Monument Deminers De Panne

After the Liberation, work began on the recovery of Belgium and all explosives that had been left behind by the occupying forces and the liberators had to be made harmless. That is why two demining battalions were established in early 1945. The 1st battalion was active in the Ardennes, the 2nd battalion had the task to release explosives from the Belgian coast.

On the agenda of the Belgian army of October 25, 1946, tribute is paid to the 2nd demining battalion and an assessment is made of their work.
4,000 tons of explosives were removed or destroyed, 218,000 mines were cleared, 2,250 buildings checked in which 7,825 traps were found and cleared and 2,500 hectares of land were returned to agriculture.

This monument commemorates the deminers who died while performing their dangerous task in the vicinity of De Panne.

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Source

• Text: Jhonny Bastiaensen
• Photos: Jhonny Bastiaensen (1, 2, 3), Marie-Christine Vinck (4, 5)