bkristof Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Anyone noticed today? It was Belgium day in Britain. On this day Britain remebers the Belgian fallen of WW1 and WW2. It is the ONLY country who has this. Belgium is also the only (non commonwealth) who is alowed to parade, with weapons, in London, in Britain. Belgium day was started by King George to remember the Belgian King Albert and his army. There must be a special memorial in London for it. Does anyone has pictures of it? Many thanks, kristof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 Anyone noticed today? Kristof I'm afraid not - to the best of my knowledge there has been no publicity about this (at least in the north of England). Many thanks for telling us. I'm just going for a walk now. It will take me past my local war memorial. I'll leave a flower in memory of your countrymen who died in both wars. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted 18 July , 2004 Share Posted 18 July , 2004 This is fascinating bkristof. I never knew anything about this. I suppose us Brits are so hooked up in our own WW1 experience that we often don't think of other nations. I will certainly remember the 18th in future. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dinkidi Posted 19 July , 2004 Share Posted 19 July , 2004 G'day Kris. I bet you didn't know that they had a Belgium Day in Australia. The www.awm.gov.au picture shows donations being collected on 14 May 1915 in Sydney. The old memory is a bit hazy, but I seem to remember Belgium Days in the 1940's [Yep 1940's]. You'll note that the above "Parade" was held before anyone down here had heard of Gallipoli. ooRoo Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 19 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 July , 2004 Dinki, the Belgium days in WW1 were fund raising days. The one now in Britain is only for remembrance. But anyhow thanks to provide the info. There should be pins also about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG DAVE Posted 19 July , 2004 Share Posted 19 July , 2004 Kristof, An annual ceremony is held on Belgium Day in the Belgian plot at Brookwood Military Cemetery. It is organised by the committee of Amicale des Anciens Combattants Belges en Grande Bretagne and is often attended by the Belgian Ambassador to Britain. Outside of this cemetery there is a large memorial to Belgian war dead in London. It is in Kensal green St Mary R.C. Cemetery in the London Borough of Hamersmith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 19 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 July , 2004 Dave, is there a possibility to have a picture of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick @ IFF Posted 19 July , 2004 Share Posted 19 July , 2004 There must be a special memorial in London for it. Does anyone has pictures of it? Apparently, there are some other memorials commemorating Belgian WW1-contribution in Britain. I know of 2 of them: - Manchester: Town Hall - London: Bounds Green Underground Station (Piccadilly Line) Maybe someone can take a picture for us, little Belgians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Ryckeboer Posted 19 July , 2004 Share Posted 19 July , 2004 Hello Kristof, Yes, I was thinking at my pals who were parading down Whitehall!!! It take place every year at the Cenotaph at Whitehall. Wreaths and a little parade. As a CPO in the Belgian Navy, I done it. It is always the sunday before the 21st July: our National Day with our anual military parade for our King at Brussels. The Navy send always at least one ship to London for that week-end as a delegation. Very practical of our Staff, for the transportation of our weapons, isn't it? The Ships are berth then (as always when we visit London) near the Tower Bridge, alongside HMS Belfast or before the Bridge at the, if I remember well, the Royal Naval Reserve Club just before the Tower Bridge. The detachement is most of the times 'parked' at the Mall. Passes the Horse Guards and then parade down Whitehall before the prominents and the Cenotaph. Very great to do! Greetings from Flanders! Joris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dinkidi Posted 19 July , 2004 Share Posted 19 July , 2004 the Belgium days in WW1 were fund raising days. G'day Kris What about returning the favour ? The original donations, plus compound interest, would almost equal what England spent on buying the Rugby World Cup. Australia could then buy Johnny, and one or two Kiwis. Who would ever beat us then? