A Belgian soldier who died during the First World War will officially be laid to rest on Monday, ahead of Armistice Day, following a public ceremony in West Flanders, as announced by the War Heritage Institute.
The remains of the soldier were first discovered during the construction of a walking and cycling path along the river Yser in Diksmuide, West Flanders, on 23 September 2024.
The body was exhumed by an archaeological team the next day, after the police alerted the Flemish Immovable Heritage Agency and War Heritage Institute (WHI) of the findings.
Credit: Immovable Heritage Agency
It is not uncommon for war victims to be found by chance in Flanders, according to a statement last year by the Chief Administrator of Immovable Heritage, Peter De Wilde.
“Their remains are not only an important source of knowledge about the past, but we also owe it to these fallen soldiers to give them a final resting place with respect,” he added.
Unusual finding
Around 40,000 Belgian soldiers lost their lives during the First World War, according to WHI. About 40% of them died over the almost four years of trench warfare by the river Yser, as estimated by the Institute.
While thousands of Belgian soldiers are buried in official military cemeteries, fields of honour, or private graves, many fallen soldiers are still missing.
The remains of the soldier found last year were discovered at Hoge Brug in Diksmuide, close to the ‘Trench of Death’, the only preserved First World War Belgian network of trenches.
Image taken at the 'Trench of Death'. Credit: Belga/Olivier Matthys/oma
"That makes sense, because the western bank of the Yser was in Belgian hands throughout the war,” explained Immovable Heritage's archaeologist, Sam De Decker, in a statement released after the findings of the remains.
However, he noted it is unusual to find Belgian casualties in the area. “In absolute numbers, there were far fewer Belgian soldiers active in the war compared to the British, French or German armies,” he said.
“In addition, the nature of the fighting on the Yser front and the flooded Yser plain (the Belgian sector) was of a different order than in the Ypres or Messines region. There, troops often charged recklessly at each other, resulting in many thousands of deaths," he added.
Clues in small items
While the passage of time has made it more difficult for experts to identify the fallen soldier, some small items were able to shed some light.
"The victim wore a soldier's ring on his right hand that was made at the front, with an inscription of a post horn and the year 1915,” said archaeologist De Decker.
Image of the small items found with the remains. Credit: Immovable Heritage
“The fragments of clothing found, including a uniform button with a Belgian lion, refer to a khaki-coloured uniform that was only used by Belgian troops on the Yser from 1915 onwards," he added.
Candlelight ceremony
A torchlight procession will start at 6 a.m. on Monday at the site of the discovery of the remains of the fallen soldier in Diksmuide.
The procession will end at the ‘Trench of Death’, where a candlelight ceremony will be held around a coffin containing the soldier’s remains.
The Belgian soldiers who died in and around the ‘Trench of Death’ will be commemorated through music, stories, and “symbolic moments of light”, according to the WHI.
The Yser river next to the 'Trench of Death', in 2014. Credit: Belga/Dirk Waem
Following the ceremony, the remains will be transferred via a horse carriage to the Belgian military cemetery in the coastal town of De Panne, where the soldier will finally be laid to rest.
“After a century underground, this victim can now receive a well-deserved funeral ceremony,” said the WHI’s director of War graves, Jean-Philippe Laflotte, in a statement last year.
“It is an expression of respect from our current generation to a soldier who gave his life for our freedom,” he added.
Members of the general public were invited to attend the commemoration with prior registration.
