News
In these corona virus times it is best to stay home as much as possible. However, an open-air visit to a local cemetery is possible, especially when observing the security measures. Numerous graves are marked by a commemorative Pro Patria plaque.
The First World War ended on November 11, 1918. November 11 is the designated day on which we remember all Belgian soldiers fallen in combat during the First and Second World Wars, as we also remember Our Forgotten Heroes. Following the end of hostilities in 1918 and 1945, many of the Belgian soldiers fallen in combat were buried in a military cemetery or a military p...
Just like in the Mons local cemetery, commemorative Pro Patria plaques adorn war graves all over the country. They are posted by both enthusiastic volunteers and local authorities (French speaking video).
Wish to know more about Belgian military casualties and our forgotten heroes? Go to www.wardeadregister.be!
The 'Our Forgotten Heroes 14-18' initiative was started by the WHI in 2018, marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Their memory lives on where they spent their lives, as numerous municipalities have lent their support to this project. The result of this is that 3,700 'Pro ...
Our Forgotten Heroes are kept alive in memory through the commitment of countless volunteers and local authorities. The local cemetery of Slypskapelle is one of the many examples (video in English).
Wish to know more about Belgian military casualties? Go to www.wardeadregister.be
www.wardeadregister.be, the Belgian War Dead Register strives to provide as much biographical information as possible about each fallen soldier, for example: birthplace, date of birth, children, military rank and burial site. In the War Graves Commission archive, you can find the original index card for most of the fallen soldiers...
You wish to know more about the First World War as the 1918 Armistice is just a few days away? You’re looking for information to discuss the subject with your (grand)children? You’re a teacher and have to prepare a lesson about 14-18?
A visit to our collections, a guided tour, an animation or a workshop is not possible right now, and the Educational Service therefore grouped various information elements especially for you.
Two brand-new and very complete educational files about 14-18 have been added to the existing ones. They can be downloaded through www.klm-mra.be free of charge (Available in French...
On November 11 we commemorate all Belgian military casualties, of course also those who lost their lives at sea. Two commandos fell during the battle of Walcheren or Operation Infatuate on November 6, 1944. The story of Corporal François Dive and Lieutenant Adolphe Meny is to be found in the War Heritage Institute’s War Dead Register.
During the battle of the Scheldt Operation Infatuate was designed to open up the Antwerp harbour to allied ships. Once the lockdown will be lifted, be sure to visit the exhibition “Operation North Sea 1944-‘45” to learn more about Operation Infatuate.
The Hague (ANP-BELGA). On Monday the Retrieval and Identification Service of the Dutch Army launched the excavation of the wreckage of a German fighter downed in Dalfsen (in the north east of the Netherlands) in 1944. The police have indicated that the pilot might still be on board. The airplane, a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf109, crashed in the province of Overijssel on February 1, 1944. German and allied aviators then fought heavily in the east of the Netherlands. Eight German pilots were taken down; four of them are still missing to this day.
The Dutch territory probably counts some thirty to forty wrecks con...
Some literary comfort in these trying times. Tournai-born painter Fernand Allard l’Olivier (1883-1933) will be put in the limelight through an impressive monograph published on November 4. Through reproductions of hitherto unpublished works and personal documents (travel diaries, private correspondence, sketches, etc.) we are able to discover the incredible destiny of this painter-adventurer. The book takes us from Tournai to Yanonge, over Paris and Algiers. Fernand Allard l’Olivier, war reporter, painter of travel scenes, academic artist and illustrator, son of a family of recognized lithographers, is a many-f...
Joseph "Jeff" Moureau, the last Belgian pilot to have fought in a Belgian squadron of the British Royal Air Force (RAF), has passed away at the age of 99, the Belgian Air Force announced on Thursday.
"With sadness, the Belgian Air Force bids farewell to Belgium’s last surviving World War II Spitfire fighter pilot,” it tweeted, adding, "Blue skies forever...".
Joseph Moureau was born in Jette (Brussels) on 13 April 1921 and travelled to Great Britain in 1940, with his twin brother Alfred. They both joined the RAF as pilots, qualifying on the Spitfire after lengthy training. They were deployed in the 349th S...
Dear visitors,
Following the new measures taken by the Flemish government to fight the Corona virus and to stem the new wave of contaminations, in place since Thursday October 29, 2020, the national Fortress of Breendonk, the Trench of Death in Diksmuide, Gunfire in Brasschaat and the Command Bunker Kemmel are also closed from this date till further notice.
During the whole period our sites are closed the War Heritage Institute will not allow visitors presenting gifts or loans of objects and archives. In view of the gravity of the pandemic we ask those concerned for their comprehension.
Dear visitors
In response to the evolution of the corona pandemic and the problems in our hospitals, Mr Benoît LUTGEN, mayor of the city of Bastogne, announced a number of security measures. From this Wednesday 28th October 2020 on and until 19th November, all indoor activities (sport, leisure, culture), apart from compulsory education, are strictly forbidden throughout the city.
Our Bastogne Barracks site will therefore be closed from Wednesday 28th October onwards.
During the whole period our sites are closed the War Heritage Institute will not allow visitors presenting gifts or loans of objects and archi...