Belgian War Graves Waregem "Den Olm"

At the old cemetery Den Olm are still a few Belgian war graves:
World War I: BRUYNEEL Adolf
WAELKENS Cyriel was killed in action on 21 February 1915 in Diksmuide, he was 21 years old.

World War II : VANSTEENBRUGGE Roger, WINDLS Marcel, LEBBE Henri and DUTHOY Joseph. They belonged to the resistance and lost their lives during the liberation of Waregem on September 5, 1944.

Le Grèbe farm was the hideout of the secret army during the Second World War.
On Tuesday September 5, 1944, British troops entered Waregem.
Immediately, scenes of joy erupted. People took to the streets, flags were hung and the resistance marched merrily through the center.
However, the joy of the liberation was short-lived.
That same evening, a group of German soldiers, fleeing from the advancing British, entered Waregem. The situation became too dangerous for the Secret Army resisters and they were taken by car back to their hideout, the farm.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Henri Lebbe was stopped by SS soldiers in Stormestraat and was killed. Adolf Cannie, a resistance fighter from Wakken, was also killed in the Stationsstraat. The situation in the farm was no longer safe and the resistance fighters fled into the Spitaalbossen. But there were also German soldiers hiding.
The six-man patrol consisting of Jozef Duthoy, Marcel Windels, Roger Vansteenbrugge, Daniel Delmulle and the Americans Mahoney and Cockriel emerged from the forest and stopped a British reconnaissance vehicle to provide them with information.
However, all hell broke loose, around 5 pm the situation became explosive and a clash came between a British tank and the German soldiers.
The tank was fired upon, the resistance fighters fled into the field but were surrounded by the Germans and shot down on further notice. Daniel Delmulle and Cockriel survived the drama.
On September 10, 1944, the massively attended funeral service for the fallen took place on the market square, in the open air. All Waregem victims were given a final resting place at the cemetery in the Olmstraat.

Source: 't Biesteneirke - free monthly magazine for residents of the Biest district in Waregem

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Source

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