Field of Honour Tournai Southern Cemetery

The cemetery contains Belgian war graves from the two world wars. Two Belgian soldiers are buried among the CWG war graves. René DERYSE and Octave NUYTENS are the two Belgians who died respectively on September 27 and October 27, 1918.

In the front is an open book.
Left :
"To our heroes
1914 - 1918
1940 - 1945 "

Right: a poem by Emile Verhaeren:
"I collect in my heart your bruised glory
I turn the fire of my torches on you
and I guard your graves
Because I am the future. The Fatherland "

Emile Verhaeren was a well-known French-speaking Belgian writer (1855-1916).
The First World War is definitely a break in his literary development.
His entire cosmopolitan worldview is shattered and his admiration for Germany turns to hatred. During the first days of the conflict, Verhaeren immediately rallies behind the figure of King Albert and the poet is committed to continuing the struggle of threatened Belgium with the pen. During the war years Verhaeren first stayed in Great Britain and from March 1915 he returned to France. At the invitation of King Albert, he paid two visits to the front area on the Yzer. In his writings and poems he rages violently against the German aggressor. The works from these years are: La Belgique sanglante (1915), a collection of war essays, and Les Ailes rouges de la guerre (1916), his collection of war poetry. Verhaeren was killed in a tragic train accident at Rouen station on 27 November 1916.

There is also a memorial stone between the graves:
"Rest here
ashes collected
in the camp of Dachau ".

Tournai cemetery contains a memorial for the victims of the bombings of the war 1940-1945. The double rows of stones cross with name and year are embedded in a green hedge.

In front is a plate:

"The disabled citizens
Reminder
to the victims
of the bombings
1940-1945 "

The cemetery Tournai Sud contains a plot of honour with the graves of veterans, former resistance fighters, former prisoners of war and political prisoners of the First and the Second World War.
Other graves of veterans are scattered throughout the cemetery.
This plot also contains numerous Belgian war graves of both world wars.

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Source

• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck