Joe English ‘Hero’ Cross Vinkem

On 31 August 1918, just months before the end of the war, Joe English died here as a result of peritonitis.
Joe English was born in Bruges on 5 August 1882. He had a Irish father and a Flemish mother. As a young artist, his works appeared frequently in Flemish-minded magazines. But he is now best known for his design of the ‘hero’ crosses, which were used as headstones for the graves of Flemish students who died during the war and other supporters of the Flemish cause.
On 4 September 1920 the first IJzer Pilgrimage visited his grave. In 1932, his mortal remains were transferred to the crypt of the IJzer-Tower, when he was also declared to be one of the so-called Symbols.

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Source

• Text: Informatiebord
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge