War Memorial Sint-Pieters-Rode

When on September 9, 1914, the Belgian troops took Aarschot in the second attack from the Fortress of Antwerp, the Germans withdrew towards Leuven and were chased by the Belgian cavalry. These camped on the nearby Roeselberg and in the castle of Cleerbeek in Houwaart. The next day a Belgian and German soldier was killed at the battle of Pellenberg. Both were buried in the cemetery of Sint-Pieters-Rode. On 11 September, the cavalry withdrew and the Belgian artillery mistakenly shelled Horst Castle in Sint-Pieters-Rode.
In Sint-Pieters-Rode, the Germans also acted violently with the inhabitants: a number of civilians were held hostage and assaulted for three days. Women and young girls were intimidated. Part of the population panicked and fled the village for a few days. Unlike the neighboring villages such as Gelrode, Wezemaal and Holsbeek, no one was deported to German camps.

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Source

• Text: Jan Rymenams
• Photos: Jan Rymenams