with three days later was not only a photocopy of the newspaper article, but also a host of memories of a visit to Tatem's Hill, meetings with Mrs. Leighton's relatives, and masses of Tatem family history, including a partial copy of the family tree.

Lt. Cdr. Montsma's story begins at an on-board cocktail party in Hamilton where he sought directions to this newspaper. By chance, the guest to whom he spoke not only knew this writer was a Tatem descendant but also a journalist.

Armed with detailed information from Danielle's father and Muriel's grandson, Leighton Gage, Lt. Cdr. Montsma lost no time in arriving at the newspaper.

Within minutes the 1918 article was retrieved from the microfilm library, and with pleasure he accepted the offer of a visit to Tatem's Hill in Pembroke to tread the ancestral soil.

At the sight of the road sign, his face lit up. There to greet him were Muriel Tatem Leighton's niece, Mrs. Pat (Tatem) McGlynn; Paul Tatem, his wife Ellen, who remembered "Aunt Muriel'' well, and their son Sean.

Apparently, Mrs. Leighton had been quite a character, and everyone loved her.

Over tea at Mrs. McGlynn's, the clearly-delighted officer, who speaks and writes excellent English, was plied with stories of Muriel, her relatives, and enough Tatem history to, well, sink a ship.

If his head was spinning, the Lt.Cdr. did not let on. Instead, he was eager to learn more about the family he was marrying into.

"I will have so much to tell Danielle tonight,'' he smiled.

Lt. Cdr. Montsma's fiance me is based in The Hague and the couple talk every night when he is in port.

Sure enough, the Dutch naval officer returned to Tatem's Hill the next day for a "mini tribal gathering''. Over an extended luncheon he told the story of how he and Danielle met, and of the future they plan to share.

Danielle was born in Sao Paolo, Brazil but raised by her Dutch mother in Holland after separating from her husband, Leighton Gage, who now lives in Florida.

"And he knows more about Dutch maritime history than I do,'' the future son-in-law noted.

Lt. Cdr. Montsma joined the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1987. He met Danielle, who is also a Supply officer, while both were on a shore posting, and they fell in love. Then both were deployed to different ships, and saw each other in total for just two months last year.

Now Danielle is back in The Hague, where the couple share an apartment in the historic downtown area, and each is counting the days until they are reunited because they have recently decided to marry.

Like her great grandmother before her, from whom she gets her middle name, Danielle lost her heart to a mariner.

Explaining that in Holland there are two ceremonies, one civil, one church, the sweethearts plan to hold the former not later than June, with a church wedding to follow in December. It is only the civil ceremony which is legally recognised in their country.

"We are in a hurry to have the civil ceremony because we love each other so very much,'' the 31-year-old bachelor said. "I want to be there to help Danielle arrange everything.'' In fact, Lt.Cdr. Montsma's present sea tour is his last. From now on, by choice, he will continue his career ashore.

Although the tall, blonde officer did not get to see much of the rest of Bermuda, he knew instinctively it was no ordinary destination.

As his ship sailed in, he was immediately struck by all the white-roofed, multi-coloured houses dotting the coastline, which he thought resembled a film set. Having read a little bit about the Island, he soon fell under its spell.

"I knew it was British, and I immediately liked the atmosphere, which is relaxed and easy-going. Bermuda is very, very friendly, and very well organised,'' he said. "It is some sort of paradise on earth. The vegetation is overwhelming. It is such a lovely place, very clean and tidy.'' As for Danielle, when her fiance told her how the search for the newspaper about her great grandmother Muriel had blossomed, she was "ecstatic but also a little bit jealous that she wasn't here too'', Lt. Cdr. Montsma reported.

Some day, he hopes to return with his wife to see the island he described as "paradise on earth''.

Until then, they will share the many photographs he took of the homes on Tatem's Hill from whence her forebears came, including the house where Muriel grew up and another where her father stayed 20 years ago; as well the hospitality he enjoyed, and even a piece of limestone rock from the Hill itself.

"I have experienced a lot of things I will never forget in my entire life,'' the naval officer said. "Most of all I will treasure the memories of the people I have met, and especially Danielle's family on Tatem's Hill.'' Photos by Arthur Bean Relatively speaking: Lt. Cdr. Montsma, second from left meets with relatives of the late Mrs. Muriel Tatem Leighton, from left Mrs. Pat Tatem McGlynn, and Paul, Ellen and Sean McGlynn. Mrs. Leighton was Mrs. McGlynn's aunt.

This is it!: Royal Netherlands Navy officer Lieutenant Commander Bert Montsma, finds where Muriel Tatem Leighton grew up. She married a sea captain in 1918 and settled in Holland. Bert is about to marry her great granddaughter, Danielle, who is also a Dutch Navy officer and is currently stationed in The Hague. Bert was in Bermuda for last weekend's rest stop while on NATO manoeuveres.