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 19 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 July , 2004 yeah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris basey Posted 21 July , 2004 Share Posted 21 July , 2004 Here is a picture of Belgian Monument in London. Anyone know the location and is it still there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted 21 July , 2004 Share Posted 21 July , 2004 There must be a special memorial in London for it. Does anyone has pictures of it? Apparently, there are some other memorials commemorating Belgian WW1-contribution in Britain. I know of 2 of them: - Manchester: Town Hall - London: Bounds Green Underground Station (Piccadilly Line) Maybe someone can take a picture for us, little Belgians Two points. Firstly, the plaque at Bounds Green Tube Station (northern end of southbound platform tunnel) commemorates civilian casualties killed when the station was hit on 13 October 1940. It's actually my local station, so I always stick a poppy next to it on 13 October and (if the earlier one has) 11 November. Secondly, the plaque erroneously states: "IN MEMORY OF THE SIXTEEN BELGIAN REFUGEES AND THREE BRITISH CITIZENS WHO DIED ON THIS PLATFORM DURING THE AIR RAID OF 13 OCTOBER 1940" In fact, sixteen people in total were killed in the station, one injured person died in hospital the next day, and four people were killed in the houses immediately above (it was the demolition of the latter which caused the roof of the platform tunnel to collapse on the civilians sheltering from the air raid). Of the sixteen killed in the station, only three were Belgians, the CWGC records for them being: BOULLE, Civilian, FRANCINE, Civilian War Dead. 13th October 1940. Age 5. Belgian Subject. Daughter of Marie Gilliane Boulle, of 47 Palace Gates Road. Died at Tube Station, Bounds Green Road. NEUCKERMANS, Civilian, ROBERT JOSEPH AUGUSTE, Civilian War Dead. 14th October 1940. Age 26. Belgian Subject; of 5 Braemar Avenue. Son of Edouard and Prevost Neuckermans, of Rue de la Petite Hollande, Gilly-Sart-Allet, Belgium. Died at Tube Station, Bounds Green Road. VAN HAELTER, Civilian, DAVID, Civilian War Dead. 14th October 1940. Age 28. Belgian Subject; of 90 Arcadian Gardens. Son of Mr. Van Haelter and Mrs. Leopoldine Van Haelter, of 65 Rue de la Petite Hollande, Gilly-Sart-Allet, Belgium; husband of Blanche Devroye Van Haelter, of 21 Rue de Ravin, Gilly-Sart-Allet, Bel-gium. Died at Tube Station, Bounds Green Road. Of the other other fatalities, the only ones who don't have recognisably British surnames are a family with an Italian one! The longstanding confusion seems to stem from a book published by London Transport just after the war that relied heavily on evidently incorrect annecdotal testimony by surviving the station staff. Somewhere along the line, I suspect, "sixteen civilians, of whom three were Belgians," became, "sixteen Belgians plus three non-Belgians." Unfortunately, subsequent writers have often chosen to put a prosaic and almost romatic spin on this "angle," such as this one: "The nature of the casualties [at Bounds Green] made this a particularly tragic episode. Sixteen of the dead were Belgian refugees who had fled their country at the time of the Dunkirk invasion and had created a Belgian enclave at one end of the platform. On this paricular night they had welcomed three English people who had been bombed out of two homes. All nineteen were killed." [stephen Halliday, Underground to Everywhere, 2001] There is more information on this incident on my webpage about The Underground at War. I have done a more detailed analysis (which names all the fatalities) of this particular event, but it isn't uploaded yet, although I may get a chance to do so tonight. I now have a photograph of the plaque, and it will replace the text version already on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeppoSapone Posted 21 July , 2004 Share Posted 21 July , 2004 Dinki, the Belgium days in WW1 were fund raising days. The one now in Britain is only for remembrance. But anyhow thanks to provide the info. There should be pins also about it. Sold in America to raise money for "Belgian Babies", WW1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zijde26 Posted 21 July , 2004 Share Posted 21 July , 2004 To Kristof, There was broadcasted on television (the news program in the evening) a small item on this Belgian day (Prins Filip was present). Gilbert Deraedt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick @ IFF Posted 22 July , 2004 Share Posted 22 July , 2004 Two points. Firstly, the plaque at Bounds Green Tube Station (northern end of southbound platform tunnel) commemorates civilian casualties killed when the station was hit on 13 October 1940. It's actually my local station, so I always stick a poppy next to it on 13 October and (if the earlier one has) 11 November. Sorry Nick. I didn't know the plaque is a WW2-related item. However, many thanks for the detailed information. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I read about this plaque before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick @ IFF Posted 22 July , 2004 Share Posted 22 July , 2004 Here is a picture of Belgian Monument in London. Anyone know the location and is it still there? Chris, it's located in Victoria Embankment Gardens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 22 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 22 July , 2004 Big Dave just sended me this nice picture of the Belgian monument. This is it, sober but nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now