Belgium will commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation in September 1944 with events across the country – from Brussels to Mons and Antwerp – throughout the month.
Brussels was liberated by 4 September 1944, after British troops first entered the city the previous evening.
The liberating army was welcomed by jubilant scenes as the Belgian capital’s residents crowded the streets to welcome them after four years of Nazi occupation. The troops also included the Independent Belgian Brigade, more commonly known today as the Piron Brigade.
It marked the end of a brutal occupation which had begun four years earlier in May 1940, with commemorative events held every year. To mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation, events, exhibitions and are being celebrated across the country.
Celebrations in Brussels
The Brussels branch of the Royal British Legion will organise a gala dinner at the Prince Albert Club on Wednesday 4 September. Live jazz will be performed by the official NATO band, 1940s-style dancers and singers as well as a display of Second World War British uniforms.
Among the 130 guests will be HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium, City of Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, the UK's Ambassador Designate Anne Sherriff and numerous veterans, descendants and army officials.
Among these, 99-year-old Brigade Piron veteran Henri d'Oultremont, officers of the Welsh Guards (the first to enter the city during its liberation) including Bill Dent, son of Lt John Dent, who commanded the first tank to enter Brussels on 3 September 1944, and Bernadette de Cumont, daughter of General Charles de Cumont, commander of the 1st Battalion of Belgian Fusiliers in Tenby, Wales, from 1940-42.
The Welsh Guards will also parade in Brussels the day before (3 September) and the military band will perform in the Grand Place.
The municipality of Anderlecht is also hosting an exhibition titled Resisters of Congolese Origins during the Belgian Resistance 1940-1945, which opened on 29 August and will end on 8 September at the Espace 16 Arts.
Additionally, the Vendôme cinema in Ixelles will be host three days of documentary screenings on the European resistance movement from 3-5 September, produced by Patricia Niedzwiecki from unseen testimonies and archive footage.
Wallonia
Mons, the first Belgian city to be liberated, hosts a number of events on the weekend on 31 August and 1 September. These include a US-Belgian military parade on Sunday, re-enactments including a vintage vehicle parade, concerts, a treasure hunt, and a Liberation ball. The Mons Memorial Museum will also host various arts and crafts workshops.
On 7 September, Tournai will host four ceremonies, as well as a static vehicle show, a liberation march, and a garrison concert. Scenes of the city’s liberation will be reenacted as the vehicle procession reaches the Grand-Place.
There are also numerous events planned in Wavre, Ohey, Fort de Saint-Héribert in Floreffe (Namur), Waremme, Genappe and Vresse-sur-Semois in Wallonia.
Flanders
In Antwerp, celebrations will take place Grote Markt on 7 September at 18:00, with the Liberation Ball – which will feature extensive musical program follows afterwards. During a dance initiation, visitors learn swing, lindyhop and jive. Visitors can also get a 1940s makeover with the make-up and hair stylists, and pose with a real Second World War aircraft.
Also on 7 September, Talbot House in Poperinge (West Flanders) will present live theatre tours with storytellers to help visitors discover lively Second World War histories through moving and unique stories. There will also be a barbecue and live music. Curiously, the building was a former refuge for British soldiers during the First World War.
