Memorial Printing Company Brussels

On the facade of the lyceum Dachsbeck hangs a memorial plaque with the text:

"During the Second World War, this was the seat of the printing house of Ferdinand Wellens, where during the night of 6 to 7 November 1943 the "false" Soir was clandestinely printed and distributed on 9 November.
Through this bravado, the Independence Front wanted to demonstrate its commitment to fundamental freedom of expression and to commemorate with dignity the 25th anniversary of the German surrender after the First World War."

On May 10, 1940, German troops invade Belgium. Le Soir, a leading Belgian and Brussels newspaper, will roll off the press until May 18, 1940. Then the press and advertising company is confiscated by the German occupier. On June 14, 1940, the newspaper is republished by an editorial team working for the German occupier.
The newspaper praises the advance of the German army and tries in this way to influence the minds of the citizens. Outspoken racist articles against Jews are commonplace.

In 1943 Marc Aubrion, alias Yvon, a member of the resistance movement Independence Front, comes up with a crazy idea. His intention is to release a satirical version of Le Soir, full of 'satire' to poke fun at the occupying forces and boost the morale of the Belgians. René Noël, alias Jean, press officer of the Independence Front, was immediately won over to the project and Pierre Lauwers designed the printing plate with which the "Faux (false) Soir" will be printed.
Very quickly they manage to gather a group of confidants around them.
They make the project concrete in 21 days. Printing is entrusted to Ferdinand Wellens, a resistance fighter who has already printed documents for the Independence Front. He manages a printing company located at 35 Ruysbroeckstraat in Brussels.
The print run is set at 50,000 copies. The newspaper looks identical to Le Soir. The only difference is the content that the German occupier runs through the meat grinder.

The "false" Soir appears on November 9, 1943 around 4 pm.
The inhabitants of Brussels had a hearty laugh about it, the occupier not at all.
Some members of the resistance movement had to pay for this joke that got out of hand with their freedom or even with their lives. Marc Aubrion was arrested on March 13, 1944 and sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to 15 years in prison in a concentration camp in Bayreuth, where he was later liberated by the Americans.
Ferdinand Wellens, printer of Le Faux Soir was also arrested. He died on February 28, 1945 in a concentration camp.

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Source

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